Four Key Ingredients for Composting by MCR Mildred T.

Greens

These materials are moist, have lots of nitrogen, and less carbon.

• kitchen scraps
• fresh plant material
• peelings
• anything fresh from a plant

Browns
These materials are dry and rich in carbon.

• fall leaves
• dried grass
• saw dust
• straw
• shredded paper

Water

Some water is required for food to break down.

• Sometimes I take the lid off my compost bin before it rains.
• I add any unused water, when I change my pet's water dish.
• Whenever I cook pasta, rinse rice or beans, or wash vegetables, I save that water and add it to my compost.
  (Note: I stopped adding salt to my pasta water, to keep it out of my compost.)

Air

Without oxygen, compost breaks down anaerobically. It smells bad and composts slowly. So mix your greens and browns, add water, and then poke some holes in the compost pile. Use something like a long handled weeder or an old broom handle.

This brings air and oxygen into the pile and helps it break down to become a soil amendment.

• Fluff once a week, from spring to fall.

For More Info & Help
Visit edmonton.ca/compost
Call 780-495-5526
Email compost@edmonton.ca
Go to Compost 'S cool

MCR Mildred T.
Mildred T. became a Master Composter Recycler in 1991. She was part of the first training group of the MCR Program. She was advocate for waste reduction before and ever since. Her motto has been "think globally, act locally."

City Releases Progress Report on Energy Transition Strategy

The City released its annual progress report of the Energy Transition Strategy, a comprehensive climate change mitigation strategy approved by City Council in 2015. The report highlights programs and milestones achieved in 2017 and informs citizens on upcoming initiatives over the next year.

“The actions outlined in this report help citizens and businesses to lower their greenhouse gas emissions and take advantage of rebate programs offered by other levels of government while maximizing the economic benefits of a low carbon economy,” said Paul Ross, Branch Manager of Economic and Environmental Sustainability at the City of Edmonton. 

Highlights of the report include:

• In 2017 the City of Edmonton launched two nation-leading labelling programs: EnerGuide for Homes for the residential sector and Building Energy Benchmarking for the commercial sector. Approximately 500 homes participated in EnerGuide and 83 buildings participated in year one of the Benchmarking program.
• 2018 will advance solar power uptake in Edmonton with the launch of a new solar map showing the energy potential of roofs in Edmonton and new tools to leverage provincial rebates. 2018 will also bring advancement of LRT, Blatchford, and new projects such as the Corporate Climate Leaders program.
• The City is updating its greenhouse gas management plan to meet its 2035 reduction targets and will provide detailed emissions data and future emission projections to Council in May. 

To learn more about Edmonton’s Energy Transition Strategy and view the progress report, visit edmonton.ca/energytransition.