Push vs Pull

Push vs Pull

Not surprisingly, I have a back yard compost bin (I'd probably be fired if I didn't). In fact, I have three. Composting is a lovely, and extremely forgiving, process. It can be done with very little effort if you don't really care how long it takes. A few basic principles, and you're away...

In my composting area, I have a couple of piles of finished compost. Being one of the lazier yard workers on the planet, I don't have a garden, my lawn has a pretty high weed percentage, and my (few) flower beds contain no-fuss, hard-to-kill, perennials. Finished compost, as we all know, is a wonderful product for gardens, flower beds, and top dressing on lawns; ergo, I don't really have a big need for it.

I compost because I have to. I can't stand waste. (I blame my mother -- a product of the Depression who never throws anything away). I am motivated to compost solely for waste diversion reasons.

Contrast my situation with that of an avid gardener with a lovely and organic-needy yard. This person would be helping his compost bin work faster, making sure it had enough water and turning it regularly. He would probably be digging around the bottom of his compost bin to see if it was ready yet, like the kid peering through the oven window, desperate for the cookies to be done. He has lots of uses for the finished compost. This guy is motivated to compost because of the product that results. This guy is going to want finished compost for as long as he's able to garden. Me, I'm going to have piles of finished compost around for as long as I'm able to compost.

Yeah, I know. The gardener and I should get together. Not my point. Convincing someone to compost (unless they have a bone-deep aversion to waste) because it keeps materials out of landfill isn't nearly as effective as getting someone started who sees the value in the end product.

On a larger scale, municipalities take on composting to keep materials out of their landfill, and kudos to those that do. But watch what happens when their Parks people figure out how useful the compost is. Or if a local greenhouse or landscaper tries some with good results. Instead of demand push (trying to figure out what to do with the stuff) you have demand pull (people asking for your product): a much more (sorry to use this overused word) sustainable position to be in.

The lesson: start at the end with the product and work backward. If everything you do is geared toward a product that works, you don't get the stockpiles and lose the motivation to continue. It applies to recycled products too. Everything's better if people are lining up to buy your product than if you're looking for places to unload it.

As for me, I guess I'll go find that gardener now...