Soil Builders - Education for Action
The Soil Builders program provides compost-related eco-literacy for Lake Champlain Basin decision-makers, professionals and advocates.
Concerns about elevated phosphorous levels in the Lake Champlain Basin have contributed to confusion about when and how to use compost. There’s a knowledge gap about specific benefits from using compost and how to modify current farming, site engineering and landscaping practices to produce those benefits.
What is compost?
Compost is like a superfood for soil, made from stuff you’d usually throw away, like old leaves, hay, animal poop, wood chips – and food scraps! When all these things break down in the right way, they turn into a dark, crumbly mix. packed with benefits. Compost helps soil retain moisture, provides essential nutrients for plants, and creates a thriving environment for beneficial organisms.
More than just a fertilizer, compost is also a powerhouse of microbes that support plant health. These beneficial microorganisms not only enrich the soil but also help plants grow strong by outcompeting harmful pathogens. By adding compost to your lawn or garden, you're feeding both the soil and the tiny life forms that protect and nourish your plants naturally.
What’s the connection between this apple core and protecting Lake Champlain?
How does building soil (the “other aquatic ecosystem”) ensure a safer lake? We’re going to introduce you to a secret ingredient doing the quiet work to restore and fortify lawns and gardens, farms and fields, roads and riverways in the Lake Champlain Basin.
Waste or Resource?
When we don’t take care with unwanted bits of food like the apple core, they become waste.
But what if waste is only waste because it’s in the wrong place?
Tossing that apple core into the trash is what makes it waste. Food scraps like the apple core can be mixed with dry leaves, hay, animal bedding, and wood chips to make compost, while food that is wasted usually winds up in a landfill where it produces methane, a gas that’s bad for the planet. What a waste, right?
Soil: The Hidden Aquatic Ecosystem
When we think of aquatic ecosystems, oceans, lakes, and rivers typically come to mind. But did you know that soil is also an aquatic environment?
Beneath our feet lies a hidden world filled with water, microscopic life, and complex chemical processes—making soil "the other aquatic ecosystem."
Why is Soil Considered an Aquatic Ecosystem?
Even though it appears solid and dry, soil contains tiny reservoirs of water within its pores, supporting a vast network of life.
Here’s why soil functions as an aquatic system:
Water is Everywhere
Soil retains moisture in its pores, creating micro-scale aquatic habitats where organisms move, feed, and reproduce.
A Microbial Metropolis
Bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes rely on thin films of water surrounding soil particles to survive and thrive.
Nutrient Transport & Cycling
A Vital Link to Surface Water
Just like in streams and wetlands, water in soil helps transport essential nutrients, fueling plant growth and decomposition.
Soil plays a crucial role in filtering pollutants, recharging groundwater, and regulating the health of rivers and lakes.
Why does this matter?
Understanding soil as an aquatic system changes how we view and manage this vital resource. By protecting soil moisture and microbial diversity, we support clean water, healthy crops, and resilient ecosystems.
Take Action
Reduce soil erosion by planting cover crops.
Limit chemical runoff to protect underground water reserves.
Support sustainable farming and land conservation efforts.
Soil is more than just dirt—it’s a hidden aquatic world essential to life on Earth. Let’s protect it!
Composting and Waste Reduction in the Lake Champlain Basin
The Lake Champlain Basin, spanning Vermont, eastern New York, and Quebec, has implemented progressive waste management policies. Across the region, laws and initiatives aim to keep valuable materials like food scraps, yard debris, and clean wood out of landfills, recognizing them as essential resources rather than waste.
Organic waste in landfills is a significant environmental concern, producing methane—a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. By diverting these materials, communities around Lake Champlain are reducing emissions while turning organic waste into useful products like compost and renewable energy. These efforts not only protect the environment but also support local economies by fostering infrastructure and businesses dedicated to sustainable waste management.
Policy Initiatives Across the Region
Vermont
Vermont’s universal recycling law, Act 148, passed unanimously in 2012, effectively banning blue-bin recyclables, leaf and yard debris, clean wood, and food scraps from the landfill, to improve the capture and diversion rates of these valuable materials.
The law, which was rolled out between 2014-2020, sent a clear signal to both private and public sectors that these materials would become more available, which lawmakers hoped would kickstart infrastructure and product development to meet anticipated demand for management.
Eastern New York
As of 2022, New York’s Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Law requires large generators of food waste to donate edible food and recycle the rest if they are within 25 miles of an organics recycler.
This helps keep food out of landfills and promotes local composting solutions.
Quebec
In 2020, Quebec committed to diverting at least 70% of its organic waste by 2030, with a major investment to expand composting services province-wide by 2025.
This initiative recognizes food scraps and other organic materials as resources that can be transformed into compost or energy, reducing pollution and enhancing soil health.