Inaugural Washington D.C. Organics & Compost Bike Tour: A Resounding Success
After a decade of putting on compost bike tours once or twice a year in NYC (exclusively in Queens for a few years, expanding to Brooklyn in 2017, then Manhattan in 2019, and a Bronx tour in 2022). This year we took our immersive environmental education experience on the road, visiting amazing community composting sites and meeting wonderful community leaders in the Southwest and Southeast neighborhoods of Washington D.C. on Saturday, September 7, 2024.
The event brought together a diverse group of bicycle enthusiasts who embarked upon four unique locations within S.E. and S.W. districts that showcase an environmental commitment with strong community support.
Event Highlights:
Bicycle Miles Traveled: 5.2
Scenic Bridge Crossing: 1
Sites Visited: 4
Challenging Hill: 1
Interactive Activities: 2
Culinary Delight: 1 community meal serving 30+ members
Tour Stops:
SW Community Garden: Participants dug into the 3-bin system, helping turn Bay 1 as an initial tactile learning experience. This specific bin system was designed and built with assistance from the D.C. Parks & Recreation (DPR) Department in which residential vegetarian food scraps are processed in a collective manner. Material is aerated and moved from Bin 1 (earliest) - Bin 2 - Bin 3 (latest). This final soil amendment in Bin 3 is applied across the community garden which incorporates microbial life and nutrients as nature’s fertilizer for crops, shrubs, and trees supporting figs, paw-paws, raspberry, mulberry, blackberry species and many more.
SW Farmers Market: At the bustling weekly market, a public-private relationship exists with Zero Waste D.C. and a local vendor to collect residential kitchen scraps. Unlike the small-scale community compost system, this accepts bones, meat, dairy, cheeses and oily food residue which can be dropped off in a compostable plastic bag. This material is collected every Saturday morning into 32-gallon buckets that are transported to a larger industrial facility including Prince George’s County (MD). Attendees engaged with the local drop-off attendant and learned of farmers markets across the district to drop-off material while demonstrating a difference between community and farmers market model with organic waste management.
Friendship Public Charter High School Farm: After riding over the beautiful Anacostia River Bridge and a daunting uphill pedal. We met the ecology teacher who builds and maintains a learning garden. Students across this campus school, elementary, middle, and high school interact with this space. The school farm collects cafeteria organic material and processes it within their 3-bin system. Youth in grades 9th - 12th with an interest in agriculture, ecology, or sustainability utilize compost for growing herbs correlating into healthy food, environmental literacy, and cooking demos in which students connect the circular cycle of nature, soil, and food systems. An apiary is onsite further showcases the value of pollinators with flowering plants; these concepts will be expanded in the Fall ‘24.
Final Stop: The Well at Oxon Run: A community farm managed by D.C. Greens and featuring an educational garden and wellness space hosted by The Green Scheme. A wonderful tour of this site includes highlights of George Washington Carver mural and "Mimi the Memory Tree," which shed its dormancy as the community farm became active, Mimi now holds a historical significance for the community. The tour and hands-on activities include:
Meditation Garden and Crop Areas: We observed the garden's role in providing fresh produce to local communities affected by food apartheid.
Aviary: A netted space with fig, persimmon trees, and a chicken coop. As we spoke about the chicken coop and its protective netting, we witnessed a dramatic moment as a hawk attempted to capture a bird within the aviary but was thwarted by the netting.
Composting System: We revisited another DPR three-bin composting system and discussed plans to enhance composting capacity and efficiency.
Greenhouse: Used primarily for seed starting and growing season extension.
Learning Gardens: We helped with the de-weeding of the raised beds for youth to begin planting of cover crops. All of us sampled or took home veggies such as kale, spinach, okra, and delicious Sungold tomatoes.
“I recently joined the DC Compost Tour. The tour taught me about the mechanics of composting, how I can start composting, and my impacts in my community and the world. It showed me that composting was so easy that anyone could do it. I’m more motivated to get involved and support my community efforts,” said a bike tour attendee.
Following our hands-on activities, we were invited to wade into the Oxon Run River equipped with waders to explore the creek and its surroundings, enjoying the natural environment up close.
The Community Meal was served under the timber structure, where we heard from Agri Compost International about industrial-scale anaerobic digestion and its role in managing organic waste in urban areas. The meal included collard greens, vegan primavera, mac & cheese, and chicken, complemented by lemonade and cucumber water from Buddy’s DC Bar and Lounge.
The day concluded with a heartfelt thanks to our hosts and sponsors for their support and engagement in making the event a success. The tour is generously sponsored by Patagonia D.C., Agri Compost International, WeRadiate, and SW Community Garden. Thank you to Buddy’s D.C. for the healthy delicious meal and planning partners D.C. Greens and Green Scheme for their time and efforts. In the end we all enjoyed a beautiful day, learned a lot about compost and soil health, made professional connections, explored multiple neighborhoods and came into closer kinship with our natural world. Thank you to co-facilitators Gil & Sashti for making this tour possible.
Stay tuned for more updates and continued community engagement to support and celebrate environmental stewardship! 🌻🚲♻️