Several years ago, my sister was rafting down the Zambezi (doesn't everyone?) when she came across a village where - as she put it - the peope had forgotten how to grow food.  In spite of being located at the confluence of two sizeable rivers, the area was more or less barren - all the trees had been cut down for fuel with resulting erosion and degradation of the soil.  The people pulled ever smaller fish from the river, smoked them and exchanged this valuable protein source for canned foods which periodically were trucked in from the capital.

These people - and many like them - need help.

It occurred to me that teaching them to make compost would enrich the soil, make growing food possible, improve their lives and eventually help them to be self-sufficient.

So I went to Compost School and learnt that not only is compost the solution to a whole slew of environmental problems, but also that there are areas right here in the United States where learning to make compost could benefit whole commuinties.  Hence:

I am on a mission to improve the earth one compost heap at a time

 and if that sounds just a little evangelical, so be it.  I can't do it all myself, but I can "convert" everyone I meet to the philosophy that compost makes sense at all levels: backyard, community, municipality, state, national and international.  I am convnced that the simple act of returning organic matter to the soil can save the planet.

You can help by learning more (about compost and education) and by browsing the store which features a wide variety of books, plus many handmade items which are original, fun and inexpensive.  ALL proceeds go towards supporting my one-woman, completely voluntary mission.

You can contact me, Elizabeth Whitehouse, at ew@compostinternational.org or 1-800-784-0537 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            1-800-784-0537      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

or (and I can't beleive I'm saying this) you can find me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Compost-International/111275622296783