Final Project Reflection

Along with many of my classmates, I worked on gathering information and preparing a presentation about composting for the RAs of Rooker Hall. For this project we kept in mind several things: our audience and our objective. Our audience was the RAs of Rhooker Hall and our objective was to inform them about composting and how to do it, so for our research we compiled helpful information that was relevant to this topic. We did not want the presentation to be too technical, so we tried to include only basic details about the benefits of composting as well as what to and what to not compost. After we had enough information, we created a flyer that was colorful, aesthetically pleasing, and easy to read, and we created a PowerPoint presentation to show during the meeting with the RAs. This type of research—keeping a narrow focus based on the audience—will be helpful in the future should I ever give a presentation to a group of peers who are not currently studying or have studied the topic at hand.

During the research project and presentation, we focused on the dos and don’ts of composting, how composting is beneficial, and any common questions we believed our audience might have. Before this project, I knew that composting was good for the environment, but in researching I learned just how large the impact of composting can be. Furthermore, in researching the specifics of what is compostable from different websites, I gained a very precise picture of composting as well as used some of the questions I had prior to beginning the project to help the RAs develop a similar understanding. Presenting the information to people who did not know much about composting also furthered my knowledge about the subject because we prepared to deliver the material, and we were able to hear and respond to their questions.

I thought an interesting component in our presentation was the section about why we should compost. We included several interesting statistics and facts that definitely intellectually stimulated our audience. During preparation for this presentation, we always kept in mind our audience, which is evident in the short but informative presentation as well as the easy to read but interesting flyer we made. I think our creativity was evident in both of these elements, as we made sure to cater to our audience in an interesting and pleasurable way.

Reflecting about the presentation, I learned that I can remain calm despite pressure. Right as we were about to give our presentation, we ran into some difficulties with our location, so we ended up having to move to a different room where there was no projector. Despite this mishap, my peers and I pulled together and kept level heads. I also thought that I did a better job of paraphrasing the information on the slides than I have in the past, and I do see myself as more confident since we delivered a good presentation on the fly and were able to respond to questions.

Most of our project was centered around our assumption that only a select few people want to listen to a lengthy and technical presentation about composting on a Wednesday night, and that the Rhooker Hall RAs were not among those few. Consequently, we made our presentation brief and straightforward, and we made the flyer engaging and simple. For future communication efforts, I will seek to find a balance between achieving the goal of the presentation and being sensitive to the proximity of the audience to the subject.

If I could change something about our presentation, I would have prepared more thoroughly so that we could have adapted better to the switched order of the presentation. Nonetheless, the presentation taught me that people are more interested in composting than I had previously thought and that composting is a very marketable as well as an important activity. The presentation also helped me with teamwork, which is common in this course, and my presentation skills. I learned that a crucial presentation skill is keeping your audience in mind as well as being engaging, and I learned that feedback from professors and other faculty members involved is crucial as well. All of these skills and tools will be useful both in my education at the University as well as in my professional field after graduation.

As a group, I felt we had a strong grasp of our information. However, we did appear slightly frazzled, as the location change and segue to the project threw us off. I would have preferred for us to appear more put-together, but the situation did not aid us in that pursuit. I do believe that, in sum, we came across as knowledgeable which was beneficial in marketing our project to the audience. Furthermore, I think giving this presentation was effective because it developed my group work skills as well as my communication skills, both of which are vital for both academic and professional success. I felt my classmates and I received helpful feedback that led us in the right direction, and, ultimately, I believe our presentation was a success.

benefits of composting – group 1

Taylor, John, Lauren, Vivian

statistics:

Composting can reduce household waste by 30%
Composting can reduce soil fertilization costs by 50%
A small American city of 100k people creates enough waste in one year to equal three times the weight of the Statue of Liberty, roughly the equivalent of $165 billion of wasted food every year in the US.
Over 60% of what we put in our what we put in our landfills is organic waste
Composting prevented the release of 183 million tons of carbon dioxide into the air– that’s equivalent to 34 million cars taken off the road for one year
Over ⅓ of landfill waste is compostable

benefitting water:

Compost helps soak up water, slowly releasing it to plants. With enough compost in your soil, you won’t have to water as much. Also, compost applied thickly as a top dressing has some of the benefits of mulching. It will keep water from evaporating from deeper levels.
Composting increases the volume of water by 3 quarts per cubic foot of soil resulting in less frequent watering (this could potentially help agricultural areas experiencing drought ie California)
Compost helps to improve water retention in soil

benefiting fertilization:

Composting is a natural alternative to chemical fertilizer
Composting can reduce soil fertilization costs by 50%
Cons of Fertilization and why we should use composting as an alternative
- Require multiple applications in one season
- Temporary solution, doesn’t add nutrients to soil
- Pollutes stormwater (more water treatment = increase in water cost)

benefitting the environment (CO2 Emissions):

Reduces methane emissions from landfills and lowers your carbon footprint
Food scraps in landfills generate methane, a greenhouse gas with global warming potential 84x more potent than CO2 in the short term
½ inch of compost applied to rangeland sequestered the equivalent of 1 metric ton of Co2e/hectare over three years
Composting prevented the release of 183 million tons of carbon dioxide into the air- that’s equivalent to 34 million cars taken off the road for one year

benefitting human health:

Composting can have an effect on physical health as well — we can ingest molecules of harmful substances such as fertilizer and landfill leachate
Composting can make us more aware of what we eat and how that food is produces
source: Davies, S. (2011). Composting Inside and Out : The Comprehensive Guide to Reusing Trash, Saving Money and Enjoying the Benefits of Organic Gardening. Cincinnati, Ohio: Krause Publications.

benefiting agriculture:

Composting promotes higher crop yields
Compost can be used to remediate soils contaminated by hazardous waste in a cost effective manner
On a per-ton basis, making compost alone employs 2x more workers than landfills and 4x more than incinerators
One study demonstrated in over five years, a natural (compost) turf program resulted in 25% savings when compared to a chemical one (SOURCE: GrassRootsInfo.org)

Infographic

This infographic accomplishes two goals simultaneously. Through its creative name and sectioned design, the infographic provides information both about why composting is important and how you can do it. The statistics provided on the left side of the page are interesting as well as intellectually stimulating because those numbers prompt reflective thought about our own habits and contributions to the issue of waste management. The right side is relevant to the audience because the target audience of this infographic likely does not know how to compost, so providing a brief how-to in the infographic is helpful and appropriate. For someone unfamiliar with composting, these statistics would definitely be jarring. Personally, having learned of the drastic consequences of not composting, this information did not surprise me. This creator is assuming a perspective of our ability to help on an individual level. The stick figures chatting and the use of the word “you” incorporate the audience as having a direct role in the process of composting or not composting. I think this infographic is particularly effective because it combines the information about composting as well as shows how you can do it, something I would not have thought to do. The sources of data are mainly statistics about what percent of what we throw out is compostable versus non-compostable, and this data along with other interesting statistics could be found online. For students, I feel it is important to consider the balance of information with the aesthetic of the infographic. Too much information makes it hard to read, but too many pictures or a complicated design subdues the infographic to a passing image on the wall. I think the pictures on this infographic are well-chosen, but some of them are very small or placed in locations where they are less emphatic or not noticed. Perhaps this thought is neglected in the creation of other infographics because the main point of an infographic is to inform. This infographic, to me, is a good inspiration because it doubles down on information about composting and is informative as well as instructive.

Rooker Hall Ideas: Workshop

GROUP: Vivian, Ryan, Lauren, Julianna, Bradley

hold workshop for RAs including what composting is and why it’s important.

equip RAs with flyers to distribute to students as well as list of FAQs to help students learn about and execute composting. (e.g. difference between recycling and composting, does composting smell, if paper and plastic can be composted, etc)

students can refer questions to RAs and RAs can contact sustainability group member/representative if need be.

find a way in which RAs can convince students briefly to compost. (via email or add on a few comments about composting to existing meeting?)

UGArden

In this picture, I see hard work and care. I loved looking at the rows of vegetables and herbs extending out into the field because I knew there was so much below the surface and behind the scenes. Looking at the crops made me think a lot about where our food comes from and how it is made. Most of the time, our food comes from something frozen, or it has been manipulated in a factory. The vegetables in the photo have only been touched by human hands and exist under the rain, sun, and stars. I was struck with such a contrast of the wholesome life and growth of the produce on the UGArden versus the hormone-injected items that sit under a fluorescent light at the grocery store. When I look down the rows of sprouting green stems of leafy bushes, I think about the volunteers and others who took the time to plant and cultivate that seed to develop the plant before me. Growing anything takes time and care, and that effort was evident at the UGArden. I think people will see this effort as well when they see this image, and I hope they too will contemplate the origins of what we eat and how organic and natural what we eat can be. When I look at this picture, I feel excited about our capacity as cultivators. With a little help and guidance, we can grow our own food and sustain ourselves using the tools of the Earth. Ultimately, I think this picture is about the beautiful manifestations of natural life and how that pertains to us. We can be a part of it and perpetuate it to glean the organic material like that of the UGArden

Introduction

In high school, my experience with science involved biology, chemistry, and two years of physics. My senior year I took AP Physics, which I enjoyed because it was a challenge yet one in which I was very interested. I enjoyed learning about the science behind everyday things, and I enjoyed it particularly because the things I learned in physics were applicable to everything around me. I hope to get a new perspective on biology in this course, as in high school my biology class only focused on evolution and genetics. I would be interested in working with the Clarke Central High School students because I love to work with other students, and it would be a great opportunity to engage with the local community while learning about biology. I am also interested to learn more specifics about composting. I’ve seen it in action, but I would like to learn more about what is compostable versus what is not and how the process works scientifically. I feel we can all understand the problem of climate change and how our environment is changing, so since we are all directly impacted by this issue, we would all be interested in compositing and other ways to exist while benefiting the environment. With civic engagement, we will learn about local perspectives and what people think about environmental issues. At UGA, we often are isolated to the community of students and their perspectives, so its important to step beyond the boundaries to learn how other people think so we can better teach and learn from one another.