Girl Scouts

For my Gold Award, I have decided to focus on composting. The two main problems that come with not utilizing composting are the use of pesticides and the prevalent problem of food waste. Food is lost or squandered for a variety of reasons, including poor weather, processing issues, overproduction, unstable markets, and overbuying. Food is also lost or wasted in homes, stores, and restaurants due to uncertainty over labeling and safety. The cost of food waste in this country each year is astonishing, coming in at about $218 billion. Food that is left unfinished wastes important resources like water and agriculture, which adds unnecessary stress to the ecosystem. When 12 percent of American households experience food insecurity, a reduction in food waste of just 15 percent could feed more than 25 million people per year. Those organisms necessary for good soil, biodiversity, and the fight against climate change are seriously threatened by the widespread use of pesticides in American agriculture. Pesticides kill or injure soil invertebrates like earthworms, ants, beetles, and ground-nesting bees in 71% of the circumstances in which they are used. As a group of chemical poisons, pesticides clearly pose a risk to soil life and are incompatible with healthy soil, as seen by the detrimental effects we discovered across all analyzed pesticide classes. As I have become aware of this plight, I have decided to spread awareness of the benefits/process of composting. Through my project, I will target youth, as I believe it will be a steadfast way to diffuse knowledge throughout a household. With my project, I hope to plant a seed of thought in the minds of others and encourage them to think more about how to contribute to a greener environment.