When most people think of composting, words like “trash”, “smelly”, and “gross” often come to mind. These associations reflect a widespread disconnection from what happens to our food after it’s “thrown away.” As the founder of the LA-based nonprofit LA Compost and author of the children’s book Composting for Community, I’m passionate about helping people reconnect with the soil through composting.

LA Compost provides access to composting and education, turning “yucks!” into “wows!” as people of all ages learn to embrace this transformative process. Across Los Angeles, we demonstrate how time, turning, watering, and adding leaves and mulch can transform items like banana peels, coffee grounds, and eggshells—materials often dismissed as garbage—into nutrient-rich compost. This process not only nurtures the soil but also invites us to see beauty and value in what we typically discard.

Over the past decade, I’ve witnessed how composting inspires a creative shift in perspective, encouraging us to view food scraps not as trash but as a resource full of potential. This perspective is at the heart of Composting for Community.

The story follows the main character, Mateo, as he experiences this transformation firsthand. After a school career day, Mateo questions why his father chose composting as a profession. His dad explains that his view of waste was shaped by their ancestors, who embraced creativity and resourcefulness, transforming “waste” into opportunities—like building a treehouse from scrap wood, mending ripped clothing, or making salsa from vegetable scraps. He shares, “I was taught to see life in items destined for the trash. That’s why I picked this job.” 

The inspiration for this story comes from my own family, especially my father, an upholsterer who had a gift for collecting discarded furniture and reworking it into something newly functional and beautiful. Through Mateo’s journey, I hope to inspire young readers to see waste not as the end of a cycle but as the beginning of something meaningful and transformative.

I’m especially excited to expand youth education efforts through LA Compost’s new Magic Soil Bus program. This offering will provide students with immersive, hands-on experiences that encourage them to connect with the soil, explore the composting process, and embrace the creative potential of their waste. By making space for these transformative moments, we hope to inspire the next generation to approach waste with curiosity and care. Learn more at lacompost.org/magicsoilbus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a former elementary school teacher, I’ve seen the power of hands-on learning. In school gardens, I witnessed countless “aha moments” as students actively used compost to enrich the soil and grow food they could touch, taste, and experience. It’s in these hands-on experiences that the magic of composting truly comes to life.

As parents and educators, we have a responsibility to set the stage for creativity to thrive in our children and students—encouraging imaginative thinking and play as much as we celebrate acing a test or scoring a goal. Composting embodies this creative process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As composters, we become artists, and the natural world becomes our canvas. The framed product is the finished compost—a tangible reminder of the beauty and potential in what we once considered waste.

I hope your students and families find joy and inspiration in Composting for Community, which is available for purchase online at gloobooks.com