Composting 101 (Lesson three: Science)

In this lesson, students are introduced to the food system, greenhouse gasses, and the methane cycle. Today we always hear about carbon dioxide as the leading contributor to global warming. However, what about methane? There is not much information about methane emissions besides cows, farms, and manure! Landfills are the largest source of methane and greenhouse gas emissions. Methane is more potent than carbon dioxide and exerts greater influence on climate change with increasing the temperature. Students will learn about the interconnected relationship between food waste and methane and develop their own compost system to recycle nutrients to the soil rather than burning organic matter.