Locations
The 2024 program will be a hybrid program with two in-person Saturday sessions, September 14 & 28 along with two evening online sessions, September 19 & 26 via WebEx. The two Saturday classes will be held at the Middlesex County Extension Center, 1066 Saybrook Rd, Haddam, CT 06438.
Textbooks
There will not be specific required readings for this class. We suggest that you acquire at least one good reference book. Two that we recommend are the Rodale Book of Composting, Deborah L. Martin & Grace Gershuny, editors (Rodale Press 1992) [ISBN 0-87857-991-5 paperback] or The Complete Compost Gardening Guide by Barbara Pleasant & Deborah L. Martin (Storey Publishing 2008) [ISBN 978-1-58017-3].
More excellent information can be found in the Cornell Master Composter Resource Manual, which is the second half Cornell Waste Management Institute Master Composter Program Guide & Resource Manual.
The Cornell manual can be downloaded at www.cwmi.css.cornell.edu/mastercompostermanual.pdf If you are having difficulty accessing this address, enter “Cornell Master Composter Resource Manual” into Google. The New York City Master Composter manual (Master Composter Manual (nyc.gov) also has lots of good information especially when thinking about setting up an outreach education program.
CLASS ONE: Saturday, September 14, 2024, 10 am – 2:30 pm
Introduction & Brief Overview of Program
Coordinator: Dawn Pettinelli, UConn Soil Nutrient Analysis Lab, Associate Extension Educator
Basic Principles of Composting
Lecturer: Gail Reynolds, M.F.S., UConn Master Gardener & Master Composter Coordinator, Middlesex County Extension Center
Concepts in Compost Chemistry — Contaminants & Testing
Lecturer: Robert J. Rafka, Ph.D., URI Master Composter & Recycler, URI MG
Compost Bins
Lecturer: Dawn Pettinelli, UConn Soil Nutrient Analysis Lab, Associate Extension Educator
Tour of Haddam Extension Office Compost display area
Led by: Jamie Burgess, Master Composter & Master Gardener
CLASS TWO: Thursday, September 19, 2024 from 6:30 – 9:00 pm
Designing a Compost Recipe & Using Compost Calculators
Lecturer: Domingo Medina, Ph. D. Founder, Owner and Operator of Peels & Wheels Composting in New Haven and UConn Master Composter 2
Diverting Food Wastes with Glastonbury’s Community Compost Program
Lecturer: Mike Manfre, Superintendent of Sanitation, Glastonbury, CT
Examples of Municipal Compost Programs
Kim O’Rourke, Middletown Recycling Coordinator, Master Composter
CLASS THREE: Thursday, September 26, 2024 from 6:30 – 9:00 pm
Compost & Phosphorus/Using Compost in the Landscape
Lecturer: Dawn Pettinelli
Compost Troubleshooting:
Lecturer: Gail Reynolds, M.F.S., UConn Master Gardener & Master Composter Coordinator, Middlesex County Extension Center
Community Composting Examples:
Lecturers: Alice Ely, Master Composter, Advance Master Gardener, Garden Education Chair at Westport’s Wakeman Town Farm: Tips for Composting in Community Gardens
Thomas Iezin, Master Composter, Lead Marketing & Communications, Assistant Operations Manager & Lead Educator, Park City Compost Iniative (PCCI): Tips for School Compost Projects
CLASS FOUR: Saturday, September 28, 2024, 10 am – 2:30 pm
Beneficial and Harmful Earthworms, and their Impact on the Ecosystem
Lecturer: Josef Gorres, PhD, University of Vermont
Vermicomposting – Science and Biology,
Monique Bosch, Wiggle Room LLC.
Final Word on Composting and Tips for Educational Events
Outreach; UConn Master Composter Resources/ Q & A
Lecturer: Dawn Pettinelli, Gail Reynolds
Make Your Own Worm Bin – You bring the materials, and we’ll supply the worms!
Field Trips – To be determined
Community Outreach Project Requirements
Each Master Composter intern will be required to complete two separate community outreach projects in order to qualify for graduation volunteering about 20 hours of their time. Details of the types of outreach will be discussed in Class 4. Projects must be completed by November graduation.
Graduation
In addition to the two outreach projects, interns must attend all four sessions in order to qualify for graduation. A graduation ceremony will be held in early November 2025.
UConn Master Composters make a difference!