This past Monday, December 21, 2009, we finally began our food composting pilot with the City of Miami.  We processed 150 gallons of food waste from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and two cubic yards of yard waste using a BW Organics Model 408 in-vessel composting machine.  Bill, Morgan and Sonny of the SDSWCD trained the City of Miami Virginia Key Solid Waste manager, Monica Crowther, and her staff which consisted of Katrina, St Phard, Joseph and Devell, as well as FEF volunteers Dylan and Chris on how to operate the machinery.  After a couple set backs and rough patches, things all turned out OK.  The moisture content was in range, the feedstocks were beautiful, the machinery was fixed, and spirits for the most part were high.  It looks like we're on track to have a successful project in the end!

Special thanks to our sponsors: the City of Miami (especially Robert Ruano, Glen Hawden, Sonia Succar and Alex Montalvo of the Office of Sustainable Initiatives; Mario Soldevilla, Barbara Pruitt & Monica Crowther of City of Miami Solid Waste), DERM (especially Hardeep Anand & Keith McIntosh); Miami Dade Solid Waste, the South Dade Soil & Water Conservation District's EPA Region 4 grant, and to those of you supporting FEF financially and giving us the strength to assume the $10,000 funding gap!

Special thanks to our participants:  Marvin & Douglas Dunn of Roots In the City garden, Didier Pouzier and dedicated staff of Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Lynn Moulton & staff of Area 51 & Epic Hotel, Steven Perricone & staff of Perricone's Restaurant, all Fertile Earth volunteers (especially Susan Dean and Dylan Terry) and SDSWCD staff and board.

If you are interested in getting involved, please see the "About" section for ways to assist with your hands, pockets and/or mind.  Next pickup, training and composting is scheduled for this coming Monday, December 28th in the morning.

And lest we forget, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!