Composting in Your Community

BAR HARBOR – The Bar Harbor Garden Club is pleased to present “Composting in Your Community” with Mark King, Maine Composting School, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, on September 14, 2023, at 1:00 P.M. at Birch Bay Retirement Village, 25 Village Inn Road, Bar Harbor.

Mark King, courtesy of Mark King

Each year the average person produces 150 to 200 pounds of food scraps. These food scraps make up 25% – 44% of our general waste. Learn how we can reduce these scraps in our environment and reuse them to improve our soils and grow more food during Mark King’s presentation on this very important topic impacting our environment.

Mark King, recognized as one of the leading compost specialists in our country, is a native of Winthrop, Maine. Mark earned a Bachelor of Arts in biology from the University of Maine and a Masters in zoology from Southern Illinois University. He has been with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection since 1991. Currently, Mark works as the Environmental Specialist in the Department’s Materials Management Division where he oversees the Department’s Organics Management Program. He also serves as the Department’s compost contact on the Maine Compost Team. In 1997, Mark helped develop the internationally renowned Maine Compost School where he serves as the Director and a faculty member. A current project of Mark’s is to promote statewide composting of pre and post-consumer food residuals as an alternative to costly landfill and incineration disposal.

An example of a local composting program is Chickadee Compost in Blue Hill. Its founder, Kate Tomkins, will also be attending Mark’s presentation and share information about their compost program in Surry which serves the entire Blue Hill peninsula.

Mark King’s talk will begin at 1:00 P.M. for 1-hour including ample time for questions. The speaker will be followed by a Bar Harbor Garden Club business meeting and light refreshments. All are welcome to join the speaker presentation and Club meeting.

This presentation is one of the monthly programs offered by the Bar Harbor Garden Club to the public. We do ask club members and guests to make a reservation by emailing Barbara Amstutz at [email protected] or calling Pam Bowie at 207-244-3436.