Mark Cullen Teams up with Nova Scotia on Composting

Mark Cullen, Canada's leading gardening expert, will team up with Nova Scotia on Thursday, May 7, to "spread the compost" message.

During his visit to the province, coinciding with National Composting Awareness Week, May 4-10, Mr. Cullen will be working with the Department of the Environment, the Resource Recovery Fund Board, and several municipalities throughout the province.

The visit includes public appearances and special events designed to raise awareness and participation in composting. Mr. Cullen will visit Ecole Beaufort in Halifax to open an outdoor classroom, join Clean Nova Scotia Foundation and Olands Brewery to open a community garden in Halifax's Warrington Park, take in a tour of the Good Earth composting facility in Lower Sackville, and visit an Enviro-Depot in East Hants.

The day will culminate with the opening of an expanded composting facility in Colchester County and an evening gardening presentation at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in Truro.

Mr. Cullen, host of gardening shows on national TV and radio, serves as the Composting Council of Canada's national spokesperson during this year's National Composting Awareness Week. This year's theme -- Return to Your Roots ... Compost! -- places a particular emphasis on the importance of the use of compost for strong, healthy plant growth.

"I'm very excited about being in Nova Scotia to spread the compost' message," said Mr. Cullen. "I believe that everyone should be composting and am encouraged that the province is committed to making this happen. Everyone should be converting vegetable trimmings, garden wastes and other organics into finished compost, not throwing them away.

"The joy of composting is taking organic materials and turning them into compost, which is the best thing you can possibly do for your garden and plants."

The day is being sponsored by several partners, including the Department of the Environment, the Resource Recovery Fund Board, Halifax Regional Municipality, Municipality of East Hants, Colchester County, Clean Nova Scotia, and the Composting Council of Canada.

"Composting is of fundamental importance to our efforts to reach a 50 per cent diversion from landfill by the year 2000," said Environment Minister Don Downe. "Of equal importance to the future of our composting efforts is ensuring that markets are available for the finished compost. We are delighted to have Mark work with us to encourage everyone to return to their roots' and use compost."

"Compost is the foundation of good soil," said Mr. Cullen. "Successful gardening depends on the quality of the soil. Gardeners typically enhance their soil with peat moss, commercial fertilizers or topsoil. But these are just substitutes for the real thing -- compost."

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS -- Thursday, May 7

9 a.m.-9:30 a.m.

• Opening of outdoor classroom and composting demonstration, Ecole Beaufort, LeMarchant Street, Halifax.

9:45 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

• Community garden opening, Murray Warrington Park, 2285 Gottingen St., beside North Branch Library.

Noon-1:15 p.m.

• Facility tour and lunch, Good Earth composting plant, 81 Joseph Scott Dr., Lower Sackville.

2 p.m.-2:30 p.m.

• Resource Recovery Fund Board event, Fader's Enviro-Depot, East Hants.

4 p.m.-5 p.m.

• Opening of expansion of municipal composting facility, Colchester County, Kemptown.

7 p.m.-9 p.m.

• Public presentation on composting and gardening at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College, Alumni Theatre, Cumming Hall, Truro.