Dear reader – we’ve now fully integrated our blog into our new website. You can now find all our content at bootstrapcompost.com/blog. New posts are also being published there. Thank you for your patience. And in case you missed it, new posts are highlighted below: INTERNal Dialogue: Josh the Intern Suffers Setback, but Positive Attitude and Hard Work Prevail INTERNal Dialogue: Josh the Intern turns Josh the Road Dogg, Wolfs Down Free Lunch The BiG Stink: It’s a Bioplastic…But is it Compostable ..read more

By Joshua Michael Intern at Bootstrap Compost, Inc. Wow! It’s been quite an adventure at Bootstrap over the last few days. I watched the garage door break, I took part in a very “social” and inspiring social media meeting, Emma and I had a moment bonding over garbage receptacles, and I was given a task to research the soil quality of Bootstrap’s compost. And I painted a wall. All in a week’s work, so let’s get right to it. Hi my name is Josh and I’m your official Bootstrap Intern If you own a small business or know anyone who operates a small business, especially a small busin ..read more

By Joshua Michael Intern at Bootstrap Compost, Inc. To help understand a little about why it is that I am interning at Bootstrap, it is only appropriate that I share with you some minute details about myself. My name is Joshua Michael, and I was born and raised in Chicago. I am 22 years old and I will be receiving my Bachelors in Environmental Studies & Anthropology in May of 2017. I attend Wheelock College in the Fenway area. Hi my name is Josh and I’m your official Bootstrap Intern My goal, as an environmentalist with an interest in the Anthropocene, is to find unique perspectives ..read more

By Emma Brown Creative Marketing at Bootstrap Compost, Inc. Here at Bootstrap, we’re basking in the glow of another successful Compost Week! – our triannual mega giveaway of soil amendment back to the community. Some of us are celebrating with a ski trip to Vermont, others are taking in Big Sky in Montana, and surely, we’re all happy that the long hours of our successful effort are behind us so we can enjoy a nice, warm meal. As we salute our largest Compost Week! effort ever, we take pride in its monumental impact: the distribution of a whopping three tons (6,396 ..read more

By Emma Brown Creative Marketing at Bootstrap Compost, Inc. Every year in early January, folks across the world make resolutions of all sorts: exercise more, eat healthier, spend more time with family and friends, call that aunt you barely know. If you’re looking for some ideas to set your sights on this year, look no further! Here are 8 tips that will make your life a little more sustainable in the coming year. Buy less, and buy more often: unless you’re buying for a large family or a big meal, chances are you can get away with buying fewer ingredients. The trick here is to shop more often ..read more

By Igor Kharitonenkov and Andrew Brooks Co-founders of Bootstrap Compost, Inc. For Team Bootstrap, another year of compost hijinks is nearly in the books. It’s hard to believe that 2016 represents our sixth consecutive year of battling climate change by collecting and transforming food scraps into a useful commodity. That’s nearly 315 straight weeks of making Boston a better place, but who’s counting? Actually, we are and we’d like to sincerely thank the 1,800 plus families, individuals, households, restaurants, cafes, places of worship, yoga studios, offices and shoe companies that keep the B ..read more

By: Emma Brown Creative Marketing at Bootstrap Compost, Inc. Spoiler alert: nothing I’m about to say is particularly revolutionary. However, with Thanksgiving and the winter holidays upon us, many folks are wondering how to tackle the age-old question of food waste. The short answer is – and Faith can back me up here – try to cut back on waste as much as possible this year. While some waste is inevitable (I’m looking at you, onion skins), there’s no need for an 18 lb turkey, three potato dishes, five pies, two styles of cranberries (does anyone really eat those, anyway?), stuffing, g ..read more

By Faith Miller Operations Manager at Bootstrap Compost, Inc. Let’s get this party started. Today will be the fourth and final round (at least for this blog series) of the organic vs. conventional agriculture debate. Before the grand finale, a quick review of the previous posts. In round one I defined conventional and organic farming and explored their impacts on soil health. I found soils subjected to organic methods were less susceptible to erosion, exhibited better water holding capacity, and overall were more healthful in the long term. Round two explored the finer points of land use and c ..read more

By Emma Brown Creative Marketing at Bootstrap Compost, Inc. It’s officially fall in New England, and that means it’s time to rake leaves, and rake again, and then rake some more. But wait! Last year, I learned that your lawn can actually benefit greatly from the leaves that fall every year. You can fertilize your grass (for free!) by mulching the leaves and leaving them in place over the winter. In turn, your yard will be supporting a healthier ecosystem, which means you’ll have better soil for trees, shrubs, flowers, and yes, even grass. Here’s the thing, though. Traditional lawns a ..read more

By Emma Brown Creative Marketing at Bootstrap Compost, Inc. This week, France became the first country in the world to ban single-use plastic cups and dishes. This year, the French have been leading the way in banning needless waste and creating more environmentally friendly infrastructure. In February, the country’s Parliament voted to ban supermarket waste. In March, a ban on plastic bags went into effect. In July, Paris opened the first section of a 28-mile bicycle “super highway.” At least in France, the United Nations’ Paris Agreement is being taken to heart. After all ..read more