The Coast News: Solana Center challenges EPA’s food waste model, June 2024 Encinitas Advocate: Solana Center hosts panel discussion about ‘climate crisis impact,’ June 2024 The Coast News: Solana Center celebrates 40 years of promoting sustainability, May 2024 Thrillist: The Best Ways to Volunteer and Give Back in San Diego, April 2024 Encinitas Advocate: Solana Center’s ‘Waste to Wonder’ event celebrates 40 years of positive change, April 2024 San Diego Union-Tribune: Green Valley gardeners learn about composting with worms, April 2024 Dr. Bronner’s All-One Blog ..read more

Dear friend of the Earth, Do you work for or manage a food-generating business? Check out our FREE food waste prevention webinar TODAY from 2 – 3 p.m. to learn how you can safely donate food and send inedible food to be composted or anaerobically digested. Plus, the average food-generating business saves money by investing in food loss and waste reduction; that’s a win-win-win for people, the planet, and your business! Learn about other ways you can do your part to prevent food from heading to the landfill. Join one of our FREE workshops or webinars below! With gratitude, T ..read more

Blog Post by Master Composter Graduate, Tammy Churchill.  When I registered for the Master Composter Course in early 2020, I did not have much experience composting, as my neglected passive pile would gladly attest. Composting was something I was interested in: I’d moved into a new house with plenty of room for growing vegetables, and I wanted to give them the best possible soil. I also hated the idea of food waste going into the landfill where the nutrients would be lost. As soon as I saw the Solana Center’s post advertising the class, I signed up on the same day. For those of you who ar ..read more

In Southern California, it is critical that we conserve water. A great way to tackle the water challenge is to incorporate compost into your summer garden and landscape. In addition to providing valuable nutrients, compost has been proven to increase soil’s water retention capacity. Here are a couple of ways to incorporate compost into your garden and landscape throughout the summer to conserve water and boost plant health: Soil amendment – Work compost into the soil around your plants (side-dressing) to revitalize old soil and give vital nutrients to your summer crops. Doing this i ..read more

Tumblers are composting bins that are manually flipped, spun, rolled or crank-turned for aeration, depending on the style. These bins do not require turning with a pitchfork or auger, instead, the entire compost bin is turned for aeration. There are several variations on this theme. Spinning Tumbler This tumbler is spun around a central axis. This tumbler is loaded through the sliding side panel and sits very low to the ground. It spins around a central axis like a hamster running wheel. This one holds about 56 gallons of raw materials, it has 2 separate chambers. Pros: It is easily filled an ..read more

What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered. — Ralph Waldo Emerson Before discussing how to eliminate weeds, there are some common weeds that are both edible and nutritious. Harvesting free greens from our gardens is one way to approach the plants we did not intend to have in our gardens. For more information on edible weeds, visit the UC Davis Weed Photo Gallery  (IPM,) which has descriptions, photographs, and a handy search function. However, if there are unwanted plants in your garden, there are a variety of ways to prevent or remove them without h ..read more

Moisture content is very important when composting with worms. This is because your red wigglers breathe through their skin and need appropriate moisture to do so. Often times the materials you add will give your bin moisture, but you will likely still need to add water to obtain the appropriate amount (especially with warmer weather). To check your moisture content, reach into your bin and grab a handful of the contents. It should feel like a wrung out sponge with a few drops of water. Too dry: A good thing to have near your worm bin is a spray bottle, especially when the weather is a bit war ..read more

What Should You Do First? Many of us know that bees serve a vital role in the environment as pollinators, and that their populations have seen a concerning decline in recent years. However, it can still be alarming when a swarm of honeybees chooses to land around our home– including the inside of a compost bin! This happened recently in one of our backyard bins here at Solana Center, so we’d like to help you understand why swarming occurs, and what how to humanely deal with a swarm. Why do bees swarm in the first place? Honeybees are social insects that live in colonies of up to 60,000 individ ..read more

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There’s a lot of buzz about regenerative agriculture, particularly its ability to capture carbon in soil and in aboveground biomass, as well as its many benefits for farmers, consumers, and local environments. According to regenerative agriculture, the answer lies beneath our feet.  Soil loss is a global problem and growing worse around the world, at an alarming rate. Its cause is multi-fold, but unsustainable land-use practices, such as intensive industrial farming techniques and over-grazing, are known to cause erosion. According to the U.N., “over 40% of the world’s land is degraded ..read more