At its core, Compost Depot is an emergent education platform providing onsite, in-school, and community programs that teach how compost is made and how healthy soil supports our future. Through hands-on, experience-based learning, we get our hands dirty building compost together,
use microscopes to observe beneficial soil biology, and empower students, workforce members, and communities with accessible tools to re-envision local organic material streams and divert them from landfills into healthy soils and communities.
use microscopes to observe beneficial soil biology, and empower students, workforce members, and communities with accessible tools to re-envision local organic material streams and divert them from landfills into healthy soils and communities.
I am Bobby Nicholson,
he/him, educator and soil steward.
Compost is my art, I am passionate about collaboration with nature, healthy soils and accessible, inclusive information as tools for our future.
Let’s get our hands dirty and open our minds to the magic of soil science (beneficial microbiology)
On Site Compost
Compost Depot’s on-site compost programs provide hands-on, experience-based tools to design and build compost systems, re-envision local organic material streams, and divert waste from landfills by building healthy soils where they will be applied.
Shannon Family of Wines
Shannon Family of Wines grows organic grapes, grazed by their flock of sheep along the ridge lines of Lake County. Compost Depot, in collaboration with Shannon Family, designed and built a thermophilic compost program and a flow-through worm farm to absorb winery wastewater, grape pomace, and cardboard.
Compost Depot trained the Shannon workforce to build and maintain the thermophilic compost system, which in turn feeds and sustains the worm farm. The worm farm transforms winery wastewater into a trio of microbial-rich, nutrient-dense biological amendments. This combination of leachate, liquid extract, and worm castings is applied directly through irrigation lines to the vineyards and has replaced all purchased fertilizers, pesticides, and fungicides.
This trio of nutrients is currently undergoing trials and testing for consistency and market feasibility. Additional compost and worm castings are available for sale to local farms.
Terra Savia
Terra Savia is a biodynamic farm and olive mill whose stone mill provides the opportunity to produce olive oil for the local community. Compost Depot, in collaboration with Terra Savia, designed and built a thermophilic compost program to absorb olive pomace and seeds generated by the stone mill. Compost Depot trained the Terra Savia workforce to build and maintain the compost program, creating a closed-loop system for organic waste generated onsite.
Community compost workshops have been hosted onsite, and additional compost is available for sale to local farms.
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Education
Compost Depot is an emergent education platform providing onsite, in-school, and community programming focused on how compost is made and how healthy soil tools support our future. To teach students, workforce members, and communities how to compost, Compost Depot emphasizes hands-on learning—building compost piles together, using microscopes to observe beneficial soil biology, and making these tools accessible to everyone.
Sonoma Garden Park
In collaboration with Sonoma Ecology Center, Compost Depot activated the compost program at Sonoma Garden Park. The Enviro Leader program engages youth ages 14–18 in hands-on, outdoor learning experiences beyond the classroom.
Compost Depot trained Sonoma Garden Park staff and Enviro Leaders to design, build, and maintain an onsite thermophilic compost program. After six months and six hosted compost workshops, the program is now Enviro Leader-powered and serves as a living educational tool for visitors of all ages.
The compost program continues to operate as a hands-on learning resource for youth and the broader community, supporting ongoing education and engagement around composting and healthy soils.
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