Using Compost to Combat Climate Change
To meet Boulder County Zero Waste goals and to support Boulder’s Climate Action Plan, Eco-Cycle recommended that Boulder County research and design a “carbon credit” program to encourage compost use on agricultural land. CSU researchers will quantify how much carbon is sequestered in Colorado agricultural soils. My capstone project will:
- Quantify the amount of compost and land required to offset all of Colorado’s GHG emissions based on data provided in the Colorado Department of Public Health’s 2014 GHG Emissions Inventory.
- Quantify the gap between current compost production in Colorado and future offset needs
- Quantify the gap between current policies surrounding compost production and future offset needs
I will outline policy change recommendations, suggest best practices for compost production at scale to meet future emission offset needs, and suggest aspirational goals that Boulder County could pursue to realize additional benefits of composting in Colorado.