As an undergraduate student nearly six years ago, Esteban Monge contacted O2Compost because he had recently failed his senior project, "Composting - a Solution to Organic Waste Management in Puerto Rico". His instructor, it turns out, did not believe that composting on a large scale was possible without severe environmental and community impacts. Esteban was reassured that it most certainly is possible and, in fact, it is common practice in Washington State.

We provided a number of reference books and case studies and Esteban visited Peter Moon in Seattle where they toured 12 municipal composting facilities that utilize aeration as a means of controlling the composting process. Three months later, Esteban received an A+ on his project and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Environmental Science.

Armed with confidence and his new college degree, Esteban set out to begin composting on a large scale in his home town of Guaynaba, Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, the local regulators did not agree with his ideas and set up road block after road block that prevented him from taking action for over four years. Entirely frustrated, Esteban moved to live with friends in Columbia, South America where he hoped to pursue his dream of implementing an aerated comopst system as a waste management solution. It took nearly two more years of diligent effort to convince local authorities to let him set up a small-scale aerated compost system as a demonstration project.

The system he constructed consisted of eight bins, each with a different mix of feedstock materials and aerated by a single blower. As shown in the pictures, the bins were constructed using bamboo posts and rough cut scrap lumber. The base was lined with a plastic tarp to protect ground water, and he constructed a temporary fence to provide visual security from vandals.

When he started up his system, pile temperatures quickly increased to well over the minimum threshold for pathogen destruction and everyone was amazed that his system did not produce any offensive odors - none. After 60 days of composting, laboratory test results demonstrated that he had produced an excellent compost product. Today, Esteban is a leading authority on aerated composting in South America and has begun teaching classes to solid waste managers in the region. 

SUSTAINABILITY
What Does it Mean for Horse Farms in America? 

In today's world of information overload, we frequently adopt words without giving much consideration to their underlying meaning. Sustainability is a word that has significant meaning in virtually every context.

In his book "Hot, Flat and Crowded", Thomas Friedman states: "In both the natural world and the financial world, (Sustainability) means that you think and then behave in a way that literally sustains - sustains the natural world around you, sustains business relationships, sustains personal relationships, sustains your community, sustains your country, sustains the planet, and sustains your relationships with your grandchildren and with generations to come."

He goes on to say, 'Laws and regulations tell you what you can do, but values tell you what you should do. There is a difference between doing that which you have a right to do and doing what is right".

What then does Sustainability mean for horse farms in American and, in fact, horse farms worldwide?  Read more.