Community Members Gather at FCJ Centre for Hands-On Workshop on 'Compost as Care for Creation'

A group of 13 local participants gathered at the FCJ Retreat and Conference Centre for a community workshop titled " Compost as Care for Creation," exploring how regenerative organic practices can transform food waste into living soil.

Led by Karuna Compost, community composters, and local advocates, the interactive session offered a deep dive into both household and neighborhood-scale composting techniques. Participants examined various methods tailored for urban spaces, ranging from indoor winter fermentations to active outdoor hot piles.

"Composting facilitates a process of return," said Michael, workshop facilitator during the opening presentation. "It's a way to view our food scraps not as garbage, but as a vital ingredient for renewing soil health and caring for the earth."

Practical Methods and Hands-On Learning

The afternoon session began with an indoor presentation covering microbial soil food webs, winter vermicomposting, and the Japanese Bokashi fermentation method—a process using inoculated bran in airtight containers to ferment kitchen scraps cleanly indoors.

Participants then moved outdoors into the centre’s garden area to get their hands dirty with an active hot compost pile. Assembled earlier in the month with local inputs—including kitchen scraps from the centre, leaves, wood chips, and spent mash from a local brewery—the pile was measured at a steaming 62°C.

Attendees learned the mechanics of turning a pile to restore air and moisture, ensuring beneficial microbes stay active while destroying weed seeds and plant pathogens.

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Soil Health and Community Connections

Throughout the event, attendees discussed the practical benefits of adding microbially rich compost to Calgary’s heavy clay soil to improve water retention, root health, and crop yields without chemical fertilizers.

Beyond soil biology, the workshop emphasized the social aspect of urban agriculture. By sharing skills, materials, and microbial cultures across local neighborhood sites, participants left equipped to start or expand their own composting initiatives at home and in community gardens.

The workshop is part of an ongoing series of community composting meetups taking place across the city throughout the summer and fall months.