When Dr. Ann Wilkie created the UF Student Compost Cooperative (SCC) in 2009, her goal was to promote sustainability at the campus level. Over the next 15 years, the SCC grew to welcome the wider UF community. It also provided garden plots for members and incorporated sustainable practices like the availability of a rainwater harvesting system. (See a video here.) It offered them a place to unwind and socialize as well. And because it is open to the Gainesville community and not just those on campus, it is being renamed the Compost Cooperative and Gardens (CCG).

Wilkie, a research professor in the UF/IFAS Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, hosts the CCG at her lab. The composting and gardening research and engagement opportunities for students are part of the Experiential Learning Laboratory (ELL) at the site. Over the years, the cooperative has not only fostered a culture of composting and community, it also educated hundreds of people on the importance of recycling organic waste.

“Our goal has always been to create a living, breathing example of sustainability in action,” Dr. Wilkie said. “Seeing students and the broader UF community embrace these practices has been rewarding.”

Ryan Graunke helped Wilkie develop the composting operation while she served as his graduate advisor. He said his passion for food waste and turning it into compost to grow more food was a natural fit for the project. He shared that passion with others who came to recycle their food scraps.

“While the quantity of food waste diverted from the landfill may be small compared to how much is generated at UF’s dining halls,” he explained, “the true power of the CCG is to bring these passionate students together to give them a hands-on educational experience and create a community dedicated to composting.”

Graunke said the longevity and growth of the Compost Cooperative and Gardens does not surprise him.

Leading by Example

While thousands of students have benefitted from hands-on learning, dozens of students also gained leadership experience in the cooperative’s various management roles. One of them is Jen McGann. She was the Spring 2019 coordinator after learning about it at an Earth Day event the prior year.

“As a young geography student, it was beyond exciting for me,” she said. “Not only does it provide a place to drop off your [food] waste, but it also teaches you about the process and there are garden beds! This was the coolest thing to me!”

McGann now works as an environmental specialist with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. She said the knowledge she gained at the Compost Cooperative and Gardens as the coordinator carried over to her current career.

“We map natural communities in Florida, which starts with the baseline soil information,” McGann explained. “Soils tell us what plants should be growing and therefore what animals should be present. So, while composting and gardening were just two things I started doing as an undergraduate, they are integral to my life today.”

Reginald Toussaint joined the compost cooperative in 2011 as a graduate student. Now, back in Haiti, he still promotes sustainable practices that are making significant impacts.

“Lessons I learned from the CCG helped me set up a composting unit at an orphanage in Haiti that converts wastes into valuable fertilizer to grow food for school kids,” he said. “Ten years later, I am still bringing ideas that I learned from my work with the CCG to design agricultural projects that have increased the productivity and income for thousands of Haitian farmers.”

As an international student, Toussaint said spending time at the cooperative allowed him to interact with many people from different backgrounds. He says it helped him adjust to life in Gainesville.

“I enjoyed leading tours for visitors, including high school students, UF students, and farmers,” Toussaint said. “We showed them all the improved technologies that we were developing and showcasing at the CCG site.”

A Lifestyle Choice

Rebecca Watters served as the compost manager from Fall 2023 through Spring 2024. The accounting major joined the cooperative the year before while taking a class that required students to make a “sustainable change” and write about it. She chose composting after seeing a flyer for the CCG.

“I realized that composting was something that I could add into my daily routine, and I wanted to keep doing it after the assignment ended,” Watters said. “Then I started gardening in Spring 2023 to have an excuse to spend more time at the CCG!”

Sebastian Slagel learned about the cooperative while serving as the sustainability chair of his dentistry class. After getting involved, he became the garden manager and wanted more of his classmates to join.

“I think encouraging patients to compost and garden at home is a great way to help improve their oral and overall health by having better access to healthy foods,” Slagel explained.

Planning for the Future

Dr. Wilkie continues to provide hands-on learning experiences for students and encourages them to take a more active role when they can.

“The students take more ownership in the cooperative when they have a leadership role or see that they can advance into one of those positions,” she said.

Watters thinks Dr. Wilkie created the compost cooperative as a collaborative and intellectually challenging experience for a reason.

“I have spent so much time with her over the past year sifting compost, cleaning the CCG, making signs, talking about data, and brainstorming for the future. I feel like I have really gotten a look into Dr. Wilkie as a professor, and how education can be more experiential in nature,” Watters explained. “It’s my hope that Dr. Wilkie’s approach of allowing students to be hands-on in their education becomes a norm at UF and beyond.”

The renamed Compost Cooperative and Gardens will continue to be an educational hub for UF students and the greater Gainesville community. By providing hands-on opportunities, it also promotes the benefits of composting and gardening. This rebranding not only honors Dr. Wilkie’s vision and the past 15 years of achievements but also sets the stage for future innovations in sustainable practices at UF.

Learn more about the CCG here. Organizers hold orientation sessions on Friday evenings for those interested in joining. You can find registration information here.

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