MICHAEL MARTINEZ on Transforming Waste Relations /121 - a podcast by For The Wild

A burgeoning national food movement asks us to think critically about where our food comes from, and yet rarely do we consider where our food actually ends up. Shocking statistics on food waste reveal a broken food system that creates exorbitant waste at every step of the supply chain from our agricultural fields and grocery store dumpsters to our dinner plates: the *Guardian*, for example, has reported that roughly 50 percent of all produce in the United States is thrown away — 60 million tons (or $160 billion) worth of produce annually, an amount constituting “one third of all foodstuffs.” Mainstream waste management systems are failing us, and our top soil, waters, farmers, ecosystems, and communities are paying the price. Join us this week as we take a dive into the compost pile with Founder and Executive Director of *L.A. Compost,* Michael Martinez, and explore the transformative power, unexpected collaborations, and rich abundance to be found in the decomposition of food.

A certified Master Gardener and former elementary school teacher, Michael has over 8 years of experience building gardens and compost systems throughout the County of Los Angeles as well as other parts of the country. Michael has grown L.A. Compost from a group of volunteers collecting organics with bikes (30,000 pounds of food scraps in the first few months!) to a decentralized network of community compost hubs that span across the most populated county in the country. Mimicking the soil structure and the underground interconnected web of life, L.A. Compost seeks to bring city residents, municipalities, state assemblies, nonprofits, food recovery agencies, and existing community organizations together in true partnership to reconnect both with our food as well as our fellow neighbors.

In this conversation, Michael and Ayana discuss our widespread culture of disposability, the ecological services and benefits of healthy soil, the beauty of decay and decomposition, the necessity of circular economies, the importance of individual responsibility and community action, and the lessons that compost teaches us about humanity, value, and reverence for what we cannot see. Retelling the story of food from seed to table and back to the earth, Michael ultimately leaves our For the Wild community with a simple and profound message: we need each other. Compost on!

Music by Mountainhood and Carter Lou and One For The Road

Further episodes of For The Wild

Further podcasts by For The Wild

Website of For The Wild