Fritz Gottschalk, Veteran Compost, from "Restoring Ecosystems to Reverse Global Warming" conference in Washington, D.C. September 26, 2015.

1. 1Make Compost. Hire Veterans.
Veteran Compost
Restoring Ecosystems to
Reverse Global Warming

2. 2Make Compost. Hire Veterans.
Agenda
• Veteran Compost Snapshot
• Quick Company History
• Carbon Sequestration and Compost

3. 3Make Compost. Hire Veterans.
Veteran Compost Snapshot
• Built first compost pile in July 2010
• Started with 1 person, shovel, no experience
• Now 7 full-time, 9 part-time employees
• Three branches: Main Production and Sales,
Veteran Compost Residential, Special Events
• Products:
– Compost (Bulk and Bagged)
– Worm Castings (Bulk and Bagged)
– Soil Mixes (Bagged Seed Starter, Potting Mix)
– Compost Tea Bags

4. 4Make Compost. Hire Veterans.
Our Main Facility
• Located in Aberdeen, MD
• 30 Acre Farm
• Zoned B-3 with Ag Use
• Use Positive ASP
• Wood Chips/Food Scraps
• Approved for Organic Ops
• Commercial Worm Castings
• Only Permit in MD
• 10,000 cu. yd. / year target
Second Facility
• Located in Centerville, VA
• Part of the 220 acre Whitehall Farm
• Use Positive ASP
• Wood Chips/Food Scraps
• Approved for on farm composting

5. 5Make Compost. Hire Veterans.
What Veteran Compost Does
• Collection Service – residential and commercial
• Material Drop-Off
• Special Events
• Product Sales – Bulk and bagged via retail, internet,
wholesale and direct to consumer
• Consulting
• Hires Veterans

6. 6Make Compost. Hire Veterans.
Why is Veteran Compost
Different?
• Private, for profit company; no municipal support
• Complete composting system and operation
• Organic, no yard waste or chemicals
• Certified organic, licensed and permitted for
compost operations

7. 7Make Compost. Hire Veterans.
Heart of the
Business
Cure Compost
Screen Finished Compost
Windrow/Pile Formation
Mix with Carbon Source
Collect Food scraps
Market Finished Product

8. 8Make Compost. Hire Veterans.
Compost and Carbon Sequestration
http://www.marincarbonproject.org/about

9. 9Make Compost. Hire Veterans.
• Marin Carbon Project
– 7 year study (started in 2013)
– 1 x application of compost to grasslands
– Substantial increase in the amount of
atmospheric carbon captured by rangeland
and sequestered in soil
– Improved plant growth and water retention
– GHG/Carbon credits for farmers
Compost and Carbon Sequestration

10. 10Make Compost. Hire Veterans.
• Potential: Apply protocol to 5% of California rangeland,
reduce CO2 emissions by 28 million metric tons per year
• Benefits of compost:
– Avoids emission of CH4 from anaerobic decomposition
– Stimulates forage growth (50% increase in production over 3 yrs)
– Improves soil quality in rangeland (provides N and other nutrients)
• Carbon buildup in soil (40-70% carbon storage increase)
– Directly from the carbon in the compost
– Indirectly through enhanced plant growth and deposition of plant
biomass
Compost and Carbon Sequestration

11. 11Make Compost. Hire Veterans.
Questions?
Promoting the power of nature to
remove excess carbon from the
atmosphere where it does untold
damage, and restore it to the soils
where it supports abundant life and
helps reverse global warming.

12. 12Make Compost. Hire Veterans.
Carbon Farming