
McEnroe Organic Farm composting director Matt Hamm with part of the 3,000-cubic-yard pile of 10-12-month-old finished compost.
Photo by Deborah Maier
MILLERTON — “There will never be a time when we hear, ‘Hey, sorry, we have no food waste for you,’” Matt Hamm averred, gesturing over the vast acreage at the McEnroe Organic Farm soils and compost facility. Hamm, who is the director of composting, estimated that $600 billion worth of food is wasted every year.
At the center of the McEnroe operation stands a kind of mountain range in miniature, a 30-foot pile of rich, garden-ready compost, or “black gold,” the end product of a roughly 18-month cycle, in what is a consciously circular process. The 1,200-acre farm, a 501(c)(3), uses much of the compost it makes for its own growing and selling, but has a clear and significant educational mission.
What’s the problem/hurry?
With most awareness going to recycling efforts, composting is often overlooked as a main driver of sustainability. But composting diverts food waste from landfills. Shocking as it may seem, 40% of food in the U.S. goes uneaten.
According to an NRDC document, that works out to 20 pounds of food per person every month, including various sources. In the western Hudson Valley, 15 tractor trailers filled with waste leave the waste facility in Kingston six days a week, heading to the landfill in western New York.
In the landfill, decomposing food waste produces methane gas, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Removing food waste from the landfill would equate to removing one-fifth of the cars in the U.S.
An exemplar in our back yard
McEnroe’s has been composting at Coleman Station Road since about 1987, when the McEnroe and Durst families set up the farm and in a step visionary for the time, to create organic compost.
“We’re permitted to do up to 15,000 cubic yards of food waste per year, and 55,000 cubic yards of total inputs,” Hamm explained. Much of it comes from New York City restaurants, and “micro-haulers” bring yard and farm waste from various municipalities and other local sources.
An 8-acre compost bed nearby is divided into windrows 8 feet high, 22 feet wide, and very long, where active composting happens.
“Thermophilic” composting refers to using heat, and heat-loving organisms, to decompose matter. Windrow covers keep the compost at proper levels of heat and moisture, principles that home composters will recognize as keys to success.
A temperature of 135-160 degrees Fahrenheit, turned five times in 15 days, assures that the material is cooked throughly. Drainage swales and collector areas keep the area moist but not sopping wet.
Nuisance rodents or vermin are dispatched by the countryside predators: hawks, eagles and coyotes are the natural pest-control solution in the vast McEnroe campus.
Surprisingly, odor is not very evident in most conditions, and certain smells, like ammonic ones during anaerobic decomposition, act as “time to turn” signals. As to effects on nearby residents, “We have wind socks to show wind direction, since we want to be as mindful as possible of our neighbors.”
But the process’ recipe is so well-honed, he added, that those working in the office just adjacent to the huge pad leave the windows open.
Sad contamination, here as everywhere
A giant pile on the other side represents what any large-scale composter, or any steward of nature, faces: shockingly large numbers of plastic bags and other waste. Next to the huge open-air “screening plant,” the pile bristles with plastics amid its half-composted soil.
“This is a real problem, one that we all have to deal with,” Hamm said, “and we don’t see what we’ve done to our planet until we see these processes. With composting, you’re talking about carbon sequestration, and ensuring soil health for generations to come…just taking a bit of time out of your year to make compost happen is really a step toward saving the planet for future generations.”
The foresight of the farm’s owners, the McEnroe and Durst families, before ‘organic’ was a byword, ensure that this efficient, closed-loop operation can extend well into the future. Tours of the facility will be available to the public on Saturday, May 13.
What can each of us do?
For DIFM (do-it-for-me) methods, contributing to McEnroe’s drop-off bin on the south end of its Route 22 store’s parking lot is one easy way for some people to make sure their food waste doesn’t become part of the problem. “We’re about to rebuild the steps into a deck to make it easier to dump food scraps,” said McEnroe farm store manager Olivia Skeen.
While the large-scale, carefully engineered process allows for materials usually forbidden in home systems—meats, fish, dairy, cooked foods—and pretty much anything that spoils at home can be added to the small dumpster, she noted, they’d rather not have yard waste because of its bulkiness; that can go down Coleman Station Road to the main facility.
Skeen pointed out that the farm’s nonprofit status will be highlighted in many community activities and fundraising. The Education Garden is a small-scale display of everything that is done on the farm, a safe way to introduce processes to the public without stressing young greenhouse plants too much.
The DIY route
In terms of individual, household,or even neighborhood composting, there are several choices. People who have a fair bit of property may prefer the “lazy composting” method, consisting of two or three separate piles at a distance from the house—one onto which fresh food scraps (“green” elements, in compost lingo) are thrown, then covered with leaves or such other “brown/carbon” layers to balance what is needed for decomposition; the other pile is the result of that process, further on. That or a third pile is used as needed.
As a vegetarian, Rich Stalzer of Millerton finds the open-piles system works fine for him. “When I do have meat scraps from feeding guests or their pets,” he added, “they either take their scraps home [New York City has curbside composting] or I freeze them until I make a trip down 22 and drop them off at McEnroe.”
Perhaps because of the limited inputs, he finds few issues with odor or animals.
For a three-part system that is definitely not “lazy,” a look at Eliot Ramos’ and Nuno Ramos’ system at their home in Millerton village is instructive. Built of wooden planks from pallets, the first bin holds scraps, yard waste and large pieces of branches, twigs and so on.
In the second bin, similar but older material is finer in consistency but still not soil. The third bin holds what looks like rich dark soil: completed compost. Nuno turns each bin out onto the ground every two weeks or so, advances the parts that are ready, and adds to the first bin.
Don’t provide buffet for local wildlife
A common problem for home composters (and gardeners in general) is the presence of animals, who find our fresh greens irresistible. The Ramos’ bins are protected by rope-mesh covers that can keep squirrels out, and probably discourage other animals. Without animal products and their odors, larger animals are not attracted to the piles.
For bin-style composters like the Earth Machine, currently on sale by Dutchess County for about one-third of the list price, the trick may be to place the bottomless bin on a layer of metal mesh with small enough openings to deter mice—probably 1/4 inch to be safe, since those creatures are experts at self-compression, fitting into holes the size of dimes.
Extend the protection well beyond the object, and possibly vertically into the surrounding soil as well, in the case of a serious population issue. Attention to the size of food bits (the smaller the better), moisture, turning the mixture, and locating it where it can absorb and maintain warmth will ensure maintaining the proper conditions for decomposition and minimize unwanted results.
Conventional wisdom, updated warnings
Home gardeners have been told for ages to beware of composting weeds, especially invasive and those that have already seeded. Garlic mustard, for example, should be cut before it flowers, because seeding happens soon after that. And many home composters never reach the ideal temperatures as noted above.
But newer learning suggests that there is no good way to compost a garlic mustard plant (which is prohibited in New York state), since its roots exude allelopathic anti-fungal substances. Those cause disturbances in relations between mycorrhizal fungi, trees and “good” plants, a link recently shown to be crucial to the entire ecosystem.
In addition, it is one of several plants, including sunflowers, that absorb lead in the soil. The upside of that is their use in phytoremediation of brownfields and so on, but it’s yet another reason to keep them out of composting systems.
Another plant to avoid composting, if one is unlucky enough to encounter it, is Japanese knotweed, a bamboo lookalike whose root systems can destroy foundations, septic tanks and other materials usually thought to be indestructible. Both of those invasive nasties should be bagged, marked, left to dry and lighten in weight, then disposed of, but so carefully that instructions are reminiscent of toxic or radioactive waste management.
Challenges and hopes
As helpful as it can be for the environment, for some people, the challenges of composting at home are too great, considering space, time, equipment and so on.
In Nuno Ramos’ community composting idea, a blend of DIY and DIFM, bins for food scraps would be located at community homes that have the space and system to compost them; neighbors would bring their scraps, the owner of the bin would maintain the system, and all would share the compost that results. Worth noting: No animal fat is used at such a scale of composting.
He also posited a small-business aspect: “Small-scale local entrepreneurs [would] collect food scraps – from residences, restaurants, grocery stores, breweries, coffee shops and other sites – by bicycle, trailer, or truck and transport material to a nearby composting operation.” This might be part of the town government, using state and federal grant monies to help set up and support pilot programs.
“It’s something we need to figure out,” Ramos said. “Even though New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut are close by, we all compost differently;” in states that accept all food, including meat and dairy, the systems tend to be on an industrial scale, and dependent on fossil fuels.
But local composting can be modestly scaled and more sustainable, using what is on hand and avoiding long-haul transport. “There are many opportunities. If we work together as a community, Millerton could be the first community in New York with a truly local, sustainable composting solution.”
McEnroe’s food waste drop-off:-- www.-mcenroeorganicfarm.com--/programs/compost-drop-off
Japanese knotweed ID, disposal info: warren.cce.cornell.edu/gardening-landscape/-warren-county-master-gardener-articles/japanese-knotweed
Reasonably-priced compost bins:
dutchessny.gov/DutchessCountyOnlinePurchases/WasteManagement/-PurchaseCompostBins
Sam Waterston
On June 7 at 3 p.m., the Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington will host a benefit screening of “The Killing Fields,” Roland Joffé’s 1984 drama about the Khmer Rouge and the two journalists, Cambodian Dith Pran and New York Times correspondent Sydney Schanberg, whose story carried the weight of a nation’s tragedy.
The film, which earned three Academy Awards and seven nominations — including one for Best Actor for Sam Waterston — will be followed by a rare conversation between Waterston and his longtime collaborator and acclaimed television and theater director Matthew Penn.
“This came out of the blue,” Waterston said of the Triplex invitation, “but I love the town, I love this area. We raised our kids here in the Northwest Corner and it’s been good for them and good for us.”
Waterston hasn’t seen the film in decades but its impact has always remained present.
“It was a major event in my life at the time,” Waterston said of filming “The Killing Fields,” “and it had a big influence on me and my life ever after.” He remembers the shoot vividly. “My adrenaline was running high and the part of Sydney Schanberg was so complicated, so interesting.”
Waterston lobbied for the role of the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for years, tracing his early interest to a serendipitous connection while filming in England. Even before Joffé’s production was greenlit, he had his sights set on playing the role. “I knew I wanted the part for years even before it was a movie that was being produced.”
What followed was not just critical acclaim, but also a political awakening. “The film gave all of us an intimate acquaintance with refugees, what it is to be a refugee, how the world forgets them and what a terrible crime that is.”
In Boston, at a press stop for the film, two women asked Waterston a pointed question: now that he knew what he knew, what was he going to do about it? “I said, ‘Well, you know, I’m an actor, so I thought I’d go on acting.’ And they said, ‘No, that’s not what you need to do. You need to join Refugees International.’” And join he did, serving on the organization’s board for 25 years.
Both Schanberg and Dith Pran, whose life the film also chronicles, were “cooperative and helpful … in a million ways,” Waterston said. Upon first meeting Pran, Waterston recalled, “He came up to me, made a fist, and pounded on my chest really hard and said, ‘You must understand that Sydney is very strong here.’ He was trying to plant something in me.”
There were more tender gestures, too. Schanberg used the New York Times wire to relay that Waterston’s wife had just given birth while he was filming in Thailand, adding to the personal and emotional connection to the production.
Though “The Killing Fields” is a historical document, its truths still resonate deeply today. “Corruption is a real thing,” Waterston warned. “Journalism is an absolutely essential part of our democracy that is as under siege today as it was then. It’s different now but it’s the same thing of ‘Don’t tell the stories we don’t want heard.’ Without journalists, we are dust in the wind.” Waterston added, “Democracy is built on the consent of the governed but the other thing it’s built on is participation of the governed and without full participation, democracy really doesn’t stand much of a chance. It’s kind of a dead man walking.”
When asked what he hopes the audience will take away from the screening, Waterston didn’t hesitate. “This is the story that puts the victims of war at the center of the story and breaks your heart. I think that does people a world of good to have their hearts broken about something that’s true. So, I hope that’s what the impact will be now.”
Tickets for the benefit screening are available at www.thetriplex.org. Proceeds support Triplex Cinema, a nonprofit home for film and community programming in the Berkshires.
Scott Reinhard, graphic designer, cartographer, former Graphics Editor at the New York Times, took time out from setting up his show “Here, Here, Here, Here- Maps as Art” to explain his process of working.Here he explains one of the “Heres”, the Hunt Library’s location on earth (the orange dot below his hand).
Map lovers know that as well as providing the vital functions of location and guidance, maps can also be works of art.With an exhibition titled “Here, Here, Here, Here — Maps as Art,” Scott Reinhard, graphic designer and cartographer, shows this to be true. The exhibition opens on June 7 at the David M. Hunt Library at 63 Main St., Falls Village, and will be the first solo exhibition for Reinhard.
Reinhard explained how he came to be a mapmaker. “Mapping as a part of my career was somewhat unexpected.I took an introduction to geographic information systems (GIS), the technological side of mapmaking, when I was in graduate school for graphic design at North Carolina State.GIS opened up a whole new world, new tools, and data as a medium to play with.”
He added, “When I moved to New York City, I continued that exploration of cartography, and my work eventually caught the attention of the New York Times, where I went to work as a Graphics Editor, making maps and data visualizations for a number of years.”At the New York Times, his work contributed to a number of Pulitzer Prize winning efforts.
In his work, Reinhard takes complex data and turns it into intriguing visualizations the viewer can begin to comprehend immediately and will want to continue to look into and explore more deeply.
One method Reinhard uses combines historic United States Geological survey maps with “current elevation data (height above sea level for a point on earth) to create 3-D looking maps, combining old and new,” he explained.
For the show at Hunt Library Reinhard said, “I knew that I wanted to incorporate the place into the show itself. A place can be many things.The exhibition portrays the exact spot visitors are from four vantage points: the solar system, the earth, the Northwest Corner, and the library itself.” Hence the name, “Here, Here, Here, Here.”
He continued, “The largest installation, the Northwest Corner, is a mosaic of high-resolution color prints and hand-printed cyanotypes — one of the earliest forms of photography. They use elevation data to portray the landscape in a variety of ways, from highly abstract to the highly detailed.”
This sixteen-foot-wide installation covers the area of Millerton to Barkhamsted Reservoir and from North Canaan down to Cornwall for a total of about 445 square miles.
For subjects, he chooses places he’s visited and feels deeply connected to, like the Northwest Corner.“This show is a thank you to the community for the richness that it has brought to my life. I love it here,” he said.
The opening reception for the show is on June 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. On Thursday, June 12, Reinhard will give a talk about his work from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the library.“Here, Here, Here, Here” will be on display until July 3.
Scott Reinhard’s 16-foot-wide piece of the Northwest Corner is laid out on the floor prior to being hung for the show. L. Tomaino
The marquee at Goshen Players for “A Goodnight Kiss.”
"A Goodnight Kiss,” premiering June 6 at Goshen Players Playhouse, is a dramatization of real Civil War-era love letters. Written by award-winning playwright Cinzi Lavin and directed by regional theater veteran Kathleen Kelly — both Litchfield County residents — it serves to reminds us that while wars are waged by nations, it is the people who live through them, their lives forever changed.
At the center of “A Goodnight Kiss” is the relationship between Sarah Jane “Jennie” Wadhams, a college student in New Britain, and Sergeant Major Frederick Lucas, a young soldier stationed in Alexandria. Lavin discovered the story of the letters by the couple in a 2002 book by Ernest B. Barker called “Fred and Jennie: A Civil War Story.” Lavin, who holds a certificate in applied history from the University of London and has performed at the White House, read all 90 letters the couple exchanged between 1863 and 1867. “It was like falling into another time,” she recalled. “You hear the dialect, the moral concerns, the humor. Jennie once said someone ‘must think she’s some pumpkins.’ I had to keep that.”
Cinzi LavinAnna Zuckerman-Vdovenko
While staying true to the historical narrative, Lavin and Kelly took pains to adapt with sensitivity, editing outdated language, softening harsh racial terms, and trimming some of the religious fervor of the original texts for modern ears. “We didn’t want to rewrite history,” said Lavin, “but we did need to present some things so that it translated.”
The result is a story of two young people navigating distance, war, and the slowness of the mail. It’s also about community, duty, and the Connecticut town of Goshen itself where Fred and Jennie lived, wrote, and now lay interned. It’s fitting, then, that the Goshen Players opened their doors to this production.
“They’ve been wonderful,” said Kelly. “It’s a story from Goshen, and now it’s being told in Goshen. I think audiences will really appreciate that. It’ll be so interesting to see their reactions as ancestors.”
Kelly’s direction brings a collaborative, actor-driven energy to the stage. “I always say the only good playwright is a dead one,” she laughed. “But Cinzi? Thank God she’s not. She’s a dream.” Lavin, in turn, credits her theatrical background for that flexibility. “Both of our background as actors really helped us connect and then the cast came in with ideas and heart and it became something so much bigger.”
Kathleen KellyProvided
Starring David Macharelli and Olivia Wadsworth as Fred and Jennie, with a supporting cast including Robert Kwalick as Narrator, John Fabiani as Jennie’s father, Joel Osborne as Fred’s fellow solider, Harmony Tanguay and Roni Gelrmino as a gossiping villagers, the play layers historical narration with humor, heartbreak, and a surprising amount of warmth. “There’s a lot of humanity here,” Kelly said. “And a little gossip. The Goshen women definitely bring that.”
Adding texture is a curated selection of Stephen Foster songs arranged by Lavin which the U.S. Library of Congress included in its national “Song of America” archive. And for history buffs, Sunday’s 3 p.m. performance will include a talkback with historians Peter Vermilyea, Carolyn Ivanoff, Kevin Johnson, and Natalie Belanger, whose insights will ground the drama in even deeper context.
“Theater is the one place, even more than television and film, where you can really deal with difficult topics,” said Kelly. “You go into a theater, and you are changed.”
“A Goodnight Kiss” will be performed at Goshen Players Playhouse, 2 North St., Goshen, June 6 to 8. For tickets and more info, visit: goshenplayer.booktix.com
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