The Magic of Decomposition: Composting food web
This webinar will go in depth on how organic material is decomposed and transformed by the magical organisms we call microbes. It will take a look under the microscope at all the different tiny creatures that are responsible for making compost. This webinar will discuss how a succession of microbes and insects combine efforts to turn feedstocks such as leaves, yard clippings, wood chips, food scraps, and biosolids into compost, covering the three levels of the compost food web, from primary consumers to tertiary consumers, and explaining how the microbes shift from mesophilic bacteria to thermophilic bacteria to fungi as different food sources run out.
SPEAKER BIO:
Lynn Fang
Soil * Ecology * Community * Empowerment
Lynn Fang specializes in soil and compost ecology for community-based compost farm projects. Lynn works primarily on urban projects focused on alleviating environmental justice and fostering a culture of care and inclusivity. Lynn teaches classes on Soil + Compost Ecology for both the community and also at the college level.
Lynn is continually inspired by the magic of decomposition that leads to the rich fertility of new life. The process never fails to amaze her, and always has much to teach her. It is one of the most powerful processes of transformation that we can learn from nature.
Lynn has a master’s in compost biology from the University of Vermont, where she looked at using compost to suppress plant disease and really dove into the microbiology of compost. She is passionate about applying scientific knowledge to her work in the field and the community, and teaching others about the power and influence of microbial ecologies around them, especially in the soil.
She teaches, consults, analyzes, and develops programs on community composting and urban farming. She loves art, writing, poetry, music, native plants, pollinators, flowers, and the always alluring feel of sinking my fingers into rich moist healthy soil.
