E147 Hannah Churton - The Worm Monger who creates community over kitchen scraps

Futuresteading

How do you create community and influence people? Hannah Churton made friends over bucketloads of kitchen scraps and believes that compost can salve climate anxiety? It’s not simply the creation of black gold that returns the goods - it’s the strength and power in the community that has been built around it. Much like a warm cuddle - just like this convo!
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References from our chat
War on waste ABC

We Talked About

Living in a zoom world - building communities from both ‘unreal worlds’ and those in your own literal backyard.
Beginning a community compost hub during a pandemic
“Of course the people came - it was a beautiful surprise that so many people were interested in engaging - was it a product of the time where people were seeking interaction or were they genuinely interested in composting and food waste"
The courage it takes to set something like this up - nothing to lose was her reason to do it.
Inviting people to participate by creating an easy-to-engage-in process that anyone could access
The importance of making change as simple as possible so there was not a single barrier to participating.
Weighing everything that comes through to incentivise participants - documented on a blackboard so people can see how much they have recovered from landfill.
Building pride in the collective effort
The street now knows each other really well
Using community compost to build verge gardens that community members can use.
Rewarding the community with a bucket of
Evolving from composting, to verge gardens to food swaps.
Creating a passive “Hub” that invites everyone but doesn’t require hand holding. So everyone can be an active participant.
Foundational educational opportunity with open days and tours so they can see what actually happens
I didn’t know I had a deep need to thrive with connection and community until I put systems in place genuinely access people.
Reflecting on the difference between altitudes and where transition can take hold.
Compost has salved climate anxiety
Collectivising efforts
‘Success’ - changed immeasurably in the last few years since having children.
Doing away with her old version of success.
Reinventing herself: Success is broadening her impact, and that can be as simple as others observing different ways of living, a softer footprint on the planet
From a career in community development on a global scale compared to her street scale success.
“Look what can be achieved on such a small scale”
Creating hundreds and thousands of same-same but different versions of simple, local replicable projects
Shifting our value towards things that are small, localised, practical and do-able
Teaching your kids to tell the story of your ways to look after the planet
Building communities with a collective knowledge level
Learning names over compost and thinking communally
“We think about ourselves as ‘the street’ over the individual households”
She’s gone full nerd on her food waste with a PHD
All the things that can be made from food that’s hasn’t been eaten

“Just get your hands dirty and you'll be rewarded - starting will lead you down a beautiful path whatever it is”.
“Fear really is what stops people from starting. You will fail so learn to accept that its the pathway to success.
"Composting is a meditation on regeneration"

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