International Composting Awareness Week (ICAW) 2009:
Sunday 3rd May - Saturday 9th May 2009.
The theme for ICAW 2009 was "Compost to Combat Climate Change" focusing on reductions achieved in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by diverting organics; and composting those materials for return to the soil to sequester carbon and building productive soils.
The compost industry association, Compost Western Australia organised the industry event targeted at the landscaping industry to inform them of the benefits of using compost and how it can assist combat climate change. The event included an online competition to win a delivery of quality compost. There were many reasons for choosing to conduct an online prize draw in 2009, the most important of which was to attract attention to the industry body’s new website.
The Compost for Soils site, launched nationally at the start of ICAW, acted as a point of contact to the WA Industry Development Officer and the quality compost producers, and show cases the site as a resource tool. An ICAW Prize Draw poster and flyer went out to participating CWA member compost suppliers, flyers accompanied producer invoices, and an electronic flyer was sent out to all members of the Landscape Industry Association of WA. Information about the prize draw aired on the ABC Gardening show Soil Sisters, and on RTR Radio.
There were a number of entries to the competition, indicating that a number of people were out purchasing compost during the week. On Monday, 18 May a name was drawn from the prize draw entry ‘hat’ and Jessica Gillespie from Mandurah was the lucky winner. Jessica is an avid compost user - “We mulch our gardens every year and bought the winning lot of compost to start off our raised bed veggie garden”. Jessica also mentioned that “the gardens are great for teaching our grandchildren about where their food comes from – it doesn’t all have to come from the shops”.
Liz Blakeway (Compost WA IDO), Jessica Gillespie (ICAW prize draw winner), and Andy Gulliver (Chairman of Compost WA) handing over the prize at Jessica’s house in Mandurah.
