Author: Melody

Pre-release Book Launch Event: Inside the Compost Bin

~ Melody ~ Leave a comment

The pre-release book launch event was a success! I really appreciate everyone who came out: friends, family, compost enthusiasts, and the compost curious. Their attendance made it possible for all the books to sell out at the venue before the event was over! They definitely got the first of first editions– I haven’t even received my author copies yet! (My first time touching the a physical copy of the book was at the venue, which I felt was right considering Solana Center for Environmental Innovation taught me to compost!)

Special thanks to my publisher, Tilbury House, and my publicist, Dominic, for making it possible that I had my launch event at the headquarters of the organization I learned to compost with and whom this book would not be possible without: Solana Center. A big thank you also to the staff at Solana Center who attended: Robin, Erin, Liz, and Jennifer, and all the other volunteers who came out on a Saturday morning to add the final touches to the Solana Center working garden that became the venue. I mean look at it! It’s so beautiful:

Book Launch Venue at Solana Center (one of the few photos I remembered to take!)

There were educational posters that served as a backdrop to my book reading and Q&A on compost critters and the compost process. There was a vermicomposting station, a caterpillar picture booth, and a bunch of cool compost-related stuff that people can look at and tour! Here’s some photos from the event. All images unless otherwise noted are courtesy of Solana Center for Environmental Innovation:

Backdrop for book reading and Q&A
Vermicompost Station
Some attendees discovering vermicomposting!
Caterpillar/Worm Photobooth
I was even brought some food waste to compost! I was really happy about this
Book reading time!

It was so great to talk to everyone during the Q&A and also during the book signing. While I signed books, it was fun to find out where they were going to. Some books were going to nieces and nephews, one was going to a cousin who loved composting, one was going to a daughter who couldn’t attend, another was going to a library, a few were going to classrooms, and a bunch were staying right with the person who was purchasing the book. I was excited for all the journeys these books would make, and hope they make their readers happy.

Signing!
Line for the book signing
Some of my childhood friends came! Every person in this photo I’ve known for 20+ years. Amazing, right?

Thank you again everyone for the support and encouragement! Looking forward to the official date of my book launch on August 13th!

Book Launch Event @ Solana Center on July 20th

~ Melody ~ Leave a comment

Super excited to share that I’ll be having my Inside the Compost Bin book launch event at, Solana Center for Environmental Innovation in Encinitas, CA, the very place I learned how to compost and got certified to be a Master Composter! Hope to see you there.

Here’s the agenda:

  • 11:00 am meet the author and book reading
  • 11:30 am Q&A with families and book/purchase and signing (Inside the Compost Bin will be available for purchase before the official release date on August 13th)
  • 12:00 pm live worm demonstration
  • 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm self guided Green Living Tour (optional)

Space and parking is limited, so if you’re interested in attending, please register!

Although this is a free event, Solana Center is a nonprofit so any donations their way would be highly appreciated. =)

A little bit more about the author

~ Melody ~ Leave a comment

Melody is a neurodivergent, Filipino-American children’s book author who cares deeply about the environment and the world we live in. Melody has a BA in International Security and Conflict Resolution, specializing in Environment and Security. Her degree specialization concentrated on environmental resource conservation, global ecological integrity, and the impact of conflict on the environment. Beyond her degree, she was also an aviculturist who worked on the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of oiled, dehydrated and injured wildlife. She is an active volunteer for non-profit Hawai‘i Wildlife Center, and provides emergency response and transport for native birds and bats statewide. Melody also is an Eco Docent for non-profit Solana Center for Environmental Innovation, where she became a certified Master Composter and teaches people to compost and learn about the intersection of food and climate. She is a Terra.do alumni of the Zebras cohort and she loved the experience so much she became a Terra.do Community Ambassador for a year. Most recently Melody joined Citizens’ Climate Lobby, and she highly recommends you join too, to amplify your voice in climate action!

Happy International Compost Awareness Week 2024!

~ Melody ~ Leave a comment

It’s one of the best times of the year… it’s my birthday! Haha, I’m just kidding. But while it is actually my birthday, it also, fatefully, falls smack dab in the middle of International Compost Awareness Week, which takes place the first full week of May every year. Happy birthday to me!

At Intertribal Earth Day 2022 in
Pauma Valley, CA

With International Compost Awareness Week this year, I wanted to share the hour-long webinar I gave to Terra.do students and alumni last May about how you can add composting to your life. Whether you live in an apartment or house, or lead a more relaxed or a more busy schedule, learn how you can compost in a way that’s specific to your lifestyle.

If you haven’t heard of Terra.do, they are a wonderful organization with the mission of “getting 100 million people to work directly on climate in this decade.” If that sounds interesting to you, I highly recommend you check out their program, especially their Climate Change: Learning for Action course.

Hope you learned, and learn, something new. =)

What should I do with my composting worms while on a trip?

~ Melody

One of the things I did to fulfill my hours for my Master Composter certification back in 2019 was write a few articles for Solana Center. Recently, they posted one of those articles I wrote years ago in their newsletter and I thought it was good information to cross-post. =D

Check out the original post source here: https://solanacenter.org/2024/03/22/from-the-rotline-what-should-i-do-with-my-worms-while-on-a-trip/

Question: “What should I do with my worms while on a trip?”

Answer: Depending on the length of your trip, you will likely not need to do anything at all. Even a new population of worms only needs to be monitored every few days to assess how much food was eaten, moisture levels, and whether they need more food. If you’re planning to go out of town for the holidays this year, regardless of how long your trip may be, consider following these steps prior to embarking on your adventure: 

1. Make sure they have a good amount of bedding at a proper moisture amount. Instead of throwing lots of kitchen scraps into your worm bin to make up for your absence, which could disrupt the pH of your bin or even smother your worms, make sure you leave your worms an adequate amount of moist bedding– at least a six-inch layer. Worms can live off bedding material such as shredded paper, coffee grounds, or dried leaves, for a month or longer! Of course, you can still add kitchen scraps before you head off, giving them about twice what you’d normally feed your worms weekly.

2. Ensure your bin is in a shaded area. Worms do best at temperatures between 55°F – 79°F. Temperatures above 85°F can be lethal. 

3. If you are leaving during the wintertime, consider insulating your bin with a blanket or soil, or bring the bin inside in case of cold snaps. While worms do better in colder temperatures than hot, temperatures below 32°F can devastate your worm population. 

4. If you’ll be gone over a month, consider recruiting a “worm-sitter” to visit and add some food scraps after a few weeks. You can even prep some kitchen scraps in a bag or container in the freezer for easy feeding; frozen scraps can be added straight to the bin. Just make sure your sitter knows to cover the kitchen scraps with bedding so you aren’t greeted by flies upon your return!

When you return from your trip, provide your worms with some fresh kitchen scraps and they’ll be happy to see you!

Written by Certified Master Composter Melody Plan

Check out the original post source here: https://solanacenter.org/2024/03/22/from-the-rotline-what-should-i-do-with-my-worms-while-on-a-trip/