While we try to treat every day like Earth Day at our farm, as Earth Month comes to a close, we reflected on some of the additional steps we take to operate as sustainably as we can.
The core of what we do at Vitruvian is growing food for our local community in a way that is sustainable and organic. Our philosophy has always been to follow the best organic practices. Instead of quick fixes and cheap solutions, we aim to build soil and nourish plants the most natural way possible.
Outside of these practices though, there are things we do at Vitruvian to try and lead a more eco-friendly lifestyle that you can do too. We hope you carry the spirit of Earth Month all year long. A great start could be trying one or all of these three things we do at the farm to celebrate Earth Month all year:
1) Compost
Composting food scraps and reusing leftover materials after harvesting mushrooms and microgreens is essential at our farm, helping enrich our soil. If you don’t have the ability to compost at home, there are some good options popping up for Madison and Sun Prairie residents like Green Box Compost. Their zero emission composting services can make it easy to keep food scraps from ending up in a landfill.
Want to learn more about composting benefits, options, and what can and can’t be composted in your backyard? Check out Composting 101 from the Natural Resources Defense Council
Just one of Vitruvian’s compost piles made up of the soil, stems, and roots leftover after harvesting microgreens.
2) Shop Consciously
There are everyday products we need to use to keep our farm running that are not always completely eco-friendly but are necessary - items like garbage bags and printer paper. We try our best to shop consciously for all these products by purchasing recycled paper products like office paper, paper towels, and toilet paper. Our garbage bags are also made from 20% recycled material.
We also participate in Alliant Energy’s Community Solar program. While there is a waiting list to join the program currently, we encourage your to check out some resources from Focus on Energy which can help you reduce energy waste at home. They offer things like free packs of energy efficient lightbulbs and electronics to incentives for home improvements.
3) Plant a Tree!
One year ago, we and a team of farm family and friends planted over 150 dwarf fruit trees throughout our fields and all around the Vitruvian property. This is just a start and we plan to plant even more in the future!
The last Friday in April also happen to be Arbor Day - a great opportunity to go out and plant a tree! Many communities, like the Town of Dunn where Vitruvian is located, host Arbor Day events where they give our trees. But if your community doesn’t host events like this, you can learn more about what trees would be best suited for your home and find a nursery through the Arbor Day Foundation.
