Compost Caravan Celebration - San Diego

In San Diego, we'll be honoring 5 Compost Champions who are connecting healthy soils, healthy food, and healthy communities through compost. On October 21st, the Compost Caravan is coming to San Diego! The Compost Caravan launched in 2026, through a partnership between the People, Food and Land Foundation, and the Association of Compost Producers. Join us for an evening of celebration as we honor the amazing work being done by the people who help this coastal region thrive. Over a farm-to-table dinner, we’ll be granting 5 awards to represent the multifaceted ways people have leveraged compost to uplift the health of their communities and bolster our state’s economic and climate resilience. These are the compost champions that are moving the needle and building the bridge between healthy soils, healthy food, and healthy communities. Compost is the quickest and most effective way to build healthy soils, making it a highly adaptable and deeply impactful resource for social, environmental, and economic resilience. Given that compost is a regional resource, limited by weight and the cost of long haul transportation, the Compost Caravan activates diverse stakeholders to explore how compost can solve local issues, contribute to their community’s abundance, and connect to statewide goals and funding opportunities. On October 22, the Association of Compost Producers is hosting our fourth annual California Compost Workshop and Demo Day. Click here for more information. Here is a full list of all the nominees being honored at the event: Compost Pioneer: This awardee has dedicated a significant portion of their career to expanding compost creation and use. • Jessica Toth, Solana Center • Craig Kolodge, San Pasqual Valley Soil • Rich Flammer, Hidden Resources Healthy Soils Hero: This awardee is pulling policy levers and opening doors to growth and innovation in the composting space. • Senator Catherine Smith Blakespear, California State Senate (District 38) • Leo Beckerman, Zero Foodprint • Ariel Hamburger, County of San Diego (Planning & Development Services, Sustainability Division) Mycelium Connector: This awardee is exceptional at building relationships between essential stakeholders within the compost ecosystem. • Christina Ng, Berry Good Food Foundation • Sarah Boltwala-Mesina, Inika Small-Earth/Food2Soil • Angelica Gastelum, Olivewood Gardens Heavy Lifter: This awardee is bringing compost into the mainstream by supporting institutional partnerships that drive increased participation in composting systems. • Michael Wonsidler, County of San Diego (Department of Public Works) • Burton Ewert, City of San Diego (Miramar Greenery) • Risa Baron, Republic Services Circular Systems Architect: This awardee is dedicated to showing, in practice, how compost is the connective tissue between eaters, healthy soil, healthy food, and healthy communities. • Bea Alvarez, Foodshed Cooperative • Diane Moss, Project New Village • Tina Matthias, South Bay Sustainable Communities