When I dumped compost into the bin behind our garage, avocado peels, orange rinds and eggshells mixed and mingled, creating textured and colorful tapestries. How can food waste be so beautiful? I have been in awe of the kaleidoscope of nitrogen and carbon rich materials that nourish the soil and the soul for decades.

Between 2009 and 2022, I processed three tons of my family’s food waste, one bucket-full at a time as well as ten tons from a local cafe. While a single bucket of compost can feel inconsequential, when I kept showing up, this weekly ‘chore’ impacted not just the waste stream and my inner climate activist, but also my sense of personal equilibrium in uncertain times.

The images are square, like the bin itself. There are no hierarchies. Each one celebrates the idea that accumulations of micro-moments matter, whether in the life of a photographer, a climate activist or a stay-at-home mom. They are metaphors for democracy, symbols of the power of individual action, and meditations on self in reciprocity with the earth. As the climate reaches a tipping point, composting enriches the soil and these images educate, inspire and provide meditations on the power of regeneration, transformation and community.