Holland Master Composter Training

Dates: Class is every Monday, August 17-September 28, from 9-11 am (Excluding September 7, which is Labor Day)
Ages: 18 years or older.
Cost: $60 per participant – Scholarships are available, if financial assistance is needed. For more information please contact Maya Klanderman (maya@outdoordiscovery.org). 
Registration Required. Registration will open on July 1st.
 
Through a partnership between ODC Network, Ottawa County Environmental Sustainability, and the City of Holland, this hands-on course teaches participants how to become master composters. With topics covering the basics of compost all the way to soil biology, participants will come away from this course with the ability to properly establish their own backyard compost pile.
 
Each participant will be given a composting manual, a vermicomposting bin, and a cohort t-shirt as part of the registration fee. Every week, the class will work through the assigned chapter with a hands-on demonstration and on occasion a guest speaker. The course will include 18 hours of in-class training (including site visits and tours) and another 10 hours of volunteer time will be needed from each participant to receive the Master Composter formal certification at the end of the course. 
 
Master Composter Agenda 
August 17 – Composting Basics
August 24 – Vermicomposting (Guest Speaker: Nick Border)
August 31 – Composting Methods (Guest Speaker: Ken Freestone)
Break for Labor Day
September 14 – Soil Science (Guest Speaker: Christine)
September 21 – Field Trip (TBD)
September 28 – Review and Final Exam
 
Note: Attendance to at least 5 out of the 6 classes is mandatory to receive the Master Composter certification. If you are unable to attend a majority of the dates, there will be more opportunities in the future to take this course.