Colby Composters at Common Ground
Eliza Childs '13 empties trash cans as a volunteer for the recycling and composting team at the Common Ground Country Fair.
Picking through garbage isn't exactly what most college students would choose to do on a Saturday afternoon. But at the Common Ground Country Fair Sept. 25-27, Colby students were among the many volunteers wearing aprons caked with dirt and sifting through trash and compost looking for anything that wasn’t biodegradable.
The Common Ground Fair, in the nearby town of Unity, is a popular autumn destination for Colby students and includes lectures about sustainable living, organic food vendors, local art and crafts, animal demonstrations, and more.
More than 51,000 people trekked to the fair this year, and once again some Colby students signed up to assist the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association with sorting through the trash from the entire weekend. Fair organizers again aimed for a zero-waste goal, which this year included requiring all vendors to use biodegradable utensils and containers. “I was surprised by how many things were compostable,” said volunteer Lindsey Hunterwolf ’12. “What looked like an ordinary plastic fork was actually biodegradable.” Hunterwolf traveled to Common Ground with three other Colby students and met at least half a dozen others there.
Many Colby students also stopped by with their parents, since the fair coincided with parents weekend. Common Ground is known for its incredible local food selection, and parents and students alike were excited to find everything from maple sugar candy to Maine root beer to shank of lamb. “I spent way too much money,” said Amelia Swinton ’10, “but it was totally worth it.”
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