Compost, the stuff of life
Channel: Scienceline
Date: 03/11/2022

For Pedro Diez, trash is more than just a chore, it’s a way to connect with his community. Diez runs the free composting program at the La Plaza Cultural de Armando Perez community garden in New York City. 

The garden is one of many sprinkled around the island metropolis of Manhattan. It was created by Latino green space activists in the primarily Puerto Rican neighborhood of Loisada. Many of these activists are still involved with maintaining the garden today. Once overrun by waste and needles, the space now displays healthy rows of vegetable gardens, flowering trees and local wildlife framed by large public art displays.

And one of the features that allows this space to flourish involves Diez. The compost that he brews feeds the gardens with soil rich in nutrients. 

In March, Maiya Focht caught up with Diez to talk about the impact he has on La Plaza Cultural, and in turn, the impact the garden has made on his life.

Music:
"Touching Moments Five - Circle" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Image credit:
Marlis Momber
Camille Perrottet
La Plaza
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Scienceline is a student-run online magazine published by the Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program (SHERP) in the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University.

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