Camp Okizu Composts 

 

Internal Project
Abby Cattermole
Professor Deirdre Frontczak
February 26, 2019
Table of Contents 
 
Executive Summary………………………………………….. 2 

Problem/Necessity……………………………………………. 3 

Project Description…………………………………………... 4 

Cost Analysis………………………………………………………. 7 

Assessment Strategy……………………………………….. 8 

Conclusion …………………………………………………………. 9 

Appendix……………………………………………………………….. 10 

 
 
 
 
 

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Executive Summary 
 
Mission
Camp Okizu is an non-profit summer camp for children and families
affected by childhood cancer. It is a magical place where children can
come together and bond with other campers who are going through similar
hardships. Campers spend their days swimming, boating, hiking, playing
under the sun and feeling like a normal kid. We believe this camp should
be a part of the healing process prescribed to all child cancer patients
because being surrounded by such a supportive community truly makes a
difference in the campers life.

Camp Okizu is a non-profit summer camp - it is completely free for all

campers and run by volunteer counselors, doctors and nurses. The camp
puts on multiple fundraising events each year in order to keep the camp
running. Located in the forests of Berry Creek, California, Camp Okizu
works hard to help the surrounding natural environment. The camp has
made multiple changes in the past few years in efforts to be sustainable
including reducing water use and banning plastic water bottles. However,
there is more that can be done to make Camp Okizu sustainable. One
major problem our camp faces is food waste. This problem is not only
expensive, it is extremely harmful to our environment.

Objective
In order to reduce the amount of food waste Camp Okizu sends to landfills,
I propose our camp creates a compost bin and garden. This will not only
put our food waste to good use, it will teach our campers about the
importance of being sustainable. By composting our food waste we will
reduce the number of dumpsters we fill, there by saving money.

2
Problem
Approximately 30% of all edible food is wasted in
the United States​. This amounts to around 38
million pounds of food wasted every year. The
amount of food our country wastes in not only
discouraging, it is very unsustainable. While
composting efforts are made in various states, most
food wasted ends up in landfills. In fact, the largest
contributor to landfills in this country is food waste.

Camp Okizu hosts around 100 campers every week

during the summer. With three meals a day for
seven days a week the chefs cook approximately
400 pounds of food a week. However, of this 400
pounds around about 120 pounds gets thrown out.
This is a staggering amount of food waste for a small camp.

Camp Okizu has 3 dumpsters of trash picked up each week and

approximately half of this trash is food waste. This is both unsustainable
and expensive. Each dumpster costs $118 a week to be picked up, which
comes out to be over $900 a summer per dumpster. Camp Okizu can
reduce this cost by creating a compost system. Insead of putting our food
waste in the dumpsters, it will all be added to our compost bins. Having
campers maintain a compost bin and garden will create a hands on
learning experience to teach children about food waste and sustainability.

3
Project Description 
In order for Camp Okizu to successfully reduce the amount of waste we
send to landfills, I propose we create a compost system. By following a
simple four step process we can reduce waste while teaching the campers
about sustainability.

1. Collect compostable food

Before campers bring their plates up to the get their meal we explain
to only get as much as they will actually eat. However, even with
these pre-warnings there is always foods (especially vegetables) left
on their plates. Starting this summer, we will have green garbage
bins around the dining lodge where the campers will scrape their
leftover food. A counselor will be assigned to each green bin in order
to explain to the campers what is compostable and what is not. This
food will then be brought outside to the compost bin. In addition we
will collect produce scraps from the kitchen.

2. Create compost bins

Behind the main lodge, where the grass and trees meet, we will make
two compost bins. The foundations of the bins can be easily built by
hand using nails and wood. Volunteer counselors can come a day
before the first camp session to build the bins. A compost bin needs
only several ingredients to break down materials: carbon
components, nitrogen components, air and water. The carbon
components can be dead leaves, pine needles, and saw dust and the
nitrogen components can be grass clippings, food waste, and coffee
grounds - all of which can easily be found on our campsite.

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3. Create Garden
Next to the compost bins we will create a garden. We can dig out an
area, approximately 15 ft by 6 ft and surround the area with planks of
wood in order to keep the nutrient-filled soil together. In this garden
we can grow flowers, herbs or vegetables. We will use the compost
from the bin as mulch - mulch protects the soil and shades out
weeds. When using compost for gardening, nutrients are washed out
into the soil with each watering to feed the roots of plants.

4. Add gardening to Cabin Time Activities.

The compost bins and garden will be cared for by the campers
themselves. Everyday campers attend three different activities with
their cabins. Throughout the week they rotate through swimming,
boating, fishing, archery, hiking, or arts & crafts. Starting next
summer, gardening will be an option for cabin time activities.
Campers will start by sorting through the food scraps and adding to
the bin; they will then go for a short hike through the woods and
collect leaves, grass and pine needles to add to the compost bin. The
counselors will help by using a shovel and turning through the
compost to bring the older, broken down components to the surface.
The campers will bring the mulch and spread it throughout the
garden. Campers can use the nearby hose to water to plants and,
when ready, they can harvest the vegetables.  

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Who Will This Help  
 
Triple Bottom Line  
 
   ● Reduce amount of waste
The Environment brought to local landfills
● Create beautiful garden which
produces oxygen

  ● Teach campers about the

harms of food waste and
The importance of sustainability
● Create a hands-on learning
Children 
 
experience that will stick with
the campers forever

● Save money for the camp by

The reducing the number of
Costs  dumpsters picked up each
week

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Cost Analysis 
 
Lumber​ - to build bins and garden $130

Soil​ - for garden $50

Seeds​ - to plant flowers or vegetables $30

Total cost $​210

Money saved from eliminating one $942

dumpster ​(per summer)

Total Savings $732

  

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Assessment Strategy 

The goal of this project is to reduce the amount of food waste Camp Okizu
send to landfills. It is inevitable for a cafeteria feeding dozens of children to
create food waste, so we believe that putting the food scraps to good use is
a logical way to make this camp more sustainable. In addition we will be
teaching the campers the importance of sustainability and why it is
necessary give back to the environment. We believe that by participating in
this garden the campers will reduce the amount of food they waste during
meal time. In order to assess the success of this of this project we will
measuring different aspects of the process.

Success Metric Expected

Dumpsters eliminated (per week) 1
Money Saved (per week) $118
Cabins signed up for gardening (per 10
week)

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Conclusion  
At a camp where we strive to make the world a better place by helping kids
with cancer, we should expand our horizon by teaching the youth to make
our planet a better place as well. Filling the Earth with 38 million tons of
waste is disheartening and destructive. By stuffing our landfills with tons of
food waste mixed with chemicals and trash we are allowing harmful toxins
to be released into the air. By creating a compost system we are turning
our waste into resources. Camp Okizu can significantly reduce the amount
to waste we send to landfills be composting our food scraps. This is a
cheap and easy way to teach the youth about sustainability.

By creating this hands-on learning activity campers will see how much food
truly goes to waste. Campers don’t think about this when they load their
plates with food and then sit down and refuse to eat their vegetables. Our
goal is not only to reduce the amount of waste we send to the landfills, it is
also to teach campers about helping the environment. Creating a compost
garden adds to the beauty of our wonderful camp in addition to cutting our
garbage expenses.

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Appendix  
 
To: Volunteers of Camp Okizu
From: Abby Cattermole
Subject: Implementing Composting at Camp
Date: February 25, 2019

Camp Okizu is going green! This message is to inform you of the upcoming changes
coming to Camp Okizu to help save us hundreds of dollars every summer. From now on
we will be composting our food waste in order to reduce the number of dumpsters we fill
up.

This change will come to Camp Okizu starting in June 2019. Behind the lodge we will
make two compost bins where all food scraps from meals will be deposited. Next to the
bins will be a garden where we use the compost mulch to grow a variety of plants.

What we need from you:

● Two volunteers to build the compost bins during week 1 staff training
● Two volunteers to build garden during week 1 staff training
● Three counselors stationed at compost cans during meal clean-up
● All counselors to encourage their cabins to sign up for gardening as cabin time
activity

Our camp fills up three large dumpsters each week and at least half of this trash is food
waste. Campers are unaware of this problem and therefore need to be educated about
sustainability. Because our camp is in such a remote location, the cost of dumpster
pickup is very expensive. If we successfully compost, we can eliminate one dumpster
and ​save over $900 a summer​. In order to make this work we need to emphasize the
importance to our campers and show them how exciting it is to help the earth and
compost!

Please let me know if you have any further questions or suggestions regarding these
changes.

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