Celebrating New York COTC and the Stories We Share

Kelsea Jacobsen
CREF Education Program Manager

The recent Compost Operations Training Course (COTC) in Dutchess County, NY, was, like each COTC, its microcosm of opportunity. While my work in coordinating instructors, working with sites, and planning facility tours often goes similarly from one training to the next, getting to take part in the training is always a unique experience. That’s because each COTC is, truly, rooted in the stories of the people who are there, from instructors to attendees to tour guides. There are stories of composting gone wrong (and right), stories of how each person was drawn to organics recycling, and stories of the lived experience that each person brings to our vibrant composting community.

Lectures, activities, and tours all make for good composting training, but I hear time and again from COTC graduates that fellow attendees make their time at the COTC truly great. When we create spaces for our stories, like at the COTC, our shared knowledge as an industry grows and we become more collaborative, more resilient.

If the COTC isn’t yet part of your story, CREF invites you to share in the experience. I’d love to meet you at one of our upcoming COTCs.

Join us:

Raleigh, NC—September 8-12
Novi, MI—October 27-31