Positive Community Education and Awareness in Brooklyn, NY

Chris Snow
Director of Public Policy

While manning the USCC’s booth at the recent Annual American Society of Landscape Architects Conference in New Orleans, I was fortunate to meet Lizette Avineri and learn about a project that she had done with Compost Power, a New York City-based organization that builds accessible, sustainable compost sites across NYCHA (New York City Housing Authority) campuses to empower local communities through education, job training, and mentorship.
 
Lizette is an artist and a recent graduate of the Masters of Landscape Architecture program at the City College of New York. Lizette was commissioned to develop a series of artwork banners for Compost Powers’ River Street Composting Facility in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn that teach neighbors and passersby about the compost process and the healthy soil benefits of composting.

“Compost Power River Street Welcome Banner” 2024 Watercolor and digital collage

This kind of public outreach is a prime example of how compost facilities can foster positive relationships with neighbors, even in a densely populated urban space! “Just last week I was dropping off my weekly compost and noticed a son and mother taking a look at the banners after they dropped their compost,” Lizette told USCC. “They told me how much they love the artworks—how they bring joy every time they come by.”

Lizette’s series of 5 banners includes:

• A banner introducing River Street Community Composting and illustrating what the organization does, the materials they accept, their open Drop-off Hours, and information on getting involved.
• A freshly constructed compost windrow with colorful illustrations of the food scraps that are incorporated into the windrow!
• An illustration of how windrow composting works.
• A cross section of a windrow that shows the role of macro- and microorganisms in breaking down organic matter into a mature compost!
• And the final banner shows how the finished compost can be incorporated into urban gardens and landscapes to create healthy soils that support plant growth and biodiversity.  

“Windrow Layers” 2025 Watercolor and digital collage

Higher resolution pictures of the banners and their descriptions can be found by clicking here.

The series of banners are a great way of educating area residents and the general public that walk and drive by the facility on what is taking place beyond the fence. Educating neighbors on what we as composters do is an important component to implementing a Good Neighbor approach to the siting and operation of composting facilities. The chain-link fence around or at your facility’s entrance can become one of your biggest public information resources!

“The banners are so beautiful that people stop by the site just to look at and learn from them,” said Domingo Morales, founder of Compost Power. “Even if visitors don’t compost with us, they can still get some meaningful education just by walking past the site. To me, compost is beautiful—and these pieces of art really accentuate the process.”
 
To find out more about how Lizette Avineri could assist your composting facility with similar banners focused on your facilities and their operations, contact Lizette at lizetteavineri@gmail.com. You can also reach out to your local artist community to help develop your own banner ideas to educate the neighbors and general public driving and walking by your facilities!
 
Take the initiative to promote a better understanding of composting and its benefits, and help spread public awareness of composting!

“Compost Magic” 2025 Watercolor and digital collage

All photos belong to and are used here courtesy of Lizette Avinery. You can find more of Lizette's work on her Instagram, @lizetteavineri.