Get Down & Dirty Composting and Gardening Festival (DETAILS)

• classroom presentations
• live and passive composting demonstrations outdoors for new and expert composting enthusiasts
• yard composting bins and food digester cones for sale at discounted rates (cash and checks only; bins available on first-come, first-served basis)
• fun and educational children’s activities
• local businesses, non-profits, city, and county information booths
• food concessions

This Sounds Like Fun! So Where do I Park?
Consider riding your bike or strolling to this fun event! Priority parking for bikes will be available at the Gardens’ internal parking lot. If you’d like to snag a composting bin, then carpooling with friends and neighbors might be the way to go. Overflow car parking will be available at the Hilton Hotel south parking lot.

Classroom Presentations
Learn from local experts on a variety of topics. Presentations at the Gardens will be held every hour on the hour from 10 am to 2 pm at the Evelyn Clark Classroom:

10:00 am – Laurie D’Audney, Fort Collins Utilities: Principles of Xeriscape
11:00 am – Addy Elliott, CSU Organic Agriculture Coordinator, CSU Soil Sciences Department
12:00 pm – Zia Zybko, Real Dirt Garden Design: Landscape Design Elements
1:00 pm – Lisa Olivas, Fort Collins Community Exchange
2:00 pm – Bob Jones and Seaheart, Grow Food Not Lawns

Live and Passive Composting Demos
Be sure to check out the live composting demonstrations as well as the passive demonstration site of seven compost bin systems on display outdoors. Signage and friendly volunteers will point you to the back of the building. These demonstrations are a great way to get your composting bin questions answered.

Composting Bins at Reduced Prices
Looking for a good solution to your organic waste? You can buy a Soil Saver composting bin while at the festival. Wondering how you can dispose of your kitchen waste (including meat and dairy by-products) more sustainably? An innovative solar-powered Green Cone food waste digester system is a great alternative to a garbage disposal and will also be sold at the fair. Both bins are being offered at discounted rates (cash and checks only, please). The “truck-load” sale will be located in the parking lot across Centre Avenue from the Gardens on Spring Creek.

Activities for Kiddos
This festival is kid friendly! Engaging and fun children’s activities will be available, including games, coloring book options, and more.

Drop by the 'Garden of Eatin' Area & Meet Us
When your tummy starts to rumble, you'll have a chance to grab munchies and drinks from locally-owned food establishments. You'll also be able to meet representatives from city and county government, CSU, local businesses, gardening, farming, and other community non-profits. Here's a partial snap shot of booth representatives:

• Natural Resources Department, City of Fort Collins
• Gardens at Spring Creek Board of Directors
• Be Local
• Grow Food Not Lawns
• Addy Elliott, CSU Organic Agriculture Coordinator
• Kathy Doeskin, CSU Soil Sciences Department
• Fort Collins Utilities (focusing on water conservation, gardening, and xeriscaping)
• Happy Heart Farm
• Bath Nursery
• Farmers Market
• Larimer County Solid Waste Department
• John “The Worm Man” Anderson
• Clean Air Lawn Care
• Fort Collins Community Exchange
• Real Dirt Garden Design

Co-Sponsors
The Get Down & Dirty Composting and Gardening Festival is brought to you by:

• City of Fort Collins, Natural Resources Department, Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling Program
• The Gardens on Spring Creek, City of Fort Collins, Parks Department
• Local Living Economy Project
• Rocky Mountain Chronicle