Below The Surface: Know Your Desert Composter - Prema Bhavireddy

October 2022 – Prema Bhavireddy -Love = Compost

Prema can’t remember not composting. Growing up in Urivi, a village in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, combining household organic materials with cast offs from domesticated animals to enhance their lush garden was just what her family – and everyone else - did. She wasn’t even aware that the process had a name until she came to the US. However, immersion into the pinnacle of consumption culture encouraged her to take an academic dive into practices that were just second nature.

Prema challenged herself to “go beyond the first three Google articles” in pursuit of composting knowledge. In the process she moved past the gauzy allure of simply vibing with the Earth’s natural methods for self-renewal. When she realized that redirecting all food from landfills into compost has the potential to solve 70% of the negative impact of climate change, she was well and truly hooked. Prema says her current guiding philosophy in compost activism is that “Waste is just a resource we haven’t figured out a use for.” 

In her original dialect, “Prema” means “love” and what Prema *really* loves are worms. Laughing, she claims that worms are awesome – and the perfect pet - because they accomplish soil amendment in the laziest and most space efficient way possible. All it takes are two stacking boxes that can fit under a kitchen cabinet, a comfortable temperature and food scraps. “They never need a break and they make the best compost” Prema says admiringly. She’s headed to a national vermiculture conference in October, so be prepared to receive a fresh influx of info and ideas about the wiggliest composters upon her return. It’s only natural, right?