| R 263 |
| 2025 -- H 6300 Enacted 05/06/2025 |
| H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N |
| PROCLAIMING THE FIRST FULL WEEK OF MAY, 2025, TO BE "COMPOSTING AWARENESS WEEK" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND |
Introduced By: Representatives Cortvriend, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Chippendale, Boylan, Speakman, McGaw, Carson, Donovan, and Bennett |
| Date Introduced: May 06, 2025 |
| WHEREAS, Each year, Composting Awareness Week is celebrated nationwide during |
| the first full week of May with the goal of raising public awareness of the environmental benefits |
| of composting; and |
| WHEREAS, Compost is a mixture made up of organic materials such as yard trimmings, |
| vegetable and fruit peels and scraps, other food scraps, flowers, eggshells, paper products, |
| nutshells, sawdust, wood chips, biosolids, manure, hay shavings, and leaves, which are rich in |
| moisture and nutrients, and when added to the soil in gardens and farms, helps plants and crops |
| grow; and |
| WHEREAS, By retaining and transferring moisture through the soil to the plant, |
| composting minimizes the need for irrigation, reduces water usage by up to 30 percent, conserves |
| water during droughts, and prevents flooding by retaining water that would otherwise enter drains |
| and sewers; and |
| WHEREAS, Rich in both nutrients and organisms, compost is beneficial for plant health |
| and growth, as well as worms, centipedes, spiders, beetles, and fungal mycelium, which results in |
| minimizing the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and reduces soil and water pollution; |
| and |
| WHEREAS, Composting reduces waste by reusing and recycling organic materials, |
| which make up approximately 30 percent of all materials sent to landfills, and can help |
| communities that implement composting programs to efficiently divert waste from landfills and |
| become more sustainable; and |
| WHEREAS, The beneficial organisms and microbes in compost also sequester and retain |
| carbon in the soil, and help to prevent carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases, |
| which would otherwise be released into the atmosphere in large amounts due to decomposing |
| waste in landfills; and |
| WHEREAS, By using compost in certain public works projects, such as the construction |
| and improvement of parks, trails, highways, and green spaces, composting can lead to large-scale |
| reductions in pollution, help to prevent climate change, and lead to the creation of green jobs; |
| now, therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby |
| proclaims the first full week of May to be "Composting Awareness Week" and respectfully urges |
| the Governor and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management to observe the |
| week with appropriate activities and programs. We moreover encourage all Rhode Islanders to |
| start composting and help build a healthier environment for all; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
| transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Honorable Daniel McKee, Governor of the |
| State of Rhode Island, and Terrence Gray, Director of the Rhode Island Department of |
| Environmental Management. |
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| LC002512 |
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