The Holderness Community Composting Initiative is a youth-led sustainability project that demonstrates the power of connected learning to create meaningful change. What began as a student effort to reduce food waste at Holderness Central School has grown into a community-wide initiative focused on diverting organic waste from landfills and building more sustainable practices town-wide.
The project traces its roots to the inaugural Middle School Sustainability and Action Summit hosted by Squam Lakes Natural Science Center in 2024. Inspired by the summit and supported through the Squam Lakes Connected Learning Ecosystem, a group of students identified food waste as a challenge they wanted to address. With guidance from mentors and community partners, they designed and implemented a food waste diversion system at their school that has kept more than 4,000 pounds of food waste from the landfill.
As the students’ vision expanded, so did the project. Through ongoing mentorship and participation in regional leadership opportunities, including the Youth Climate Leaders Academy, they explored ways to bring composting beyond the school setting and into the broader community. Working alongside town officials and local partners, they helped launch a pilot composting program at the Holderness Transfer Station, where residents can drop off food scraps for composting rather than disposal.
The community pilot has begun attracting early adopters and demonstrates how youth-led action can inspire broader community engagement. The project serves as a powerful example of connected learning in action, where young people identify a local challenge, build partnerships, develop solutions, and create lasting impact.
