You may have heard recently that the owner of Patagonia, a leading outdoor apparel brand, decided to transfer his company, valued at about $3 billion, to a trust and a non-profit that will donate all proceeds to fight climate change. In an exclusive interview with the New York Times, owner Yvon Chouinard was quoted saying, “Hopefully this will influence a new form of capitalism that doesn’t end up with a few rich people and a bunch of poor people…[w]e are going to give away the maximum amount of money to people who are actively working on saving this planet.” Another story you probably haven’t heard about pertains to a young man from Avon, CT, named Lucas. This young man cared so deeply about our planet that he made his own flyer that asks his neighbors to start composting in order to stop climate change. He then went door to door distributing them. We met him last year when he came to our table to show us his flyer at the Green Living Festival. The greater is our sphere of influence, the greater the responsibility. — Radhanath Swami Each year, Earth Day reminds us that we all have a sphere of influence. In a world with so many priorities and an overwhelming pace, it asks us to slow down and reflect upon our relationship to the environment. Our Mother Earth, a shining blue and green sphere, a rare gem in a vast cold universe, provides us everything we need to live. Stewarding it is our responsibility so that it can give to future generations. We all can do something to honor the Earth apportioned to our capabilities. Every living being is an engine geared to the wheelwork of the universe. Though seemingly affected only by its immediate surrounding, the sphere of external influence extends to infinite distance. — Nikola Tesla When food scraps are thrown away the important cycle of nutrient sharing between our soil, the plants and animals, like ourselves, is broken. The Blue Earth Compost logo, two incomplete circles reaching their ends towards each other, was chosen because it symbolizes our efforts to reconnect that cycle. All of nature’s systems follow this crucial rule of circularity - that the Earth doesn’t create waste. Everything that is created can be recycled for another use. As Blue Earth Compost grows, so does our influence and as such, our responsibility to our community and our planet grows. We take this point seriously. We follow the lead of Yvon and Lucas by donating funds to important non-profits working to better the environment, feed hungry people and provide opportunity in our community. We also donate compost to schools and community organizations in our area. Our Earth is our home. We have influence over our home. What if we all acted as though our sphere of influence was the whole Earth? Always, your composters, Alex, Sam, Rachael, Angel, Jeffrey, Alexis, Rick, Julio Q, Julio I, Annette, Henry and Charlie