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S3 Episode 1 – Don’t trash it: Smash it! How to host a Pumpkin Smash in Illinois (#1 producer of pumpkins) and beyond.

Sep 14 2020

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In this episode: Join Kay, Heather, Carrie and Carol as they dish about Smashing Pumpkins (the act of doing so- not the band). See what happens when Kay drives by people’s homes and checks out their garbage. Why is it so important that pumpkins be composted rather than thrown in the trash? Find out how hosting a Pumpkin Smash builds community, can avert OVER 380 TONS of PUMPKINS from landfills, provides education about composting, and is a super fun way to wrap up Halloween. 

?Fun facts about pumpkins
Illinois produces about  ½ billion
They are 90% water  
They make great soil when composted

?Unfun fact about pumpkins
They emit methane in landfills (one reason we need to compost them!)
So much water (90%… see fun fact above) in landfills is bad news

?Get involved in a Pumpkin Smash near you

  • Bring yours (and your neighbors’) pumpkins to an event
  • Host a Pumpkin Smash collection site
  • Help your town’s Environmental Commission host one
  • Find customizable flyers on SCARCE’s website

Look for the write-up on SCARCE in Scholastic SuperScience and Science World magazines this fall! 

Mentioned in this episode:
SCARCE Pumpkin Smash
Guide: How to Host a Pumpkin Collection
Illinois Food Scrap Coalition 

Music by Louise Kelly
Sound production by Bella Rose

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Earth Chats podcast is a production of SCARCE Environmental Education.
Produced by Louise Kelly
Music by Louise Kelly
Sound production by Bella Rose

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