Al Cairo prepares shredded garden waste and fills the Johnson-Su composting bioreactor at Woodcock Garden. (Photo courtesy of Al Cairo)

Al Cairo prepares shredded garden waste and fills the Johnson-Su composting bioreactor at Woodcock Garden. (Photo courtesy of Al Cairo)

Green Thumbs series to consider composting in time of climate change

PORT ANGELES — Al Cairo, who built a Johnson-Su Bioreactor along with help from like-minded Master Gardeners in 2018 and 2019 at the Woodcock Demonstration Garden in Sequim, will present “Fungal Dominant Composting in this Time of Climate Change” at noon on Thursday on Zoom.

Cairo’s presentation is part of the Green Thumbs Garden Tips education series and will examine today’s critical climate reality and how gardeners can actively participate in drawing down atmospheric carbon dioxide.

He will inform attendees about the soil food web and how to build and use the Johnson-Su Composting Bioreactor to create a fungal-dominant compost. This knowledge will allow gardeners to use alternative strategies to grow crops, eliminate chemical inputs, plowing and tilling, event organizers said.

For the Zoom link, visit the WSU Clallam County Extension website at extension.wsu.edu/clallam. To join by phone, call 253-215-8782 (meeting ID 951 3978 9694, passcode 791808).

Cairo earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences with a concentration in optical methods and biotechnology from State University of New York.

He worked for 27 years at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo and 13 years at Parke-Davis, Pfizer, Celera Diagnostics and Quest Diagnostics in San Francisco’s East Bay area, in various fields including tissue culture virology, electron microscopy, automated DNA synthesis and sequencing and liquid handling robotics.

Sponsored by WSU Clallam County Master Gardeners, the Green Thumbs Garden Tips education series seeks to provide home gardeners with education on research-based sustainable garden practices in Clallam County.

The series is offered via streaming presentations from noon to 1 p.m. the second and fourth Thursday of each month through October. Scheduled presentations are subject to change.

For more information, call 360-565-2679.

More in Life

A GROWING CONCERN: A wish list for gardening gifts

AS THE TURKEY leftovers are finished, let’s turn our attention to gift-giving… Continue reading

Thomas Guptill’s painting of Ediz Gigantus.
BACK WHEN: A whale of a tale

ON FRIDAY, JAN. 26, 1934, the Port Angeles Evening News ran an… Continue reading

ISSUES OF FAITH: Music for our ears and a song in our hearts

WHILE I LOVE blue skies, sunshine and summertime, I do very much… Continue reading

The Rev. Pam Douglas-Smith.
Speaker set at Unity in Port Townsend for weekend service

The Rev. Pam Douglas-Smith will present “Deep Peace Abides”… Continue reading

Rev. Dr. Clancy Blakemore
Weekend program scheduled for Unity in the Olympics

The Rev. Clancy Blakemore will present “Exploring Cause and… Continue reading

Heather Vickery
OUUF speaker slated for Sunday

Heather Vickery will present “Joy is the Secret of… Continue reading

ISSUES OF FAITH: Liberalism in Judaism

“If there is among you a poor person, one of your kin,… Continue reading

Thanksgiving meals slated on Peninsula

Thanksgiving meals are being offered across the Peninsula next week. PORT ANGELES… Continue reading

A GROWING CONCERN: Don those decorations like a pro

LAST WEEK, WE discussed how this is the ideal time of year… Continue reading

Some of the many dogs rescued by Fox-Bell Farm Humane Society. Be sure to visit its Facebook page. (Submitted photo)
HORSEPLAY: Robot repairs and Fox-Bell news

NO HORSING AROUND for me this month as I’ve undergone a successful… Continue reading

The Community Chorus of Port Townsend and East Jefferson County and RainShadow Chorale combine, with orchestra, to sing Handel’s “Messiah” Nov. 22 and 23. Both concerts are at 3 p.m. at Chimacum High School. (David Conklin)
Chorus set to perform Handel’s ‘Messiah’ at Chimacum venue

CHIMACUM —The Community Chorus of Port Townsend and East Jefferson County and… Continue reading

Julie Lobato
Weekend program scheduled for Unity in the Olympics

The Rev. Julie Lobato will present “Soaring in Sacred… Continue reading