Equal Parts of Economics, Ecology, Biology, and Philosophy

ZW Gainesville is continuing our 2021 celebration of Nothing in Nature is Wasted with a series of blog posts highlighting the many people and organizations throughout Alachua County who practice and support our community in the journey toward sustainable living.

Our series, entitled Bolstering Sustainability, will begin with an interview with Stephan Barron, founder and owner of Beaten Path composting service in Gainesville. It will become clear to readers that composting for Stephan is more than a profession -- it is a mission.

Stephan Barron and a good friend originally began composting for a few restaurants in downtown Gainesville to feed the community garden they were operating. He rapidly realized “that innovative, natural crop-growing could alter the current unsustainable food system that exists in our cities.” This philosophy ultimately evolved into a business as Stephan “grasped how economics and ecology worked together.” Stephan envisions a food production system “that is decentralized, where the wealth and material created would be distributed equitably and locally, instead of winding up in the hands of investors who do not even live here.”

ZWG: What drives you to have a business that deals with sustainability?

Stephan: I think soil health is the key to global health, and I began realizing this more as I gardened and used compost. In 2 years I saw our garden become one of the healthiest and most biodiverse places in Gainesville, and in turn, Brett and I became the healthiest and strongest we have ever been from working within it. It was here that I realized how important compost was. In more ways than I could write here without it being a novel, soil is the literal skin or foundation to our planet. So as we degrade it more and more, we degrade every single system that this planet supports, including our own bodily systems. So the work itself is sacred to me, and in a very real way is working to heal the very skin of the earth, and thus the foundation to all life that thrives upon it.

My drive to work within the realm of sustainability comes from many things. My want to simply help others have healthier lives, to create life, to create purposeful jobs, and on and on. I would say all of this falls under my belief in and continual study of ecology though. Ecology is derived from the latin roots "Oikos logia" which translates to "the study of mother"...the study of earth. And the more one pursues this study I believe the more they realize that the only way for us to continue our lives on this planet at all, and ideally with prosperity, opportunity, and abundance, is if we begin working at every single thing with sustainability in mind.

To me, there is simply no other choice at this point. If I were to choose work that I know is not sustainable, it would be as if I am committing a malicious crime against humanity, against myself, and as if I were living a lie in regards to my own morals and beliefs.

ZWG: How do you define success in your composting business?

Stephan: I think I would define success in this business coming from my economic goals aligning with my ecological beliefs. If I can cover all of my costs, while providing far more than a "living wage" to those that work for me (ideally $25-30/hour), invest in more efficient technologies as they arise, and then be able to help others start their own composting businesses in town that function similarly but in different zones, (allowing for decentralization and more equitable wealth distribution) that would be magnificent success.

If I can eventually also give myself the foundational resources and time to run what I deem a truly sustainable farm here in Gainesville, then I've accomplished my dream. But that's just a bonus and my end goal at this point.

ZWG: Do you ever have your product - soil amendment - that is ready but not sold?

Stephan: Anytime I have actually advertised and worked to sell my soil amendment, it has sold very quickly.

ZWG: How much contamination do you see? Contamination is defined as nonbiodegradable or non compostable products in the organic material you receive.

Stephan: As of now I am seeing contamination rates of lower than 1% I believe. there is very little contamination at this point.

ZWG: Are there any items you do not take in your food scraps? Like meat and bones? Anything else? Compostable food packaging? (Steering clear of packaging containing PFAS!)

Stephan: Right now I encourage folks to not put meat and bones into the compost, although if bits of it make their way in, it is no big deal. I do this mainly to keep pathogen levels lower but also because I simply want people eating less meat since it’s such a precious and costly resource. I do encourage people to not put in compostable packaging either because I think packaging, compostable or not, is a wasteful thing that we need to step away from--and because many types are still toxic/harsh. But thus far the amount of compostable materials I have received have not been an issue. In time I hope to get a shredder and maybe even a cooker to really handle more packaging, but it's not a priority. Getting worm farms going is :)

ZWG: How do you see your business in 5 years? Do you want it to grow? Do you want to keep your business steady with residents and restaurants you have?

Stephan: Within the next 5 years I have many phases planned, and as I execute them I will see where I can realistically go, and where I want to go. What I believe and envision is that I will be able to pick up and process food waste for 300 residents a day, with just myself and one employee. Starting April I will have the chance to find out as the pilot program launches….I have investors lined up to purchase land just northwest of Gainesville so that I can have another composting location, and gain more efficient access to northwest Gainesville….I will have to decide how many more folks I want to hire, and how I want to grow ….[Having two sites] will keep the burden down on the land [on which] we are composting, and will also make our routes to composting sites shorter….From here, the goal is to get both sites operating efficiently enough so that I can start doing personal outreach as well and help other folks start similar composting operations, for example "Two Farms One Dream". Harry was one of my first helpers in this business and working with me helped to give him the information and experience he needed to push forward with his own, and in a way that specifically suits his lifestyle and goals, which is great! I want to do that, but even better, maybe help them (two farms one dream) grow first if they need it at this point, and then find and help other folks at strategic locations throughout the city....in turn locking in the decentralization of this.

These are lofty goals, and who knows if I will get there. I will certainly try though.

Join us next time as we dig even deeper into the importance of soil and soil enrichment in our next edition of Boltering Sustainability in Alachua County.