Composting Crew Job Description

The Larry J. Bell ’80 Environmental Stewardship Center and Facilities Management are hiring Composting Crew members to help maintain various parts of Kalamazoo College’s composting program until they graduate! The Composting Program is a student-led initiative that has prioritized experiential learning and peer mentorship since 2009. We value creative and independent individuals who have a passion for composting and environmental stewardship. The team practices horizontal leadership, meaning that weekly goals are coordinated and executed from individual and collective decision making. These are prioritized based on quarterly circumstances in collaboration with Facilities Management and the Environmental Stewardship Center. Priority will be given to first and second years.

As a crew member, you will: 

  • Collaborate and problem solve with a lively crew of students 
  • Collect food waste across campus 
  • Maintain compost piles in the Grove 
  • Empty, wash, and return community and department buckets 
  • Record bucket weights and pile temperatures 
  • Mentor volunteers and students as you gain composting experience (including potentially leading the Composting Class) 
  • Take the Composting Class, a free PE course, at least once 
  • Execute events throughout the year (I.e., Groove Grove, Smashing Pumpkins, etc.) 
  • Create and coordinate special projects throughout the year with the team 
  • Get a little dirty and messy in the snow and sun 

 Qualifications 

  • Available to work 3-6 hours per week 
  • Reliable, collaborative, and a quick-learner 
  • Comfortable with outdoor physical activity 
  • A driver’s license if you want to drive the golf cart 
  • In it for the long haul! We’d love to have you as part of the team for the rest of your time at K 🙂 
  • Available to work in Spring Term 2024 and future terms.
  • To apply, you must have completed a shadowing shift with the Compost Crew during Winter 2024. To schedule a shadowing shift, please email: composting@kzoo.edu

Applications and shadowing shifts must be complete by February 26, 2024.

For questions, email Composting@kzoo.edu or Sara Stockwood (sara.stockwood@kzoo.edu).