College of the Desert Closed Loop Food System Model

Palm Desert, CA

The McCarthy Family and Child Development Center at College of the Desert and Desert Compost began this collaborative project in March 2022.

Desert Compost designed a community composting program to divert the previously landfill-bound food scraps generated from the center’s daily food preparation activities in the kitchen and the leftovers following student meal times. The site also processes household organic materials donated by families and the on-campus food bank. These inputs are transformed into healthy soil, used to grow high quality food in the family garden boxes and Chef’s kitchen garden. The composting program is a model of what it means to have a closed loop food system.

This project also serves as a model for zero waste program implementation and regenerative measures for harsh climates that are grappling with extreme heat, wind, arid climates, poor soil quality, and elevated u.v. indexes. The project models a Community/University partnership and innovations in composting, food cultivation, and healthy food systems, and provides a replicable path for similar institutions.