The Future of Resilient Gardening
is Decentralized Compost.
Host-a-pile
Collect-for-pile
Tend-a-pile
The future of soil, gardening, and local food systems is already here, in your neighborhood. No extra plastic, no extra emissions, and local microbes that help your plants absorb nutrients.
JOIN-A-PILE lets anyone join the loop and take home local compost, adapted to our Bay Area climate. You don’t have to maintain a full compost system to make a difference or benefit from local compost.
Each pile keeps waste local and makes soil for all.
YOU CAN HELP TEND & LEARN COMPOST AT THESE LOCAL PILES:
➡️ EL CERRITO | KENSINGTON | RICHMOND | ALBANY | OAKLAND
Reach out to learn how to make your own urban compost pile or resilient garden!
We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly. Anne-Marie Bonneau
Hi, I’m Maggie Owsley, artist and compost steward based in the East Bay.
The Velveteen Bean began as a way to work through my own climate grief; one compost pile of coffee grounds, and rescue-bunny bedding and bucket o’ kitchen scraps, at a time. It’s grown into a community of soil-loving, art-doing, garden weirdos. Welcome! I’m just passionate about compost, haha.
Through art, story, how-to, education, and ritual, I explore how decay becomes a fertile beginning and how small, hands-on acts of care can build connection, resilience, and joy.
I advocate for circular economy materials and waste diversion/reuse whenever possible, mainly from coffee roasters in Oakland. I love working with the abundance that we already have.
Compost as art. Compost as hope. Compost as practice.
