I took the Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) at UBC last weekend. The course, hosted by the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT), is recognized by most academic institutions and required for many Teaching Certificate programs, including UBC, SFU and Royal Roads. It was intense and jam-packed with useful learner-centred teaching techniques and ample practical application. We designed and delivered three mini lessons and were then evaluated by our peers. Needless to say I chose a waste management theme. My three lessons: what goes in a compost bin; greens & browns; and the grand finale, compost in a cup. The morning of the first day, I placed a small food scraps collection container in the lunchroom to see how many people would know what it was and if they would use it. It was encouraging to find that my peers did know what it was and many used the bin; most had some experience with composting. But here’s my question, why didn’t CTLT have a compost bin in the lunch room already? UBC has food waste collection bins all over campus, the food scraps are composted along with other landscape materials at the on-site industrial composting facility. The finished compost is spread on the university grounds. Perhaps they need a compost expert to help spread the composting message too. I just happen to have a lesson plan ready to go.