- Beyond Sustainability - The Case for Regenerative Design
- Understanding Place - Climate, Site, and Solar Geometry
- The Six Integrated Systems - An Overview
- Building with the Earth—Natural Materials
- Passive Solar Design - Heating and Cooling Without Machines
- Off-Grid Energy Systems - Power from the Sun
- Water - Catching, Storing, and Cycling
- Liquid Waste Treatment - Botanical Systems
- Food Systems—Buildings That Feed
- Community Design - Scaling Up
- The Integrated Design Process
- Appendix A: Glossary of Key Terms
- Appendix B: The Pangea Textbook Series
- Appendix C: Key Design Principles at a Glance
- The Regenerative Community Vision
- Site Assessment and Land Reading
- Land Use Law and Legal Frameworks
- Master Planning for Regenerative Communities
- Infrastructure Systems Integration
- Housing Typologies and Density Design
- Community Governance Structures
- Economic Models for Community Development
- Phased Development Strategy
- Community Resilience and Long-Term Stewardship
- Appendix A: Legal Entity Comparison Chart
- Appendix B: Community Design Checklist
- Appendix C: Glossary of Community Development Terms
Composting is the foundation of the soil fertility system in a regenerative building. All organic waste — food scraps, botanical cell prunings, spent growing medium, paper and cardboard, wood ash, garden waste — is composted rather than disposed of. The resulting compost feeds the greenhouse growing beds, the botanical cells, the aquaponics growing media, and exterior garden beds, creating a closed nutrient loop.
A well-managed compost system is not complicated. It requires a balance of carbon-rich materials (“browns”: dry leaves, cardboard, wood chips, straw) and nitrogen-rich materials (“greens”: food scraps, fresh plant material, coffee grounds), adequate moisture, and occasional turning to supply oxygen to the composting microorganisms. At the household scale, a three-bin system allows one bin to be filling, one to be actively composting, and one to hold finished compost ready for use. Vermicomposting — using worms to process organic waste — is particularly well-suited to indoor or greenhouse applications where outdoor temperature limits conventional composting.