Tilth Alliance at 50: This group revolutionized how we eat and compost
A fiery speech by Kentucky farmer Wendell Berry at Gonzaga University in July 1974 sparked the drive to create Seattle Tilth.
By Erica Browne Grivas
Seattle Times
April 20, 2024
Excerpt:
Fifty years ago, a group of Washington activists began a movement that revolutionized Western food growing, eating and composting. With a focus on organic farming and sustenance, the group of activists would eventually become Seattle Tilth and later Tilth Alliance, which turns 50 this year.
Over five decades, Tilth Alliance’s impact has been significant. Its efforts have influenced organic farming standards for Washington and federal agriculture departments, and the group helped create the state’s first organic farming degree, at Washington State University. Tilth championed the farm-to-table restaurant movement and spurred Seattle to compost at home — and for the city to collect food and yard waste.
By educating and empowering a new generation of sustainability-minded farmers — as well as everyday citizens looking to be conscientious about food waste, production and more — the organization aims to improve today’s food system as we contend with climate change and systemic inequities.
Tilth Alliance now hosts conferences, workshops and classes around the calendar, as well as community events like the group’s May Edible Plant Sale, which is May 4-5. In honor of Earth Day on April 22, we looked at the organization’s 50-year history.
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