EcoScraps selling organic soil as part of eco-friendly contest

PROVO — A company started by BYU students that sells organic soil online is sponsoring a contest to help save the environment and raise awareness about environmental concerns.

EcoScraps is selling bags of the soil online for $12, and each person who buys a bag will be entered into the company's "Cross Out a Commute" contest, in which the person will get a terra-cotta pot to decorate and a bulb to plant. Those who take part are encouraged to be as creative as they can be with their pots. The contest ends Dec. 31.

Participants then can e-mail a picture or one-minute video of their decorated pot to contact@ecoscraps.net.

The winner will get an iPad and a year's supply of EcoScraps soil.

The soil can be obtained at www.ecoscraps.net.

"This is a great way for people to be more socially responsible without having to change their routine," said Daniel Blake, president and founder of EcoScraps. "Pollution will be reduced, and you will get the opportunity to share a beautiful flower with family and friends."

The company maintains that decomposing food fills one-fourth of the landfills in the nation and creates nearly as much methane gas as the cars on the road.

"Our company recycles food waste into a nutrient-rich soil conditioner," said Craig Martineau, EcoScraps' co-founder and vice president of business development. "Instead of clogging landfills and gassing the air we breathe, our products enrich the soil and help plants grow healthier in an environmentally friendly way."

E-mail: lindat@desnews.com