Joe Tegerdine Email & Phone Number

My particular interest in composting and soil health began while living on a small ranch in Texas. We tried traditional composting for a short time but found it way easier to feed our food scraps and leftovers to our animals (cattle, chickens, goats) to supplement their diets. When we moved back into a suburban neighborhood, we were suddenly faced with the question of what to do with this valuable, nutrient-rich resource.While contemplating this dilemma, I stumbled upon a kitchen composter, Reencle, at a tradeshow in Hong Kong. I was greeted by the company’s CEO who gave me a brief demonstration and claimed that it could compost 90% of food waste in 24hrs. Frankly, I didn’t believe it. He invited me to visit their factory in South Korea before I left Asia and had a sample sent to my home.It took me a few weeks before I had time to get it set up, but once I did, my family and I were amazed. The microbes devoured whatever we put into it and the result was a dark rich compost that just needed a few weeks of curing before we could use it in our planters and garden. In the ensuing weeks and months, I began working for Reencle and my deep dive into compost, soil health and the human biome began.Nutrition, physical fitness and the outdoors are an integral part of my life. I spent most of my childhood playing in and around the Clackamas and Willamette rivers and the adjoining ponds, creeks and forests. If I wasn’t at school or playing sports, I was playing in the wild. I developed a deep love of the outdoors and a respect for our natural environment that is still with me today.I have had a rich career that has touched a myriad of industries, but this is the first time I am doing something specifically focused on environmental sustainability. So far, it's been immensely rewarding. Every day I get to contribute to the health and wellbeing of every living thing on this planet by promoting the best use of a very valuable resource, food scraps and leftovers. I am helping people make food waste circularity a reality.I have a broad view of sustainability that extends far beyond our environment. To me, it is a mindset that shapes our behaviors and relationships. I want to invest my time and resources in activities and relationships that will have long-term, mutually benefitting outcomes. Finally, I believe if we restore our soil health and invigorate the microbial world that is essential to our health, we can take an important first step in curing chronic illness and the maladies that come from depleted soil. I invite you to join me on this journey!