A Brooklyn man is helping to make the world more environmentally friendly one composting site at a time, with $200,000 grants he won from a local foundation.
Food scraps and wood chips are two key ingredients needed to start composting, turning scraps into soil.
Domingo Morales says the process helps make the world more sustainable.
"When we mix it, what happens is bacteria and fungus start to break down the food scraps and they basically turn those raw food scraps into nutrients that we can then use to put on a farm and use it to grow more food," said Morales.
Morales is a compost specialist who says he fell in love with the job while interning for the nonprofit Green City Force.
The Brooklyn native, who grew up in New York City housing, is making it his mission to revitalize composting sites in NYCHA properties, with a grant he won from the Walentas Family Foundation.
The David Prize is an award from the foundation that goes to New Yorkers who are working to improve the city through various initiatives.
Morales is currently renovating several composting sites in the city, including the farm in the Howard Houses in Brownsville, where produce is grown and given to NYCHA residents to provide them with healthy food.
Morales says while he plans to use the money to transform the waste in the city, he's also started his own education initiative, Compost Power, through which he makes videos to show others how they too can help to make the world more eco-friendly.
Morales says once the project is completed, he will celebrate winning the prize.