The 131° School of Composting

131°F (55° C) is the accepted heat treatment standard for pathogen inactivation in the U.S. (all particles maintained at or above for at least 3 days). Although pathogen inactivation happens at a wide variety of temperatures and by multiple mechanisms other than "thermal destruction", the name has a symbolic meaning to us, signifying the high product quality and management standards we teach at the school. Composting is a mysterious science and the industry often feels foreign to new comers. We understand that the name comes off as "insider-ish", but that's the point, we want to open the door to people who are new to this work and bring you inside. We expect that no-one will forget the number 131° F by the end of our courses or after visiting our website for that matter. (Our apologies for those of you who are in the metric system, we admit that this is a very US centric approach, but in our defense, "The 55° C School" just doesn't have the same ring to it).

The short answer is yes. It runs through the ins-and-outs of ASP configurations, fan and duct sizing, controls, and so on. It also introduces several system providers who you can buy designs/systems from. These systems can be very simple or very nuanced. The course will guide you through designing a simple to moderately complex ASP system.

This is a course for serious composter's (you know who you are!) and is focussed on ASP specific information. At the time of writing this (July 2025), there are no comparable online course available (or in person for that matter), which is why we created this one! If you are looking for more general information on composting, check out The 131° School's Compost Operator Certificate. For those seeking a multi-day in-person training course, we highly recommend checking out the Maine Compost School or the USCC's Compost Operation Training Courses. Also, for composting at the community level, we definitely recommend looking into The Neighborhood Soil Rebuilders (NSR) Composter Training Program offered by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. We also want to take a moment to acknowledge that no amount of virtual learning can adequately replace face-to-face, hands-on learning. If you have compost to touch, feel, and connect the course material to as you are learning, you will definitely get a lot more out of the curriculum.

In order to create equitable and regenerative communities and food systems, we need every compost champion to be equipped with the tools to capture and retain organic materials in their communities. Our hope is that The 131° School can provide some of those tools and that our educational resources are getting to the right people in the right places. If you are serious about composting and want to participate in the school, know that we believe in you, and money is not a barrier. We have a no questions asked equity policy. Let us know what you can pay, even if that number is zero. Of course, this school cannot exist without paying students and we need everyone who can pay to do so. And if you have thoughts about ways we can make the school a more open and equitable environment, we'd be grateful for your ideas. Every student who joins our school community plays a valuable role in moving this work forward and we are excited you're here!!! Please reach out to us at: Compost(at)The131School.com

Access to the course is 180 Days from the time of purchase. We can extend access to the course for two months for a one time fee of $50. Email: Compost(at)The131School.com for a payment link.