CSUN Bull Ring Winner Lands $500K Grant for Composting Project

Just weeks after winning Nazarian College’s Jeff Marine Bull Ring New Venture Competition in April, graduate student Carlos Marin secured a major grant to expand his composting initiative that turns food waste into water-saving soil.

Marin received the $500,000 grant from the Southern Border Coalition/California Jobs First Initiative to expand his nonprofit, the New Earth Regeneration Initiative. The funding could grow to as much as $2 million with continued success.

A former banker, Marin shifted careers during the 2020 wildfire season, enrolling in CSUN’s sustainability program to pursue a graduate degree. His research led to a new method that combines earthworms, black soldier flies and roly-polies to break down organic waste into “living soil.” Unlike commercial composting that heats waste and strips away essential microbiology, his process produces soil that retains water and supports healthy plant growth.

A pilot project at a local elementary school processed more than 10,000 pounds of food waste in a 90-square-foot plot. Students and staff assisted, engaging in hands-on sustainability learning.

With the new grant, Marin and a team of CSUN graduates will launch demonstration sites in California’s Imperial Valley where temperatures exceed 120 degrees. These pilots will test whether the system can thrive in extreme conditions and scale to meet larger environmental challenges.

“What began as a small experiment is now positioned for statewide impact,” Marin says. “Composting may not be shiny, but it’s one of the simplest ways to create lasting environmental change.”