Author Bio
Speaker Bio of the Panel: Gowri Somasundaram is the founder of Eco Circle LLC, an environmental consulting firm specializing in environmental and climate education. She currently serves as the Resiliency Coordinator for the City of Carmel through Earth Charter Indiana, where she supports community-driven climate action and sustainability initiatives. She is a proponent of zero waste and circularity and advocates for the circular economy as a critical solution to waste management. She also serves on the board of Circular Indiana. With a strong educational background in soil microbiology and a passionate supporter for soil health, she champions its role as one of the most effective natural tools for carbon sequestration. Her expertise in compost quality and market development, combined with intensive training through the Compost Operator Training course, transformed her from an avid backyard composter into someone focused on developing commercial-scale composting. She is also pursuing her Doctoral Degree Research at Indiana University, Indianapolis, focusing on "Alternative Sustainable Protein studies” as a solution for food-feed cycle and waste management. Brooke is a landscape designer, consultant and educator. She focuses on sustainable landscapes founded in native plant communities, ecological garden management, green stormwater infrastructure, such as rain gardens, and urban ecological restoration. She earned both her BS in Urban Forestry and Master of Landscape Architecture at the University of Washington in Seattle and serves on the board of the Indiana Native Plant Society. Brooke has been a backyard vermicomposter for over 25 years and provides public workshops for beginners. In her free time, she loves gardening, propagating plants, trying new recipes and playing with her dogs, Cash and Lucy. Jason Gearheart is the owner and operator of Integrated Elements Compost, LLC. The focus is on making biologically active compost and worm compost. He began taking Soil Food Web courses, under Dr. Elaine Ingham, in 2020 and after completing the Foundation courses completed training to be a consultant. His final project focused on using biological methods to improve pastures. This program includes making high quality compost, testing and application methods, as well as making extracts and teas. He is a certified lab tech through the Soil Food Web school, which requires a yearly recertification process, to assess for beneficial and not so beneficial microbes in soil and compost. He is also in the process to be a licensed drone pilot. The decision to learn and become drone pilot certified is to add another level of assessing soil and plant health to be able to improve soil and plant health in a more timely and economical manner. His passion for composting comes from a love of being outside, the feeling of being in and connected with nature, and how good compost can transform dirt into soil. Hobbies include natural building, which involves strawbale housing and natural plastering, gardening and cooking and is constantly trying to figure out the perfect loaf of sourdough bread.
Presentation: Optimizing Compost Use for Soil Health and Regenerative Agriculture: Compost is a cornerstone of regenerative agriculture, supporting soil health through improved plant growth and yield, enhanced water retention, weed suppression, and pH stabilization. However, no single compost product is universally effective—its performance depends on compost quality, the characteristics of the receiving soil, and the synergy between them. This session will equip attendees with a clear framework for selecting the right compost for specific growing conditions. Participants will learn key quality parameters to evaluate, effective application methods, and the measurable agronomic and environmental benefits of proper compost use. Additionally, the session will highlight the critical importance of increasing soil organic carbon and explore multiple strategies—including compost integration—to achieve long-term soil resilience and productivity.
