KENNEBUNKPORT – Composting leaves, lawn clippings and other materials enriches soil, helps maintain moisture and reduces the need for fertilizers, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

So when Sean Horgan was looking at options for an Eagle Scout project, he approached the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust to see what they might need – and a compost bin fit the bill.

Horgan’s project – a large three-part bin and an educational piece to go along with it, earned him his Eagle Scout rank, which he will receive in a ceremony later this month. It involved designing the project, gathering materials, some of which were donated by area companies, and recruiting and working with volunteers to get the job done.

Eagle Scout is a rare achievement. According to scouting.org, in 2019, about 8 percent of scouts earned the rank.

Horgan, 18, will be a senior at Kennebunk High School in September, and has been involved in scouting since he was a little boy.

“My parents got me involved in Cub Scouts,”  he said, “I made some friends and it became more enjoyable.”

Later, he joined the Boy Scouts and thought, “why not go for the Eagle?”

Organizing an Eagle Scout project involves  encouraging volunteers to help, and so other scouts pitched in, as did his father and his grandparents, he said.

“The educational piece explains what compost is what can and cannot be composted,” and the merits of composting, said Horgan, who lives in Kennebunk.

The three-compartment compost bin is constructed of cedar, contributed by Hancock Lumber, and fiberglass panels to let in sun but keep out the rain. Canbury Homes supplied the brackets used to put the bin together.

“It’s environmentally friendly,” he said of the project.

Horgan, son of Kristen Wells and Michael Horgan, remains a member of the Order of the Arrow, a leadership and community service rank within scouting,

As he considers his future after high school graduation next year, Horgan said he is eyeing the U.S. Army ROTC program at a Vermont college,  where he is looking at a major in nursing and a minor in business.

This summer, he is working two jobs, at the Nonantum and at the service plaza on the Maine Turnpike.

He’s enjoyed his years in scouting, and achieving his Eagle Scout rank.

“Having that leadership, and helping the community really benefitted me,” he said.