Hello audience,
I am just posting to say that I will be presenting my IRP project for my class tomorrow! And for it, I will have a powerpoint presentation documenting what I have researched, learned and accomplished. I will do my best to post said presentation on this blog.
Awesome!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Post #18-- Easing Off
Huh. My last post seemed to get a little too passionate toward the end. I don't want to be just another person preaching gloom and doom about global warming and trying to start a revolution (which I totally buy into, it's just not in my project, which is getting you to do other things).
We can all help-- and it's really easy too! If, say, everyone in America did these small things, think of how much we could accomplish! We can all recycle. We can work to get efficient recycling programs at our places of business, at our schools, at our hospitals, in our parks, etc. Everywhere. And we can compost! Whether outside or inside, with worms or without (though with is infinitely more fun, and faster). We can compost at home, at restaurants, at work, at school, you name it. And it's so easy, people.
Just think about it. It's easy, and we can all make a small change.
I hope to keep this compost bin going. I hope that when it's time to harvest my vermicompost, we'll start another one-- and keep it going. There's so much material we're saving! And we all can =)
We can all help-- and it's really easy too! If, say, everyone in America did these small things, think of how much we could accomplish! We can all recycle. We can work to get efficient recycling programs at our places of business, at our schools, at our hospitals, in our parks, etc. Everywhere. And we can compost! Whether outside or inside, with worms or without (though with is infinitely more fun, and faster). We can compost at home, at restaurants, at work, at school, you name it. And it's so easy, people.
Just think about it. It's easy, and we can all make a small change.
I hope to keep this compost bin going. I hope that when it's time to harvest my vermicompost, we'll start another one-- and keep it going. There's so much material we're saving! And we all can =)
Post #17-- Running Commentary
Overall Trash: 18.2oz. (1.2 lbs.)
Overall Recycling: 13.6oz.
Overall Compostable Recyclables: 1oz.
Overall Compostable Trash: 3.3oz.
Total Generated Waste: 36.1oz. (2.3 lbs)
Total Compostables: 4.3oz.
Okay, my family should produce about 4x4.3= 17.2oz, which is 1 pound, 1.2oz. Adding for salad-y stuff and given that we’re not going to compost tons of paper (that we’d recycle), only comp T would be 4x3.3= 13.2oz, about 3oz. short of a pound. Adding extra salad stuff, I’d say the middle ground is that my family produces about a pound of compostable material that would actually be composted.
Of our trash, my family should produce 4x18.2= 72.8oz which is about 4.55 pounds. So my family produces almost 5 pounds of trash a week. Just TRASH trash. Total generated waste would look more like this: 4x36.1= 9.025. So about 9 pounds. Peter was right, we do produce about 10 pounds of trash a week. Especially if you add up all the family combined stuff, like the finished cereal box or the fruit containers we recycle or the last of that chicken/pasta/whatever that we can’t really keep. I’ll say about ten pounds then.
So if we generate 10 pounds of waste and compost about a pound of it, we are actively saving 10% of our waste from being incinerated and then landfilled. Preventing it from adding tons of C02 to the atmosphere! It is returning to nature and will nourish a new round of the natural life cycle.
Then, if we recycle 4x13.6oz (I will keep this number because although it is heavy due to that glass bottle I had, and although glass bottles aren’t common, we go through a lot of paper)= 3.4pounds!
PLUS the recyclable compostables which make up 4x1=4oz... so in all, 4x14oz (13.6+.4)= 3.5 pounds!
So with recycling efforts we are saving 35% of our trash!
With recycling and composting we are saving 45% of all of our trash! Plus who knows how much the yard trimming weigh, but that’d add on a ton if we were to throw them away instead of composting them in the back yard. So overall, if you imagine that weight (if it were going to be trashed) we are saving over 50% of our generated waste!
Which still means that 50% of our generated waste is being landfilled, consistent with the national average. Dang. After all of this I was sure that I could save more than the national average. Huh. I am rather surprised. If only I had been able to eat that other half of my sandwich, that would have taken a ton of weight out. But I don’t want to just look good, I want to represent truthfully what is going on. I want to know what’s going on so that I can help make it better. Unfortunately, if my numbers are consistent with the national average, there is not much I can do at home. But wait a minute... That’s 50% of AMERICA’s trash. Not just 50% of MY FAMILY’s trash. What would happen if all of America composted and actively recycled? I’ll bet that a ton more would be saved! My project can’t be pointless, there is hope! If America saves about half of its generated waste through recycling and composting efforts, that includes all the business wastes and hospital wastes and school wastes, etc. What if all restaurants composted? What if all schools and businesses had efficient recycling projects? I’m betting we can change the world here, people.
And what if so many of the plastics we now have were biodegradable? What if we ALL embraced the “cradle to cradle” mentality when we make something? We as a human race have to start taking responsibility for the messes we make-- and we CAN. We just have to get off our lazy bums and do something about it. We have to stop letting people away from just thinking about money and get them to start thinking about a better world!! Think about it-- more healthy earth to go around. I’m not saying let mother nature reclaim the cities and have us abandon civilization, no-- just imagine the spaces we have now, healthier. And the spaces we have now staying spaces we have now, instead of becoming dumping grounds.
Overall Recycling: 13.6oz.
Overall Compostable Recyclables: 1oz.
Overall Compostable Trash: 3.3oz.
Total Generated Waste: 36.1oz. (2.3 lbs)
Total Compostables: 4.3oz.
Okay, my family should produce about 4x4.3= 17.2oz, which is 1 pound, 1.2oz. Adding for salad-y stuff and given that we’re not going to compost tons of paper (that we’d recycle), only comp T would be 4x3.3= 13.2oz, about 3oz. short of a pound. Adding extra salad stuff, I’d say the middle ground is that my family produces about a pound of compostable material that would actually be composted.
Of our trash, my family should produce 4x18.2= 72.8oz which is about 4.55 pounds. So my family produces almost 5 pounds of trash a week. Just TRASH trash. Total generated waste would look more like this: 4x36.1= 9.025. So about 9 pounds. Peter was right, we do produce about 10 pounds of trash a week. Especially if you add up all the family combined stuff, like the finished cereal box or the fruit containers we recycle or the last of that chicken/pasta/whatever that we can’t really keep. I’ll say about ten pounds then.
So if we generate 10 pounds of waste and compost about a pound of it, we are actively saving 10% of our waste from being incinerated and then landfilled. Preventing it from adding tons of C02 to the atmosphere! It is returning to nature and will nourish a new round of the natural life cycle.
Then, if we recycle 4x13.6oz (I will keep this number because although it is heavy due to that glass bottle I had, and although glass bottles aren’t common, we go through a lot of paper)= 3.4pounds!
PLUS the recyclable compostables which make up 4x1=4oz... so in all, 4x14oz (13.6+.4)= 3.5 pounds!
So with recycling efforts we are saving 35% of our trash!
With recycling and composting we are saving 45% of all of our trash! Plus who knows how much the yard trimming weigh, but that’d add on a ton if we were to throw them away instead of composting them in the back yard. So overall, if you imagine that weight (if it were going to be trashed) we are saving over 50% of our generated waste!
Which still means that 50% of our generated waste is being landfilled, consistent with the national average. Dang. After all of this I was sure that I could save more than the national average. Huh. I am rather surprised. If only I had been able to eat that other half of my sandwich, that would have taken a ton of weight out. But I don’t want to just look good, I want to represent truthfully what is going on. I want to know what’s going on so that I can help make it better. Unfortunately, if my numbers are consistent with the national average, there is not much I can do at home. But wait a minute... That’s 50% of AMERICA’s trash. Not just 50% of MY FAMILY’s trash. What would happen if all of America composted and actively recycled? I’ll bet that a ton more would be saved! My project can’t be pointless, there is hope! If America saves about half of its generated waste through recycling and composting efforts, that includes all the business wastes and hospital wastes and school wastes, etc. What if all restaurants composted? What if all schools and businesses had efficient recycling projects? I’m betting we can change the world here, people.
And what if so many of the plastics we now have were biodegradable? What if we ALL embraced the “cradle to cradle” mentality when we make something? We as a human race have to start taking responsibility for the messes we make-- and we CAN. We just have to get off our lazy bums and do something about it. We have to stop letting people away from just thinking about money and get them to start thinking about a better world!! Think about it-- more healthy earth to go around. I’m not saying let mother nature reclaim the cities and have us abandon civilization, no-- just imagine the spaces we have now, healthier. And the spaces we have now staying spaces we have now, instead of becoming dumping grounds.
Post #16-- Worm Follow Up
Hi!
The worm bin is doing great!
The first morning I opened the bin and I noticed two things: 1) The worms had indeed grown in size (as promised, they just needed time to rehydrate from their trip) and 2) Some were trying to escape!
I started panicking-- if they were trying to escape, it means something is wrong. I knew the bin wasn't too dry, so maybe it was too wet. Unfortunately, I had to go to school and promised to deal with it when I got home. I simply scooped up all the worms trying to escape and put them back in the middle.
When I arrived home, there were a few worms trying to escape, though not as many. This made me feel better. I scooped up as much bedding as I could and simply turned it over. I was airing it as much as possible, afraid that the bedding was too wet..
The next day we added some coffee grounds and some clementine rinds to the bin... every time I open the bin to either deposit material or check on the worms, there are always a few squiggling around on the sides... but it has been observed by many sources that I have gathered information from that worms like to hang out on the sides of the bin a lot... perhaps they just went up too far?? Hmm... Then I realized that this must be the case-- the bedding simply felt damp... I really didn't think it could be too wet. Then I realized that the worms "trying to escape" in the next few days were not nearly equal the number trying to escape the first day. Maybe they were just unused to their new home! Perhaps it really did need more ventilation like I then provided...
However you decide to say it, the worms seem to be getting along fine, now!
Another reason I know this is because the bin doesn't smell bad at all :) That is definitely a sign of a worm bin with problems... if the bin gives off offensive odors. This means that the bin is too wet or you are putting in the wrong types of food (i.e. dairy, meat, etc.) and the worms are unable to fully digest it properly (or some combination, etc.). However, the worm bin smells like... nothing! Okay, it smells faintly of coffee grounds, and you can just barely discern the citrusy smell of the rinds, but other than that it smells like nothing! And the smells I mentioned previously?? Yeah, you can only smell them if you stick your head in the bin. And when the bin is closed? Forget about it-- you can't smell a thing. Which was one of my mom's stipulations: it was not to smell or it would go. I am so happy and excited that we can compost now! And it's working out excellently.
So far we have added the following materials (plus some others, I'm sure):
-Broccoli, coffee grounds, clementine rinds, corn husks, tomato bits and more!!!
I'll be sure to take a picture and put it up soon!
The worm bin is doing great!
The first morning I opened the bin and I noticed two things: 1) The worms had indeed grown in size (as promised, they just needed time to rehydrate from their trip) and 2) Some were trying to escape!
I started panicking-- if they were trying to escape, it means something is wrong. I knew the bin wasn't too dry, so maybe it was too wet. Unfortunately, I had to go to school and promised to deal with it when I got home. I simply scooped up all the worms trying to escape and put them back in the middle.
When I arrived home, there were a few worms trying to escape, though not as many. This made me feel better. I scooped up as much bedding as I could and simply turned it over. I was airing it as much as possible, afraid that the bedding was too wet..
The next day we added some coffee grounds and some clementine rinds to the bin... every time I open the bin to either deposit material or check on the worms, there are always a few squiggling around on the sides... but it has been observed by many sources that I have gathered information from that worms like to hang out on the sides of the bin a lot... perhaps they just went up too far?? Hmm... Then I realized that this must be the case-- the bedding simply felt damp... I really didn't think it could be too wet. Then I realized that the worms "trying to escape" in the next few days were not nearly equal the number trying to escape the first day. Maybe they were just unused to their new home! Perhaps it really did need more ventilation like I then provided...
However you decide to say it, the worms seem to be getting along fine, now!
Another reason I know this is because the bin doesn't smell bad at all :) That is definitely a sign of a worm bin with problems... if the bin gives off offensive odors. This means that the bin is too wet or you are putting in the wrong types of food (i.e. dairy, meat, etc.) and the worms are unable to fully digest it properly (or some combination, etc.). However, the worm bin smells like... nothing! Okay, it smells faintly of coffee grounds, and you can just barely discern the citrusy smell of the rinds, but other than that it smells like nothing! And the smells I mentioned previously?? Yeah, you can only smell them if you stick your head in the bin. And when the bin is closed? Forget about it-- you can't smell a thing. Which was one of my mom's stipulations: it was not to smell or it would go. I am so happy and excited that we can compost now! And it's working out excellently.
So far we have added the following materials (plus some others, I'm sure):
-Broccoli, coffee grounds, clementine rinds, corn husks, tomato bits and more!!!
I'll be sure to take a picture and put it up soon!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Post #15 Putting Together the Bin: Pictures
Hiya! As promised, here are the shots of me assembling my vermiculture bin! It was really easy and rather enjoyable. Plus, the worms are fabulous... OOOOOOH. The worms will be up to speed within 24-48 hours, plump and dispersed within the bin. I can't wait to see how it works out!
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| The worms came priority mail! |
 |
| Spreading the love <3 |
 |
| Worm bedding! Damp newspaper, soil, kitchen scraps! |
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| Me, putting the worms in their new home :) |
 |
| All done! |
Post #14-- The Worms ARRIVED!
Okay... enough with the CAPS already =P
My worms were sitting on my doorstep when I arrived home today :) I was so excited! I opened the package of "1000 reds" and was greeted with some newspaper and a little cloth sack bearing the Uncle Jim's Worm Farm logo. It was rather light! I don't know why I was imagining them weighing so much more... I only ordered a pound. They were shipped to me in peat moss "to absorb all moisture". The worms were very small looking, which is normal, apparently, because they have gone roughly three days since the last had food and water. Worms in shippment can lose up to 75% of their body mass, according to "Jim". I promptly put my worms in a bowl and gave them 1/2 cup of water, as reccomended.
Then I set to work! I took my bin and drilled 1/4 inch holes in in, evenly spaced, about 15 of them on the bottom, fewer on the sides. This is for ventilation. I then filled the bin with my shredded newspaper pieces, and I dampened them as I went. Worms are very particular about their environment-- it can't be too dry or too wet, else they shall not be happy and might die =( I will find out soon whether I met the requirements or not-- if they try to escape something is wrong! It'd be an easy fix though. If dry, add more water. Worms like it moist (and absorb water through their skin!). If too damp, add more dry newspaper and take out some damp.
I then went outside and gathered some of our leaf hummus. It's been in an impromtu compost pile at the back of our yard for a few years-- my stepdad, Peter, always puts all the leaves back there. They have turned into a nice, thick and nutrient filled muck. I also gathered some nice, drier soil to add to my worm bin. This soil will provide the grit the worms require to digest their food (kitchen scraps!) and will add helpful and essential microbes and other good bacteria to the bin. Next I took the brocoli stems I had chopped up (scraps from tonight's dinner) and added them to the middle of this assortment now in my bin.
FINALLY I got to add the worms! I took my red wigglers (all named humphrey, godfrey and daniel... my mom wanted me to name them... but there are 1000 of them... I shall post the final list of all 1000 later... if I don't conveniently forget) and scooped them onto the top! I spread them out a little bit over the top, then covered them with a wet newspaper, per "Jim's" reccomendation. The worms shall be fully up to speed in their new home within 24-48 hours time. I am so excited!
I actually think the worms are pretty cute :)
Why "cute", I have been debating. My bf and I have been debating what "cute" really means. Usually it means you think it is visually pleasing, sometimes small (or small in it's kind, such as a baby) and you want to care for it in some way. Like a kitten. For me, a kitten would fit the definition of "cute". It would be small, furry, cuddly and I would just want to take it home and love it! However I find myself seeing my newfound vermicomposting pals as "cute". Why?!? I don't know exactly! But I think that their ability to squirm is somehow endearing. AND I do want to nurture them-- they will nurture our garden! They will be most helpful friends to have. I hope people get over their aversion to worms, they really are nice pals. They require little (though picky about environment) and give so much. In 2-3 months time it will be time to harvest the worm castings and all the compost-- and start a new worm bin! I can't wait. Plus, any excess fluid that drips into the catching tray will be another great source of nutrients for our plants, like my favorite! The magical chive plant.
More to come-- and PICTURES!
My worms were sitting on my doorstep when I arrived home today :) I was so excited! I opened the package of "1000 reds" and was greeted with some newspaper and a little cloth sack bearing the Uncle Jim's Worm Farm logo. It was rather light! I don't know why I was imagining them weighing so much more... I only ordered a pound. They were shipped to me in peat moss "to absorb all moisture". The worms were very small looking, which is normal, apparently, because they have gone roughly three days since the last had food and water. Worms in shippment can lose up to 75% of their body mass, according to "Jim". I promptly put my worms in a bowl and gave them 1/2 cup of water, as reccomended.
Then I set to work! I took my bin and drilled 1/4 inch holes in in, evenly spaced, about 15 of them on the bottom, fewer on the sides. This is for ventilation. I then filled the bin with my shredded newspaper pieces, and I dampened them as I went. Worms are very particular about their environment-- it can't be too dry or too wet, else they shall not be happy and might die =( I will find out soon whether I met the requirements or not-- if they try to escape something is wrong! It'd be an easy fix though. If dry, add more water. Worms like it moist (and absorb water through their skin!). If too damp, add more dry newspaper and take out some damp.
I then went outside and gathered some of our leaf hummus. It's been in an impromtu compost pile at the back of our yard for a few years-- my stepdad, Peter, always puts all the leaves back there. They have turned into a nice, thick and nutrient filled muck. I also gathered some nice, drier soil to add to my worm bin. This soil will provide the grit the worms require to digest their food (kitchen scraps!) and will add helpful and essential microbes and other good bacteria to the bin. Next I took the brocoli stems I had chopped up (scraps from tonight's dinner) and added them to the middle of this assortment now in my bin.
FINALLY I got to add the worms! I took my red wigglers (all named humphrey, godfrey and daniel... my mom wanted me to name them... but there are 1000 of them... I shall post the final list of all 1000 later... if I don't conveniently forget) and scooped them onto the top! I spread them out a little bit over the top, then covered them with a wet newspaper, per "Jim's" reccomendation. The worms shall be fully up to speed in their new home within 24-48 hours time. I am so excited!
I actually think the worms are pretty cute :)
Why "cute", I have been debating. My bf and I have been debating what "cute" really means. Usually it means you think it is visually pleasing, sometimes small (or small in it's kind, such as a baby) and you want to care for it in some way. Like a kitten. For me, a kitten would fit the definition of "cute". It would be small, furry, cuddly and I would just want to take it home and love it! However I find myself seeing my newfound vermicomposting pals as "cute". Why?!? I don't know exactly! But I think that their ability to squirm is somehow endearing. AND I do want to nurture them-- they will nurture our garden! They will be most helpful friends to have. I hope people get over their aversion to worms, they really are nice pals. They require little (though picky about environment) and give so much. In 2-3 months time it will be time to harvest the worm castings and all the compost-- and start a new worm bin! I can't wait. Plus, any excess fluid that drips into the catching tray will be another great source of nutrients for our plants, like my favorite! The magical chive plant.
More to come-- and PICTURES!
Post #13-- Get Psyched for the WORMS!
My worms are supposed to come either today or tomorrow!!! They would have come last week, but we ordered them a day late, a day after the shipping order cutoff date... hmph. So they come this week! I am so excited. We ordered a pound of worms from "Uncle Jim's Worm Farm" (http://www.unclejimswormfarm.com/ and on another note, let me tell you, their live customer service is extremely helpful!) in the name of 1000 Red Wigglers. One thousand... that sounds like a lot of worms. At first I was very confused as to how many I should order, I keep seeing different things... like "a pound of worms for every pound of compostable material the users generate in a week", and I also found "because worms can eat half their weight in a day, order twice the weight of worms as weight of compostable material the users generate in a day." Hmm... One uses weeks, the other uses days. I didn't know where to begin! Until I came across this: "if you are unsure of how many worms to order, order one pound to start. If you need more, don't worry- your population will quickly grow." So that's what I did! I ordered a pound. Hopefully I won't need FEWER worms... I don't know what I would do with the extra... put them out in the garden I suppose :)
Right, so when the worms arrive, I shall be getting to work and putting up all the pictures of my process of making my very own vermiculture composting bin! Until then, check out this cool video by Patti Moreno, the Garden Girl! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcclGBtXGrs
That's what I'm going to do!!
Right, so when the worms arrive, I shall be getting to work and putting up all the pictures of my process of making my very own vermiculture composting bin! Until then, check out this cool video by Patti Moreno, the Garden Girl! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcclGBtXGrs
That's what I'm going to do!!
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