Wonderful Worms!

One of the ways my family keeps our food waste down, is to use our worm bin.  We’ve had it for a few years now, and our new effort to be more plant-based in our eating, our little worms have been busy, with plenty to eat!  I was going to write a blog post about how to set up your own worm bin, but I learned of a group of great students at Woodcreek High that started a vermicomposting program at their school and in the community.  I thought, who better to tell you about worms?  So here are the Timberworms!

Vermicomposting with the Green Bandits!

Here at Woodcreek we’re working on a national project/competition to help fight global warming.  Our issue that we chose was waste reduction.  We decided to tackle this by starting a vermicomposting program at our school, as well as elementary schools around the Sacramento and Roseville area.  There are many benefits to vermicomposting instead of basic composting, but the main reason is the speed in which the worms decompose the material.  If the system is big enough, one could get a large amount of usable compost or “worm poop” each day.  

The Worm Bin

Our worm bins are a super easy design, they consist of two, Rubbermaid bins stacked on top of each other.  The reason we stack them is to increase air flow through the holes we drill on the sides and bottom.  Air flow allows oxygen to get into the bin and help speed up the process and also reduce the smell.  All of the holes are covered by sheets of weed blocker cloth which works to block the worms from escaping, and keeping unwanted things out.  Once the bin starts to “get cooking” the worms will begin to reproduce and you can start expanding the system, to two separate worm containers which will help increase the output.  To start the worm bin, you shred newspaper to make bedding for the worms to start in.  Shred it at the most 1” in width, then fill the bin about 2/3 the way with the shredded paper.  Once that is done, spray it until its damp but no water is puddled at the bottom.  Then you can add the organic waste but make sure to bury it in the paper to reduce the smell, and then you’re ready for the worms!

Adding the Worms

Worms can be very temperamental and get stressed quite easily, so it’s important to make their transition to their new home as smooth as possible.  Once you’ve added the food, let it rot for a little while, about a week is should be enough time for them.  Placement of the bin is also crucial, they like the temperature to be around 70 degrees…who doesn’t?!  Keep the bin in an area with little sunlight, under a tree, in a garage, or on the side of the house that rarely gets sun.  If these conditions are met then the worms will be happy in their new home.

Feeding

Do Feed

• Vegetable scraps
•  Lettuce
• Soft fruits, melons
• Coffee grounds or filter
• Egg shells
• Napkins or paper towels

Don’t Feed

• Meat or fish
• Milk or dairy products
• Greasy foods
• Dog or cat feces
• Twigs or branches
• Citrus fruits

Benefits of Vermicomposting

The main benefit of composting is to get the rich fertilizer that is produced.  Added to the garden, it allows plants to get more nutrients and be healthier and produce better fruits and veggies.  The many other reasons are even more powerful.  Composting reduces the amount of waste that goes to the landfills.  This is important because landfills produce a greenhouse gas called methane.  This gas gets trapped by our atmosphere and blocks heat from escaping as well.  This contributes to global warming.  Also, when the compost is added to the garden, it holds water better.  Which allows the gardener to use less water when watering the garden, now we’re saving water AND the atmosphere!  So please help support our efforts to reduce the effects of global warming by purchasing your very own worm bin (worms included) from www.timberworms.com

Resolve to Make Less Trash

 Welcome to 2013.  Since we are trying to make minimum waste, we have several plans to help us achieve our zero-waste goal.  With the average American making almost 5 lbs of garbage per day, it is EASY to find ways to make less waste.

Here are ways we plan to continue or start making less waste:

Continue to bring our own bags.  Not just to the grocery store, but to the mall or anywhere we need to make a purchase.  The U.S. goes through an estimate 100 billlion shopping bags annually.  A single plastic bag can take up to 1,000 to degrade in a landfill. Only about 3% are recycled.  Yikes, right?!

Continue to use our own reusable water bottles, and coffee cups.  Here too, the statistics are boggling.  I'm happy to say that as I go visit classes with our waste reduction programs, 4 years ago, I would look out and there would be a sea of disposable water bottles on students desks.  Today, I rarely spot more than a couple in a class of students.

Call the companies for the few catalogs that are showing up in our mail, and get off their mailing list.  We can find it all online. If you want to reduce your junk mail,  here is an excellent article on the ways to cut down on the waste.  

Give up paper towels.  This has been a hard one for us.  We have gone about three weeks without paper towels, and I must admit, for certain clean ups, they are nice, but we are going to try.

Fix It.  If something breaks.  We will attempt to fix it before buying something new.

We are making an effort to eat more fruits and vegetables, so along with that goal, we are trying to buy local.  Local foods are higher in nutrients, and it is a great way to teach your children about food and what grows in each season.

Along with our eat more vegetables, we have a goal for less food waste.  It is estimated that about 40% of all food is wasted in the U.S.  It isn't just the food that is waste.  Water, transportation, store resources, refrigerator energy - all down the drain when we toss that food.  Better planning equals less waste.

What are your goals for the year?