Vermicompost






By Kei Nishimura, Ernesto Gispert, Emile Fiset and Jean Michel





Pierre Faure





Miss Lulu, Miss Paola and Miss Dafne





15/06/10

Index

Content Page



COVER PAGE 1



INDEX 2



INTRODUCTION 3



INVESTIGATION 4-5















We all know about recycling, but do you know about compost? We did a little research and we thought it would be a great way to help reduce the contamination.





Objective: To reduce organic waste by turning it into a fertilizer and at the same time create campaigns in our school to inform about this recycling method.





Hypothesis: Does the Vermicompost help the environment?





Method: We are going to investigate about composting mechanisms in order to put it into practice by creating our own Vermicompost. At the same time we are going to create awareness to the school by posters and by presenting our project.











What is compost?







Compost is a method used to create humus, a natural fertilizer. Fertilizers are used world wide but most of them are not natural, inorganic fertilizers also help the growth of plants but they produce eutrophication, soil acidification, persistent organic pollutants, heavy metal accumulation and atmospheric effects. On the other side, natural fertilizers use humus, an organic fertilization method that increases the water holding capacity and easily absorbs the sun rays. Humus also liberates the compounds for plants from the soil, provides fertilization and improves soil texture quality. Humus is added to the soil by using an organic fertilizer such as manure or the contents of a compost pile. Humus can also be bought it’s not cheap. Organic fertilizer nutrient content, solubility, and nutrient release rates are typically all lower than inorganic fertilizers. The humus can be made naturally, with normal compost or with vermicompost.







Why would a fertilizer be needed?





Land is full of nutrients and minerals which are a plant’s food. After growing a lot of plants on a certain area, the land looses all of it’s minerals and nutrients. Erosion in also a problem. The erosion is the process of weathering and transport of solids in the natural environment or their source and put them elsewhere. It depends on many factors, such as precipitation, temperature, seasonality, wind speed and storm frequency, also rock type, and slope of the land. It usually occurs due to transport by wind, water, or ice. The erosion of soil is principally generated by the destruction of wetlands like swamps, because they work as retainers with the ocean.

If nowadays this is affecting us, imagine the impact it will have in the future and how global warming is then going to destroy us. This brings the reduction of land and the destruction of complete ecosystems.





Where does compost come from?





Prehistoric people discovered that with their animal´s manure their plants would grow faster. Consequently, they started producing it. But imagine that the decomposition of plants it is better than animal´s manure and have more nutrients and more it is more healthy.

In India, Sir Albert Howard a government agronomist developed the actual method of composting using boxes. Anyway, we are not studying normal composting we are studying vermicomposting that is a method created on the 20th century. Vermicomposting is a faster method of creating humus, with the worm´s manure, also it´s proved that have more nutrients than normal methods.

How do we make a Vermicompost?

Materials:

• A worm bin

• Bedding

• Water

• Red worms

• Compost scraps such as waste fruits and vegetables, coffee filters, eggshells, fruit and vegetable peelings









Steps:









Feed the worms weekly. Cutting the scraps into small pieces allows the worms to consume them faster. Bury the scraps under the bedding; rotate where you bury them. You may add more bedding every once in a while.





Place the bin in a shady area, not in direct sun.

Check the moisture when adding kitchen scraps. If too wet, add more bedding; if too dry, add water. Worms like more moisture than you might think. Experiment with moisture levels.



Darkness: Keep the lid on your bin. Worms do not like light and the closed bin will not attract flies.

After two or three months, the worms will have converted the bedding and food scraps into humus.











At the end we got rid of the organic waste and we turned it into humus. This can now be used as a fertilizer. We didn’t expect a big change on the environment but we realized that we did do a lot in our school. If everyone does the same thing and spreads the habit, this could really make a difference. We could reduce the amount of organic waste that contaminates the world and turn it a material that can help us on reforestation, and by helping natural habitats that have been affected by farming, erosion or any event.