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Greening of the Aiken Center. Vermicomposting Jess Nason , Sam Wallace, and Thomas Hibert. What is Vermicomposting ?
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Greening of the Aiken Center Vermicomposting Jess Nason, Sam Wallace, and Thomas Hibert What is Vermicomposting? Vermicompostingis the practice of using worms to assist in the process of food decomposition. The food waste, along with the bedding materials and worm castings, creates a nutrient rich organic fertilizer. • Vermicomposting Facts • The earthworm species most commonly used in vermicomposting is the red wiggler worm • This species has adapted to living in an environment of decomposing organic matter and thrives in composting conditions • Best for the worms to be in a cool, dark, and moist environment • They need plenty of bedding space as well as food to breakdown—shredded newspaper works as perfect bedding because it also breaks down easily • The ideal foods are • fruits and vegetables • Very important to • introduce a variety of • foods into the system in • order to maintain a • balanced environment Construction of the Aiken Vermicompost Box The vermicompost box that will be built this semester and permanently reside in the Aiken Center, will be 2 feet deep by 2 feet wide by 4 feet long, and sit atop a standard waist high table. The box will also serve as an educational tool, as a plexiglass window will be incorporated into the side of the box, allowing visitors and students of the Aiken center to witness the composting process. The building of this box will be as environmentally friendly as possible. We plan to use Japanese Larch from UVM’s Jericho Research Forest and complete all of the construction at ReSOURCE, an organization that operates on principles of environmental stewardship and aims to provide members of the community with education and job skills training. • Timeline • 2009-2010 Prototype vermicomposting bin set up in the old Aiken Center • Spring 2011 Designed permanent vermicomposting bin to reside in new Aiken Center; Small worm bin set up in Hills in order to have worms to fill completed worm bin • April 14th Choose, cut down, and picked up Japanese Larch from Jericho Research Forest • May 7th Build worm bin down at ReSOURCE!