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Jane's Green Living, Pt. 1: Composting! |
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Last summer, I discovered that composting leftovers and food scraps created during food preparation was a simple way to reduce my ecological footprint. After attending a composting event hosted by Shanghai?s chapter of Friends of Nature, I urged my family to adopt composting at home. My school also has a composting program, which encourages me to compost while I'm at boarding school. (To learn more about Choate?s composting and recycling efforts, look at this video: http://vimeo.com/103435565).
I wanted to share some composting basics with you, in hopes that you will adopt this part of a sustainable lifestyle, if you haven't already. What is compost? Compost is decaying organic material that can be used as plant fertilizer. Certain types of compost can be used in different ways. For example, the liquid type of compost I heard about at the Friends of Nature event I attended could be used to remove air impurities if sprayed as an aerosol. Some environmental benefits of composting include: - reducing the amount of solid waste you are sending to landfills - reducing your dependence on chemical fertilizers by using compost to feed your lawn or garden. How do you create compost? There are two broad ways you can create compost you can use open bins or closed containers. Open bins are open-top bins usually constructed with wood or recycled plastic that are put outside. In the city I live, I do not have enough space outside to fit an open bin compost container, so I use upright, airtight closed containers instead. To create good compost, you need to provide the right mixture of key ingredients for the microorganisms that help decompose the material. Food for these organisms can be broadly categorized into two groups: "Greens" and "Browns." "Greens" are high in nitrogen and provide the microorganisms with protein. "Browns" are high in carbon and provide the organisms with energy. Typical green materials include: - Fresh (green) grass clippings - Fresh animal manure - Kitchen scraps (fruit, vegetables, coffee grounds, tea bags without the tags) - Weeds - Green leaves Typical brown materials include: - Brown, dry leaves - Dried grass - Straw The fruit-peel compost that I learned about in China takes approximately 6 months to mature (if you're interested in learning about this, ask me). Different types of compost take different lengths of time to mature, so if you are serious about composting, its build composting box with at least two chambers. When decomposition begins on a pile of compost, adding more material to the same pile will prolong the decomposition process. If you have a two-chamber compost station, you will be able to start a new batch of compost with the materials in the second chamber. If you are considering composting at home, I recommend searching up, ?How to Compost,? in your favorite search engine and finding more information on the topic. There are many considerations and interesting tidbits about composting that I cannot cover here. A good starting website is here.
Url:http://www.thepeaceseekers.org/uploads/2/6/7/8/26783064/8786934_orig.jpg This article is the first of two articles I?ll be writing on green living! I hope you will consider adding composting to your sustainable lifestyle. If large numbers of you all make commitments to live sustainably, even seemingly small steps like composting can result in dramatic improvements in our environment. Stay tuned! |
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10 Comments
Composting the Food waste is an excellent initiative. It takes some time but worth the effort. Thanks for bringing this to our information. The pictures in your report speaks 1,000 words. Keep it up
Posted 25-09-2014 21:12
Great article! Beneficial microbes and NPK content is also in a very good proportion. Its easy and worth making at home. Wonder everyone start composting at home. It will be one big step toward sustainability! :)
Posted 23-09-2014 23:29
Thank you Jane for the informative post. We are as well running "proper management of waste" campaign at various school and college level and information in this post will boost our campaign .
Posted 23-09-2014 00:10
All the triple Rs of Environmental Conservation put in use (RE-DUCE,RE-CYCLE AND RE-USE). The KEY to climate change principles indeed. An applause to Miss Jane.That's a readily available learning aide there Mr Tefo Batshabang.
Posted 22-09-2014 22:38
Tremendously inspired,Infact we people are educated,still we turned to be unknown in some case!! Its a way where we can put our words in action in daily life,composting the food scrap!!
Posted 22-09-2014 20:14
Thank you very much for posting this article. This is definitley useful for aspiring food scientists like myself
Posted 22-09-2014 20:03
Thanks for the reporting that Food waste can be turned into compost. Jane, this is very practical method & is possible. A bit of care & patience is sought.
The pics are very descriptive & the information provided is apt.
Posted 22-09-2014 14:05
Composting offers a natural alternative to chemical fertilizers. it's easy to make and good for the environment. also a simple way to add nutrient-rich humus which fuels plant growth and restores vitality to depleted soil.
Thanks for sharing Jane :)
Posted 22-09-2014 02:08
Thanks for sharing and encouraging us for recycling the food scrap by composting. Infact our school DPS-Shj recycles the food scrap using Bokashi Bin composting. The healthy compost is then used in our school Eco-garden..Bokashi is an ingenious Japanese system that pickles all food waste before transforming it into the most wonderful compost.
I agree with you that we should NOT waste food scrap . Food scrap should be treated as resource or raw material for compost .
Posted 21-09-2014 21:04
Very information post here, Jane! The supreme student council of our school actually initiated a takakura composting campaign in our school. And it created a buzz within the university. It was successful in getting the students' interest and I think many are doing their own composting at their houses. :)
I agree with you that "if large numbers of you all make commitments to live sustainably, even seemingly small steps like composting can result in dramatic improvements in our environment". Kudos! And thank you for sharing your noble way of preserving the environment. Continue to be the force for chage! :)
Posted 21-09-2014 14:44