I spent a half hour at the Lower East Side Ecology Center’s “presence” at the Union Square Greenmarket on an unbearably hot day to ask some committed people about why they drop off their compost.One woman not interviewed dumped a plastic clamshell of string beans in while another woman who was “late for her appointment” cheerfully dropped off her week’s vegetable refuse. Here’s a quick and unscientific survey:
David, 34, East Village
Has been depositing his organic waste at the drop off for several years in order to reduce landfill waste.
Tammy, 34, Murray Hill
Her second time depositing and thrilled to know about this resource.
Jeff, 38, Flatiron (with a sleeping toddler in tow)
Has been bringing their organic waste for four months.“We’re pretty environmentally conscious. Since doing this, we found our waste has gone down 50%.”
David, 33, Upper West Side
Has been bringing his waste here for nearly two years so he “can sleep at night.”
Carl, 55, Stuyvesant Square
Has been coming for a month.“We used to have a house where we could bury our waste… It seemed a shame to let the organic refuse go to waste.”
Rachel, 27, Bedford-Stuyvesant
She’s been coming nearly two years because “all her worms died. It’s good that I can do this without a worm bin."
Winning a NYC Green Award in the July 8-21, 2009 issue of “The L Magazine” was Matthew Sheehan, a former elementary school teacher (and father of a first grader). Sheehan has overseen the implementation of 15 worm composting bins at P.S. 146, The Brooklyn New School. This is but a part of a larger project he has in mind for converting cafeteria waste into compost. Called "Feed a Worm, Not a Landfill," Touted by “The L Magazine” as “the best way to get little kids not to step on worms,” Sheehan's idea projects 100 percent of school food waste turned into compost by vermiculture compost systems (VCSs), which would then be sold and/or used on the school's garden.
This project fits with Brooklyn New School’s philosophy of students mastering concepts as active thinkers and doers—in which math, science, social studies, art, and music are integrated in hands-on exploration.Studying the city, the environment, history, and culture, students at this educational community learn to ask questions, use tools to measure, make estimates, and draw conclusions about what they see and feel. Ultimately, they learn to develop ties to others—and to the past and future.
Kate Kinsey is a junior at New York University juggling both the environmental studies and metropolitan studies programs. For the past six months, she has interned at the Lower East Side Ecology Center as an environmental education Intern. (LESEC serves Manhattan's composting needs through the Department of Sanitation funded Manhattan Compost Project.) After learning about the compost education program, she decided that the Master Composter Program would be a great way to learn more about composting and to communicate that knowledge to the community.
Q. Kate, with how many Worm Corps workshops have you been involved? What is it about them that keeps you coming back to do more?
A. At this point, I cannot even recall the amount of "wormshops" that I've taught. I would have to say that the positive feedback that I get after teaching the workshops keeps me coming back. The design of these workshops impacts the way that people think about their waste. After the workshop, people are always grateful for the knowledge that they receive and are enthusiastic to start composting. I think that composting is a great and easy way to reduce waste... and I love teaching other people about it.
Q. How do you gauge the developmental and age appropriateness of your material during your presentations? In way ways would your presentation vary depending on age and understanding?
A. The presentation definitely varies depending on age and understanding. For young children, I think that talking about red wiggler worms that make compost out of organic material like food scraps is the best avenue to take in order to peak their interest. Also, this is the easiest and simplest way to teach kids about the composting process. These children do not want to hear about the nitrogen cycle. They want to play with worms! So, the presentation needs to be gauged accordingly. Adults, on the other hand, are much more interested in the actual science behind composting and the environmental impact that results from composting. During these workshops, I will present more of the science of the composting process.
Q. What has the response been to these Worm Corps presentations—both by the kids and the adults in attendance?
A. These presentations have been accepted by both the kids and adults. This is in part due to the fact that people attending these workshops are usually environmentally-minded people who are interested in learning about composting. However, people that go into the workshop with no knowledge of composting also leave with a great deal of understanding and interest in the process.
Q. How have various educational communities and youth venues proven unique? What special needs have you found that are met in different ways?
A. I usually underestimate the knowledge that children actually have. When I enter a classroom, it is always a pleasant surprise to learn that the children know the basics of composting. This allows me to go into more detail about certain aspects of the process and leads to lively discussion. Other than that I think that the only special need that should be considered when teaching these workshops is age. You definitely have to play to the audience in order to get more people interested in composting.
Q. What kind of impact are you having? Do feel you are making a difference?
A. Composting is a foreign concept to most people—especially those living in New York City who have very little connection to the natural environment. People do not realize the amount of waste that they produce and the impact that this waste has on the environment. I think that composting outreach is very important in order to get people educated about the growing waste problem and teach people about a great way to reduce their waste. I definitely feel that I am making a difference through these workshops.
Possibly the presence of fruit flies is no big deal for composters in other parts of the country where they keep a bin in a utility room or something.Yet, to those of us living in cramped New York apartments, these hovering slow fliers can be a major pain! As Frank Teuton describes, drosophila are truly the “bete noire” of indoor vermicomposting.The urban composter is not helpless:There are options. Fruit fly eggs and larvae are found the skins/rinds of certain “tropical” fruits such as bananas, citrus fruits, pomegranates, avocados, etc.To destroy these eggs and larvae that live on the peels—and prevent fruit fly infestations—a good rule is to freeze or microwave food waste prior to placing it in your bin. Others even boil the problematic fruit additions.
[Also, don’t overdo citrus peels in the worm bin as the can irritate the worms’ skin.For an indoor bin, that means no more than one added per day.]
You can freeze the food waste overnight or until you are ready to add it to the bin.
Make sure your compost scraps are covered (especially in the summer). This is especially important if your scraps are kept near a window. Bury all food deep in your worm bin and keep the bedding layer at least three inches deep. Also, keep the food waste under several inches of bedding. Several sheets of damp newspaper or landscape fabric act as a barrier to odors, which will help to prevent attracting fruit flies. It will also reduce their access to the bedding below. (Hold off on dampening your paper bedding as food waste that has been frozen will cause extra dampness in the bin, and particularly in the bedding.)
For those with outdoor compost bins: If fruit flies become a nuisance, your ratio of food scraps (wets) to high carbon material (dries) is too high. Make sure high carbon materials, such as brown leaves, shredded paper, or cardboard comprise at least 50% of the bin’s total material. Keeping about a one foot height of high carbon material on your pile’s surface above the food scraps should do the trick.
One can find many examples of fruit fly traps on the web, but they are an action of last resort. An example of such a “trap” uses a liquid attractive to fruit flies, such as vinegar, wine, soda, or fruit juice. Put a few ounces of "bait" into a jar or cup and attach a plastic bag on top with a rubber band. Then, cut a few small holes in the plastic bag. The flies go in, but don't come out.
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New York Magazine Summer Guide: Composting
Composting Good for the Planet. Not That Smelly. Really. * By Kaija Helmetag (Published Jun 21, 2009). 1 For outdoor composting, buy a plastic or metal garbage-can composter (inexpensive versions are available at nyccompost.org, or make your own by drilling aeration holes in a garbage can). Indoor composting requires worms. A bin plus a pound of worms is $55 through the Lower East Side Ecology Center (212-477-4022). Or splurge for an electric composter, which uses heat to break scraps down faster (NatureMill Plus Edition, $299 at Green Depot, 222 Bowery, nr. Prince St.; 212-226-0444). Start collecting vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, and so on (no meat, fish, dairy, or pet waste). 2 Food waste (nitrogen-rich “greens”) needs carbon to break down, so mix an equal amount of autumn leaves, eggshells, potting soil, or newspaper (called “browns”) into your scraps. 3 Stir the mixture with a long-handled trowel, rake, or compost “crank” (a special tool designed to turn compost) once a week to aerate it. Test the moisture and add water, if necessary. The compost should be moist, but not so wet that it drips if squeezed. If it’s too wet, stir daily to dry it out. 4 After about three months, put a few handfuls in a Ziploc bag overnight, then sniff. A sour or ammonia-like odor means it’s not fully cured. When ready, it should have a nice earthy smell and look like topsoil. 5 Enrich your houseplants with the loamy goodness, and scatter any leftovers around the trees on your block to improve their health. See More From the Urban Hippie Guide
Around the UFT: How green is your school? From the "NY Teacher"
Micki Josi & Coquille Houshour, co-chairs of the new UFT Green Schools Committee, started their grassroots campaign three years ago. Their goals are to accelerate school recycling, eliminate foam cafeteria trays and promote ecological literacy citywide. For Earth Day, they held an eco-fair, the first in a series of events at UFT headquarters in Manhattan on April 21, 2009. It drew more than 100 teachers and students and offered contacts and information about organizations and businesses that support local recycling efforts.
Extreme Composters Get Creative in NYC by Amy Eddings
May 14, 2009: New York City residents without a pinch of earth are taking extreme measures to compost. As part of a collaboration with northeast stations WNYC’s Amy Eddings reports on what motivates these new urban composters.
Extreme Composters Get Creative in NYC by Amy Eddings
Bring Back Composting to NYC
Up until this past year, NYC supported composting through its NYC Compost Project, established to address and promote the budding potential for greening NYC through recycling our organic waste. One impressive aspect of this project was the collection of our city’s fall leaves—roughly 20,000 tons per year—for the production of municipal compost which was given back to NYC residents and the Parks Department to revitalize our gardens and open spaces. However, the NYC Compost Project has taken a big budgetary hit as of 2008; the Fall Leaf Collection and Giveback Days have been cancelled entirely “until further notice.” If we really want to be the healthier, greener city we envision, we need to reconsider the importance of composting. We need to help City Council, the Department of Sanitation and the Mayor see how important supporting composting and reinstating the Fall Leaf Collection is to our soil, our environment and us… the residents of NYC!
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Since 1990, the Lower East Side Ecology Center has offered more recycling options to New York City residents...
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Alumnus of Michigan State University. In 1993, elected to Manhattan’s Community School Board #2 by highest vote count of any NYC school board member (re-elected in 1996). Editor and writer who has appeared such venues as Poz, Financial Planning, Art and Understanding, The St. Luke’s Review, The Harvard Gay and Lesbian Review, Response: a Contemporary Jewish Review, We Are All Friends Here: an Anthology of Provincetown Poets, The Episcopal New Yorker, and Sky: a Michigan Literary Magazine. Long active in Democratic Party Politics. A certified NYC Master Composter.
E-mail questions and comments to: compostingnycblog [at] yahoo [dot] com
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