Composting NYC: The L Magazine’s NYC Green Awards: Feed a Worm, Not a Landfill

Saturday, August 1, 2009

The L Magazine’s NYC Green Awards: Feed a Worm, Not a Landfill

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.

The L Magazine Green Awards 2009

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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.

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!

New York City Beekeepers Association: Hive for the Urban Beekeepers of Gotham City

A small group of beekeepers, bee enthusiasts, & honey lovers who live, work & pollinate in the world’s greatest city, & who happen to share a love for the humble honeybee & her delicious doings. We provide our membership with a medium for sharing knowledge & mutual interest in beekeeping, & to educate & promote the benefits of beekeeping to the world, in a forum of friendship & fun, and to do so safely and responsibly in an urban environment. Check out membership and their urban beekeeping course!