The School Composter Programme In the 2009~2010 school year, the Grade 5 & 6 class researched into factors contributing to Green House Gas emissions. They learnt that people始s rubbish waste helps to create Greenhouse Gasses. In Kobe, the average person generates 1 kilogram of waste each day. They decided that they wanted to help reduce waste and help the school community take individual action to reduce their own waste.
Classroom Composters One of the steps chosen to reduce Greenhouse Gasses was to introduce classroom composters. A classroom composter takes food waste and turns it into a nutrient-rich soil fertilizer that can be used to help plant growth. A classroom composter was placed in every classroom. This program has continued every year since 2009. Mittwoch, 18. September 2013
The school started with a small population of worms that has quickly grown. In September, this yearʼs Grade 5 & 6 class collected a large amount of composted waste that you can take home in Oktoberfest and use on your plants.
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The European Grade 5 & 6 students check the classroom composters once per month to make sure they are working well. Through this, they will offer classes regular advice and guidance on keeping a happy and healthy classroom composter. The Grade 5/6 students are also available for on-call help whenever a class finds a problem in their composter. In addition, the Grade 5 & 6 class maintain a large school composter that collects waste from their classroom and the school kitchen.
How does a worm composter work? “Our ... action is the 'Classroom Composter Project'. We are going to give each classroom a small composter. This is an important action because the average person in Kobe throws away 1 kg of garbage a day. We visited Higashi Nada Clean Station. Our guide, Mr.Kazama told us that one person in Kobe makes 1kg of waste per day. So you would throw away about 365 kg in a year!! That is about four and a half of Mr O'Neill!! The composter will turn waste into soil so there would be less burnable garbage. There would be less CO2 because when you burn waste, it will make CO2. Inside the composter, there are worms. The worms can compost vegetable and fruit waste as well as coffee grounds and tea bags. If you put in other things like meat, the worms will either get sick and die or it will never get composted. Sometimes, fruit flies come, but if you cover the compost with peat moss, they will go away. The Grade 5 & 6 class will check the composter every month and give you a report to tell you how they are doing.” Grade 5 & 6 Exhibition, June 2010 Mittwoch, 18. September 2013
During Oktoberfest, please help yourself to a bag of compost from our schoolʟs composter program. The compost is frozen before giving away. This does not make the compost weaker but makes sure no unwelcome insects are in your bag of compost. Our School Composting Program costs money to run. If you choose, please feel free to donate money in exchange for a bag of compost. A suggested amount for a donation would be about 300円.
How does your donation get used? 1.supplies for the composters that need replacing 2.peat moss that we need to cover waste in the composter
Mittwoch, 18. September 2013
Three Ways to Use Vermicompost (compost from our worms)
1.Mix some with your regular soil when filling a pot. 2.Adding a layer of compost on top of your plantʼs soil. 3.Making a “compost tea” to feed your plants. Add two tablespoons of compost to 500 ml of water and leave it to sit for a day, mix occasionally. Water your plants with this “tea”, giving important nutrients to your plants. Mittwoch, 18. September 2013