Sustainability Newsletter Fall 2022

SUSTAINABILITY NEWSLETTER News from the Environmental Sustainability Committee

ISSUE 9 | Fall 2022

FREE BUS RIDES IN OCTOBER!

County Connection is offering free rides to all who board one of our buses along any route, as well as para-transit.

Have you heard? County Connection is offering free rides to all who board one of their buses along any route, as well as para-transit. A month of fare-free riding this October is just one of the ways County Connection, and other public transit agencies like WestCAT, hope to encourage more people in Contra Costa County to choose public transportation as a commute option.

County Connection serves Central Contra Costa County and is especially critical for the essential workforce who may not have any other commute option, as was evident during the height of the pandemic when 20% of passengers never stopped riding. In addition, given recent increases in traffic congestion, gas prices, and climate change impacts, public transit provides a greener, cost-effective alternative to driving alone. Free rides on County Connection will not only help essential workers save money, but hopefully persuade others to get back on transit–perhaps beyond October. https://countyconnection.com/free-rides-in-october

IN THIS ISSUE: Free Bus Rides................................................... 1 Spotlight: Environmental Science...................... 2 Equity Speaker: Sneha Ayyagari........................ 3

E-Bike Rebate program...................................... 3 DVC Sustainability Committee Goals................ 3 News from Horticulture: Worm Composting.... 4

Sustainability Spotlight Featuring an individual or department at DVC that is committed to sustainability.

the Enviromental Science Program at DVC

Brandon Reyes, Marci Ekberg, Anna Levin, Kimberly Taugher

Climate change. Habitat loss. Water impurity.

These are just a few of the many topics that the Environmental Science department focuses on.

Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary program taught at DVC. But for the faculty and staff teaching the program: it’s a passion.

“I just got back from doing dolphin research this summer in France, where I was helping collect microbial samples from wild dolphins.

The head researchers think that there may be a potential respiratory disease causing more beaching of toothed cetaceans (dolphins).”

Says Brandon Reyes, Biological Science instructor at the San Ramon Campus. “I’ve noticed that students are more concerned about the environment than ever before. I find it incredibly important to expose my students to these ideas to ensure that they act as good environmental stewards, particularly for the non-science majors in my oceanography classes who may not be very familiar with these ideas. My undergraduate degree was in environmental science and I worked in water science for over 7 years, so I see my experiences in environmental science as one of the most important things that I can communicate with my students.”

Student’s in the program get hands-on experience. Some of their recent field trips taken include: • EBMUD Oakland Wastewater Treatment Plant to learn about microbial and environmental concepts.

• UC Berkeley Botanical Gardens to learn about local ecosystems and native flora.

• Berkeley Marina to take water quality samples and learn about local species of plankton and benthic organisms.

• Antioch Dunes, a wildlife preserve that houses two endangered species and is next door to a superfund site.

Recent guest speakers include: • the California Energy Commission on the future of clean energy in California, • the EPA on environmental racism, • Santa Clara County Water Authority on the future of California water supplies • Alameda County Water District about potential desalination goals The DVC Sustainability Committee would like to bring more attention the Environmental Science program at DVC and the very important work that they do!

SUSTAINABILITY NEWSLETTER

Speaker Series, Goals & More!

Equity

Cultivating Critical Hope

SPEAKER SERIES SNEHA AYYAGARI

Making Social Equity in Climate and Clean Energy Real This presentation will provide an overview of racial and social inequities that have shaped our environmental, energy and urban infrastructure systems. It provides an overview of Greenlining's "Making Equity Real" framework that offers concrete steps policymakers and stakeholders can take to ensure the benefits of the clean energy transition go directly to the most impacted communities.

As the Clean Energy Initiative Program Manager, Sneha Ayyagari (she/her/hers) utilizes her background in engineering, policy analysis, and capacity building to help advocate for more climate resilient and equitable policies, organizations, and technologies.

Register in advance at

www.dvc.edu/equity-speakers

E-bike Rebate Program Buy a new e-bike and apply for a cash rebate of $150-$500!

Cash Back… What’s the Catch?

No catch! We want you to show and tell the world that e-bikes are the way to go. Talk to your neighbors and give test rides to your friends. Zoom up hills and show off how much fun you’re having. Go ahead and brag about how far you’ve ridden and how many places you can reach without your car.

Wednesday, November 9, 2022 1:00 - 2:30 pm in person Diablo Room or virtual via Zoom DVC Sustainability Committee Goals

• waste audits led by students • expansion of new signage on waste; continued dispersion of 3 bins; • zero waste events at campus • more sustainable food packaging • Curriculum with events like the speakers series • sustainability career fairs with both DVC faculty and workers from other areas (e.g. EPA, Water Treatment, etc). Also, having faculty who teach related subjects (hort, enviro science) shared resources/curriculum with other faculty.

SUSTAINABILITY NEWS

Worm composting or Vermicompost What is it?

In a worm composting system, red wrigglers eat kitchen scraps and paper and turn them into high quality organic compost (vermicastings) that can be used as an amendment for indoor or outdoor plants. Vermicompast improves a soils water holding capacity and provides chelated nutrients that plants can readily absorb.

What nutrients are available for plants?

Vermicompost has higher levels of Nitrogen (1-3%), Potassium (1.85-2.25%) and phosphorus (1.552.25%) than most organic fertilizers. These are the macro-nutrients that plants need in the largest quantities.

Meet the worms Red Wrigglers, Eisenia Fetida, are the worms used in composting bins. Adult worms can reach 3” in length, and they live for 4-5 years in ideal conditions. They are epigeic, which means they live in topsoil and do not tunnel very deeply. Their ideal temperatures is 55- 77 degrees F., with about 70% moisture and a pH between 6.0 and 7.0 . Each worm eats about 50% of their weight daily. They are hermaphrodites, and produce 2-3 cocoons a week, filled with up to three baby worms. Red Wrigglers are photosensitive, and will hide from light, preferring to eat in the dark.

What do they eat?

Red Wrigglers can be fed fruit, vegetables, shredded plain paper, shredded cardboard, crushed eggshells, coffee grounds, tea leaves and shredded leaves. They should not be fed citrus, onions, bread or meat products. Animal waste should not go into worm bins. They eat bacterial and fungi as well.

Worm Bins Worm bins can range from very simple 5 gallon buckets to expensive multi-level worm condos. To make a worm composting bucket: Drill multiple 1/16” holes around the base of a bucket for drainage. Lay in a piece of screening. Fill the buckets with shredded newspaper or finely shredded cardboard that has been soaked in water then drained.

Add about 200 red wrigglers to the bedding material and cover with the bucket lid. Place in a container to catch the “worm tea” that will drain from the bucket.

In two days, start adding your compost, burying it in the bedding and placing the lid back on.

How much to feed?

Start with small amounts. If you weighed your worms, start by adding half of their weight. If compost is chopped finely, it is consumed more rapidly.

Check in several days, and if the compost has been consumed, add more. You do not want to overfeed them. As the worm population increases, you will be able to add more compost etc.

Every couple of weeks check the bedding levels, because the worms eat that also.

Harvesting the vermicompost Liquid , called Vermi Tea, will drain from the bucket. This is terrific plant fertilizer, but should be diluted by 40-50% before being applied. After several months you should be able to harvest the vermicompost. The easiest way to do this is to stop feeding for several days. Dump the bucket onto a tarp. Since your wrigglers want to avoid the light, they will bury themselves down to the bottom of the pile. Scoop off the top inch or so of castings, wait a few minutes and repeat. When you get to the bottom with a mass of worms, set up a fresh bed for some of the worms in the bucket and start all over.

You will have more worms than needed for a new bin, You can share with friends, or add the wrigglers to gardens. If you drop them on the surface, birds will have a feast. Cover them with mulch!

This method of composting takes the least amount of space and is much less work than turning compost bins. It produces excellent compost for plants and allows you to reduce the amount of waste from your kitchen. The bucket can live under the kitchen sink, on a balcony or in a garage. Outdoors it would need to be kept safe from racoons, possums and skunks, and can not be in full sun.

Bethallyn Black Horticulture and Plant Science

SUSTAINABILITY NEWS