news Precious Poop
Grateful for Worms: Student Vermiculture St. Petersburg By Amanda Hagood
Precious Poop and Vermiculture in St. Petersburg “They are like little alchemists!” says Quintero, founder of Laica Worms & Vermicast, of the amazing earthworms who power her business. And how true it is. These creepy-crawly critters are powerful biodigesters that can turn waste such as food scraps, yard waste, or even shredded paper into high quality organic fertilizer. Vermicast (the technical term for worm poop) boasts higher nutrient content than conventional compost and can improve aeration, porosity, and water retention in soil. All without environmental costs of chemical fertilizers, which require an energy intensive production process and increase water pollution through run off. It’s no wonder that worm castings retail for up to $4 per pound. Closing the Circuit But Quintero wasn’t thinking about worms when she set out to study Geography at USF St. Petersburg in 2016. She was more focused on the complex issue of waste management, which she was researching for her honors thesis. What she discovered was alarming: With a patchwork of varying regulations across counties and states, there was little regularity in processes for dealing with food waste. And a whole lot of food waste to be dealt with. Then a vermicomposting project with the campus Garden Club, where Quintero was Vice President,
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ANA MARIA QUINTERO
When she began writing her honors thesis at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, Ana Maria Quintero didn’t know she was going to fall in love with worms. But somehow, they wiggled their way right to her heart.
Students in SUAC’s Personal Development & Entrepreneurship classes learn skills like creating and selling their own worm castings.
suggested one way to close the circuit. Feed domestic or commercial food waste to worms, create a supercharged natural soil input, and grow more nourishing organic food. Laica Worms & Vermicast was born. The business now focuses on processing food waste from client households as well as a few commercial partners, including coffee grounds from Pineapple Espresso and overripe vegetables from Rollin’ Oats. It also helps clients start their own household worm farms. “Laica teaches people how to be good stewards of the planet,” Quintero explains. Good Food for Everyone But the lessons didn’t end there. Quintero soon found herself joining the board of Sustainable Urban Agriculture Coalition (SUAC). SUAC is a St. Pete-based organization that sees urban agriculture as a means to provide better access to healthy food, create jobs, and stimulate the
local economy. First, she donated a class on worm farming; now, she serves as the group’s secretary. “SUAC’s focus is to bring healthy food to everybody,” she recalls, “including Title I schools and marginalized communities.” That got her thinking: How might she bring the lessons she’d learned from her worms to kids in South St. Pete, where, according to the 2020 U.S. Census, “low income, low access” areas (formerly known as “food deserts”) had more than tripled since 2015? What are Their Names? Do they have eyes? Can they eat candy? What are their names? These are just some of the questions that students at John Hopkins Middle School have asked Quintero when she brings the worms in to meet them. Quintero now visits the school one-two times per week to help students create and manage classroom worm bins. Kids can bring
thegabber.com | November 23, 2023 - November 29, 2023