Greenhouse Composting Pilot

Transcription

1 Greenhouse Composting Pilot In the year 2010, Americans generated over 250 million tons of trash, which is roughly equivalent to 4.43 pounds per person per day [1]. With a recycling rate of less than 35%, it is clear that something needs to be done in terms of waste reduction and composting stands to serve as a key component in working to resolve this problem [1]. Our project aims to institute a small scale composting operation on the grounds of the Rivers Greenhouse as a pilot for a larger operation located at Dixie Plantation. The composting will run as a cooperative be effort between students, dining services, and grounds keeping with one of the main goals being the facilitation of education and experience in operating a successful composting project. While such a small-scale project will not have a substantial impact on waste diversion, it will serve as a model for the success of a more extensive composting operation and can act as a repository for food scraps,

2 yard trimmings, and some wood and paper waste. The Rivers compost pile will serve as an educational and instructional focal point for both personal and campus-based composting projects. 1. "Municipal Solid Waste." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 08 Oct < Goals and Objectives Create a replicable and sustainable composting system for food waste, yard trimmings, and wood/paper waste. Output clean, healthy compost (in small volumes) for use in campus gardens and landscaping. Incorporate short classes about upkeep and maintenance of compost piles. Track waste deferment (by volume and weight) as a result of composting. Scope of Work The Rivers composting station will be located on the flanks of the greenhouse adjacent to Rivers Green and used as an experimental pilot and teaching effort. Composting will be primarily directed by students (with some assistance from grounds keeping and dining services) with recruitment assistance from clubs such as GreenCofC, Alliance for Planet Earth, Urban Agriculture, Clean Eats, Geology Club, and Biology Club. Educational seminars will be led on a biweekly basis, catering to those who are interested in or would like to participate in composting. Signage will be visibly displayed in the vicinity of the composting project in order to educate those who are passing by. The students working on the project will be closely partnered with their faculty sponsor, Joshua James. The ultimate goal of the project will be to expand campus composting, educate students on personal composting, and ultimately expand these seminars to community based composting. Methodology and Approach The Rivers Greenhouse location was selected to fulfill the need for a suitable outdoor site with exposure to rainfall, shade, and

3 proximity to a water source. The compost piles are meant to serve as a repository for food wastes, paper scraps, yard trimmings, and other compost friendly materials (e.g. plates, utensils, etc.). Appropriate permission for placement and materials collection will be requested and attained from the College of Charleston grounds keeping, dining services, and greenhouse staff. The compost piles will be enclosed in three 4 x4 x4 plywood boxes, with one open side on cube to allow for rotating of the composting piles (Fig. 1). These bins will be constructed by the members of the project team from old shipping palettes donated by Dwellsmart. Nails will need to be purchased as a component part of the construction. The compost piles will be started with a layer of branches (collected from grounds keeping) to insure adequate ventilation and drainage. Piles will be built with successive eight-inch layers composed of six inches of organic material moistened with water and covered with two inches of soil or manure. Piles will continue to be built until they reach a height of four feet. After this point, piles will be monitored weekly for adequate moisture levels (moist but not damp) and temperature (up to 175 F). Piles will be turned over and mixed every few weeks by the composting manager in order to insure equal fermentation of the pile. The finished project will exhibit a dark color and have a crumbly soil-like texture. Weekly data will be collected in a log in order to monitor materials added to the piles and temperature over time. The project leader will be largely in charge of insuring that these logs are updated and thorough. The education specialist will be in charge of creating signage (constructed from wood and paint) as well as running biweekly seminars on composting, held at the composting site.

4 Figure 1: Compost containment blocks. Project Team Member One: Member Type: Project Leader Contact Info: Susan B. Anthony, Expected Graduation Date and Major: May 2014, Biology and Political Science. Project Role: Will oversee the perpetuation and implementation of the project, including the decision making in building/buying as well as the selection of those to take over the project. Experience and Qualifications: President of Biology Club (Aug May 2013), Low Country Local First Intern (Oct Oct. 2013), Assistant Farmhand at Ambrose Farms (Summer 2012). Integration with Other Responsibilities: This project will be taking a central role in the duties of the Biology Club.

5 Time commitment will only involve about three hours per week and can easily be integrated into a schedule of 12 hours of classes and ten hours of internship commitment. Member Two: Member Type: Composting Manager Contact Info: James T. Kirk, don tredshirtmebro@gmail.com, TREK Expected Graduation Date and Major: May 2015, Public Health and Biology Project Role: Will directly conduct the construction of composting infrastructure and oversight on a weekly basis. Will be in charge of rotating compost piles and insuring transportation of the finished product. Experience and Qualifications: First hand farm experience (grew up on a farm in Nebraska and participated in composting from an early age), attended workshops focusing on vermiculture and sustainable farm practices, lived and worked on a self sustaining organic farm in Costa Rica (Summer 2011). Integration with Other Responsibilities: As a sophomore, time dedication to classes will be fairly limited, allowing for focus on this project. Additionally, James intends to focus on sustainable composting and vermiculture processes as an independent study and research project, guaranteeing weekly time commitment to this project. His status as a sophomore helps to insure the perpetuation of this project. Member Three: Member Type: Project Assistant and Education Specialist Contact Info: Biggie Smalls, you rekillinmesmalls@g.cofc.edu, BIGI Expected Graduation Date and Major: May 2014, Chemistry and Biology Project Role: Will assist in monitoring the chemical and physical parameters indicating the health of the compost. Will also oversee the educational signage and conduction of instructive seminars on composting.

6 Experience and Qualifications: Extensive experience with soil sciences and ecological chemistry. Intern with DNR on their soil science monitoring project from June Integration with Other Responsibilities: Time commitments will be easily manageable with 15 hours of class and no external commitments. Monitoring and educational outreach will likely compose 3-6 hours a week (depending on the scheduling of seminars). Estimated Timeline Semester designated for project completion: Spring 2013 January: Project materials will be acquired, signs will be painted, and compost bins will be built and placed. February: Compost piles will be started and input from dining services and grounds keeping will be coordinated. March: Compost upkeep will continue and educational classes will start. April: Compost upkeep will continue, as will educational sessions. Depending on the volume added, finished product might be available at this point. May: Compost upkeep will continue. Summer 2013: Both Susan and James will be present to continue maintenance of compost piles. Fall 2013 and beyond: Susan and Biggie will be working on this project until 2014, and James until Continuation beyond this will de dependent upon new recruits. Budget Item Quantity Cost Nails 1 pound $18.99 Pitchfork 1 $22.64 Wooden Flatboard 4 $8.36 Wooden Stakes 4 $12.06 Paint 2 cans $26.60

7 Paint Brush 2 brushes $11.12 Total $99.77 Budget sources: Nails- Stainless/dp/B007RW6WN8/ref=sr_1_6?s=hardware&ie=UTF8&qid= &sr=1-6&keywords=nails Pitchfork- Garden/dp/B003VTZVBA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid= &sr= 8-4&keywords=pitchfork Flatboard- Plywood/dp/B003A0J9BS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid= &sr= 8-2&keywords=plywood Stakes- Thunderbird- Forest/dp/B001B1ANTA/ref=sr_1_4?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid= &sr=1-4&keywords=wood+stake Paint- Paint/dp/B0027ZCI0Q/ref=sr_1_14?s=artscrafts&ie=UTF8&qid= &sr=1-14&keywords=sign+paint Paint brush- Economy/dp/B0038D8LZC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid= &sr =8-2&keywords=lettering+brush Integration Internal permissions: 1. Permission from Dr. Jones to use adjoining greenhouse space. Status: Received. See attached Permission from CofC Grounds keeping. Status: Received. See attached Declaration of cooperation with CofC Dining Services. Status: Received. See attached . Continuation In order to insure the perpetuation of this project, our team will be partnering closely with clubs such as GreenCofC, Alliance for Planet Earth, Urban Agriculture, Clean Eats, Geology Club, and Biology Club

8 to recruit new participants. Additionally, assistance will be sought from Tracy Burkett and Seth Pritchard with the Environmental Studies minor in recruiting additional interns and participants. Due to the low maintenance involved in the nature of this project, time management will likely not be an issue for participants.

9 IMPLEMENTATION COSTS TYPE A EXAMPLE BUDGET FOR A GARDEN : (the numbers shown in example are not actual costs) SUPPLY PER UNIT COSTS TOTAL COSTS DETAILED INFORMATION ON SUPPLIES NEEDED SUPPLIER/SOURCE 10 units $ $ The wood would be used to create a bed for the garden to be put in. We need 10 units of "X" type of wood LOWES on James Island: 1 unit $ $ units $ 5.00 $ units $ 3.00 $ units $ 2.00 $ The screws will be used to help create the bed for the garden along with the wood. We only need one box of "X" amount of screws The bed of the garden will take 5 bags of soil to fill The compost will help fill the garden bed and will help produce beautiful flowers To fill the garden we will need 10 packets of "X" seeds to make "X" flowers LOWES on James Island: LOWES on James Island: Bee's Ferry Landfill. Called and asked for xxx-xxx-xxxx (insert phone number) Home Depot in West Ashley, went in store and look at the price TOTAL IMPLEMENTATION COSTS $ MAINTENACE COSTS: (shown in a per year cost) SOIL 4 units/year $ $ These minerals will help keep the flowers beautiful Home Depot TOTAL MAINTENANCE COSTS: $ TOTAL COSTS FOR FIRST YEAR $ SOURCE ALREADY RECEIVED OR REQUESTED? OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDING AMOUNT Grant Received $ NOAA Received $ Funds from Program Requested $ TOTAL RECEIVED FUNDS $ TOTAL REQUESTED FUNDS $ TOTAL OTHER SOURCE FUNDING $ Total Amount Requested from ESPC $