Mid-Quarter Update!
What You Need to Know
This Year I have taken on the challenge of reducing food waste at my boarding school, Western Reserve Academy! It's a daunting challenge however, I am not doing this alone, it's part of my compass project. Compass is a year long class where students choose a project to undertake. Projects range from creating Ai programs to renovating a graveyard. From teaching kids about cancer cells to art projects. The class acts as a support system to help undertake the project!
It all started when I looked at the trash bins in my dining hall during lunch when not an hour before I was discussing a fundraiser to help feed people in my community. I was revolted. Not only does food waste ruin our climate but it leaves people in our communities hungry. So I decided I had to do something. That's when I applied to the compass program.
Fast forward a few months in march I sat down to write my goals.
Continue the Renovation of the Green House
Educate the Community on Food Waste
Set up a composting program
Grow Foods in the green house
Create as little waste as possible
.So I started working. I volunteered over the summer building outhouses and bunk beds so I had some knowledge of building. Plus, on top of all the summers spent gardening, I look at some college courses at Ohio state on botany. Even with help from friends and teachers. I'm still working 10 hours outside of classes a week in the greenhouse!
vertical planter
The first thing I did was set out to Gather Materials for an entirely recycled vertical planter. I spent hours deconstructing pallets in order to gather enough scrap wood to build a vertical planter. An old friend's dad donated some old screws and a drill bit. I meet with Eddie, our head chef, asked if they ever bought food in large cans. I scavenged some waterproof paint, a sealant from a trash can. Suddenly, I had all the materials now it was time to build. I asked if a couple of my friends if they could help. Several Weekends working 2 odd hours every Sunday it's finally ready for plants.
COMPOSTER
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
the composter was already in the greenhouse as a dads club grant! So a friend an I worked for about 5 hours to turn a box of parts into a composter. I then met with Eddie, our head chef, to start scheduling times I could pick up easily compostable foods (eggshells, coffee, fruit and vegetable ends). Getting "greens" (nitrogen-rich compostable goods) was the easy part. Now I needed to figure out a way to get browns (phosphate-rich compostable goods) through the winter. You see for everyone part greens you need three parts browns.
Thankfully paper counts as browns and as I attend a school it's in surplus.On October 7 I dumped my first bucket of food waste into the composter. Now all I have to do is wait a turn the composter twice a day.
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GROWING
From a Seed to the Dinner Plate
In order for the verticle planter to be useful, I first have to plant things. Thankfully my mother's freind donated seeds to the greenhouse! So over the past two weeks I've been planting whenever I can! Watering twice a day