Composting at Kalamazoo College
Composting at Kalamazoo College
The vermicomposting program at Kalamazoo College
was headed up and run by a number of crew members including Micheal Kellogg,
Jake Metcalf (K'02),
Rob Townsend and Luke Stearns (K'01). During the academic year 1999-2000, food waste from K's
Living Learning Units was collected and fed to the worm bin, affectionately named Dennis. As the food
naturally breaks down, red worms feed voraciously on the bacteria involved and speed the process along.
The castings that the worms leave behind can then used as high-powered natural fertilizer for gardens,
houseplants, and the like.
The decomposition of the food gives off a great deal of heat, and there is a direct relationship between the amount of food in the bin, and the temperatures inside. The worms don't deal well with temperatures much over 27 degrees celcius, so shredded paper is added to keep the temperature below critical levels. There are four thermometers we track in and around our wigwam, Dennis. Two thermometers are centered in the cylinder, in the top and bottom, one on the perimeter towards the bottom, and one located nearby outside, for reference. Each of the temperature spikes on the graph below was directly preceeded by a food addition.
This graph showing the amounts of food placed in the bin broken down by the four sources. These data can be compared to the above set: "Week 4" below began on 1/24/00, and the chart runs through 3/16/00.
Composting on campus has recently experienced a bit of a hiatus. Christian McKee is currently working to revive and expand our efforts on this front. We are investigating ways to strengthen and deepen the program in it's current state, and hoping to grow it as well. If you have experience that you could lend to our efforts, please contact us.
