Vermicomposting

Yesterday morning Michael and I took a walk to the canal to look at the ducks. Then we walked a bit further to see if we could spy some hummingbirds. Then we walked back.

One of the great things about our neighborhood is that there is a never ending supply of roadside garbage to look through when you're out and about. I say "one of the great things" because I like to be silver-liningish about this. And it's true that we've gotten a number of good things out this roadside garbage supply, including two chairs, an end table, a bookshelf on wheels, the wood I used to build our microwave shelf, a notebook with plastic insert page holder thingies (currently holding the music for my ukulele lessons), and most recently, a cookbook.

But slightly before finding the cookbook, and slightly after looking for hummingbirds, we found some planters. There were quite a few, actually, but we only grabbed two medium sized pots, one of which has wires and a hook so it can hang from the ceiling. They're both plastic, and one of them has stickers all over it proclaiming it to cost 88 cents! But in good shape, both of them.

Walking home, we saw Walter at the bus stop. Walter, of course, lives downstairs and watches the building for the building management company. He was the first person I talked to about getting this apartment, and he helped us get in, even though we wouldn't be able to see the place before signing the lease and all that. Walter also got me a bike at Christmas that had been sitting in a storage room for years. And he likes my manicotti and banana bread.

So, we saw Walter at the bus stop. We told him we'd gone down to see the ducks and he agreed he liked to do that often. Then we showed him the planters that we had found and he laughed, shaking his head. "You guys remind me so much of the sixties," he said. "I wish those times would come back."

In similar news, I'm looking into vermicomposting right now. That's why we grabbed the planters. We'll be growing things eventually, if all goes well. But first comes my first foray into composting. Vermicomposting is the kind that uses worms. I figure that'll work best given our limited space and kitchen waste.

We've been making some changes over the past few months toward more sustainable and less wasteful living. Nothing huge, really, just steps. And right around the time that each new change begins to feel like the norm, another step is taken. For instance, energy saving light bulbs. Used them for years, actually, though it took quite a long time for me to adjust mentally to spending that much more for light bulbs. Next came recycled toilet paper and paper towels and printer paper. Seriously, there is no reason to be using virgin wood paper products. Recycled is high quality, doesn't destroy our forests (which we NEED if we want to dampen the effects of global climate change), and yes, it's generally a bit more expensive. But not drastically so. Just stop thinking that "bargain" translates to "cheapest thing on the shelf". You can afford that extra buck or so for toilet paper. It will not break the bank. It hasn't broken ours and I'm pretty sure we're still below the poverty line, even after having left the Claretians. So if you got a full time job or two in your household, just don't even argue. Buy 7th Generation products and the like.

Grocery shopping is another thing. Only since we arrived in Hawaii have I started really re-using bags. Plastic grocery bags, cloth bags. You know what's the hardest part about that change? Getting used to bringing them. For weeks and weeks Michael and I would have to remind each other about them, and even then would forget sometimes. But now it's part of the habit... time to go shopping, grab the bags. And it counts for all shopping. When I go to the thrift store or the electronics store or wherever, I bring my own bags. If you have a car, put some bags in your glove box, because you don't always know when you'll stop and get something.

None of these are huge changes. I have a feeling that composting will also not be a huge change. Only thing is, I really want to do this in the cheapest and most sustainable way possible, which means that I will not be buying a Can-O-Worms (though I believe they're made from recycled plastic, are easy and sanitary and non-smelly, and I would recommend them to people who are not me that want to get into composting their kitchen waste). But me? I'm gonna build my composting system out of that never ending supply of roadside garbage. It's there and it's free and I already own a saw, a hammer, and nails. So I'm just gonna do it that way.

I've been looking around the neighborhood too, and even though I live in a very urban environment, there are plenty of leaves and dried grasses and such for me to gather up and use as my browns. Then I'll mix my browns up with my greens (fruit and vegetable waste, coffee grounds, tea bags minus the staples, etc.)... add worms and voila!

It's the worms that'll be the expense. The one unavoidable expense in all of this. On the mainland, you guys got red wrigglers available to you. They're the most common, I think, of composting worms. But here on the islands, well, worms just don't occur here naturally. There are a few species that have been brought here, but they're highly regulated by the Department of Agriculture. We've got a worm quarantine, see. You can only buy worms through licensed dealers. Me, I'm gonna get me a batch of "Waimanalo Blues", which are actually from India and not Waimanalo since there aren't any worms from Waimanalo. Those and Alabama Jumpers are the best composting worms available here. And there's a bit of expense to it. But only for that. And of that comes:

* reduced kitchen waste (and probably less smelly garbage given the reduction of wet stuff in the can)
* eventual compost for growing tomatoes and herbs and whatever else tickles our fancy
* worms. My very own worms.

When I was a kid I used to run rescue missions after summer thunderstorms. I'd scour the sidewalks looking for worms that had washed up onto the concrete, and I'd transfer them back to the dirt before the sun dried up the puddles and fried my little friends. I loved worms as a kid. I'm really excited about setting this up. I imagine it'll take some getting used to, but it'll be a norm for us soon enough.

(Please note that that is nowhere near all you need to know in order to compost. Google "vermicomposting" if you're interested in trying this too. Or buy a book.)

peace.