Getting Wiggly With It: SCG Students Teach Community

Santa Cruz Gardens students have been digging deep into their community. On November 9th, ten SCG Green Team Leadership students came out during their fall garden workday to lead a bustling composting workshop for the community. 

“These workshops are important because you’re not going to keep buying a bunch of things, like new worm castings. You save. ” says Taylor Murphy. “It’s also really fun to do!”

SCG is in their third year as a recognized Ocean Guardian School, focused on watershed stewardship and advocacy, managed by NOAA’s office of National Marine Sanctuaries. Part of being honored as an Ocean Guardian School means conducting external outreach–  sharing with the community ways in which we can all protect our local watersheds. This is exactly what SCG Green Team Leaders did.

“Composting is important because it makes things break down faster,” says Olin Wilson and Lyanna Vega. “Composting creates a cycle to reduce our waste.” 

Ms. Jade extrapolated further about that waste: “When you place organic matter in the trash or landfill it doesn't compost the healthy way, but instead creates methane. This is a harmful greenhouse gas that impacts our watersheds by creating warming ocean temperatures and harming marine ecosystems.”

Focusing specifically on methane reduction by diverting food scraps away from landfills, students modeled an easy way to compost at home. Students modeled how to vermicompost in a tiered system, specifically with red wriggler worms. Vermicomposting– or composting organic waste with worms– is an effective way to compost organic matter like household food scraps. And, students emphasized that red wrigglers are best for the job because they are surface feeders, eating ¼ to ½ of their body weight in food per day! 

But there’s more: in the process, the worm waste also makes a highly sought-after and pricy garden amendment- worm castings! Who wouldn't want to caretake some easy engaging invertebrates while doing such good for planet Earth!?

For more information about vermicomposting check out: 

https://rodaleinstitute.org/science/articles/vermicomposting-for-beginners/

and pick up some red wrigglers friends at your local gardening store!