Cathy Nesbitt, left, and Casey the Worm
present information on vermicomposting
(composting with worms) to
Bradford Public School students, Nov. 21
Did you know that worms
have 5 hearts, a brain, a
crop and a gizzard?
That was just one of the fascinating bits of information that students
at Bradford Public School learned on November 21st, when Cathy Nesbitt
of Cathy's Crawly Composters came in to talk about Vermicomposting.
The technique of composting uses "red wiggler" worms, which can digest
half their weight in organic garbage each day - transforming waste into
"worm poop, also known as worm castings."
The comment about
"worm poop" elicited
laughter and "Eews!" from
the students - as did the
information that a group of
worms is now known as a
"Squirm", and that a pound
of red wigglers can consist
of up to 1,000 worms.
But after viewing a video,
and hearing Nesbitt talk
about the wonders of
worms - that a pound of
worms can transform one
tonne of garbage into soil
over a year - disgust quickly
turned to interest. In fact,
the Grade 2-3 class of
teacher Alvina Intenberg
will be setting up a composting
bin in the classroom, to
take a closer look at the
process and reduce waste.
There was a warning,
though. Worms don't like
the light, and they don't like
to be held. "They're really
not the ideal pet," Nesbitt
admitted.
Vermicomposting bins,
complete with red wigglers,
are available from
Cathy's Crawly Composters,
905-775-9495.
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