Plan to attend Seedy Sunday next month

EDMONTON SEEDY SUNDAY
March 18, 2012
11:00 a. m. to 4:00 p. m.
Alberta Avenue Community Hall
9210 118 Ave NW

seed exchange; seed vendors; books; gardening displays; kid's table; gardening book and magazine exchange; speakers; concession

Edmonton Seedy Sunday http://www.edmontonseedysunday.com
Seeds of Diversity http://www.seeds.ca

Helping a school start composing

Here is a conversation I a had with a teacher who wants to start a composting program. Personal mentoring from a Master Composter was not possible, since the school is out of town, but if you are interested in helping a group start composting you may find this interesting...

I'm a teacher at Esterhazy high school in Saskatchewan and was just wondering if I could be given a few tips on the type of compost bin I should build for my school. I thought it would be good to ask you as you seem to have a lot of information available on your website. I was looking through the document that you had on the website for types of compost bins to use. Could you give me advice on what to use in Saskatchewan as a home economics teacher?

Thanks, Kara

Hi Kara. Thanks for your call about our Composting Bins You Can Build Booklet. I am happy to help you find the composting method that works best for you and your students.

I have to start with a few questions:

What is your input - is it simply scraps from Home Ec class, or will lunch waste or cafeteria waste also be included? The first step in starting to compost is a waste audit, where you collect everything you have for a week and get a rough idea of its ratio of brown to green (C:N) and its volume.

How will waste be collected? If only classroom waste is collected it will be easy to control, but on a larger scale there is an education campaign to plan, plus ongoing monitoring of use and troubleshooting.

Who is maintaining the composting systems? How often, and what about the summertime? This is a major issue because if one person fails to meet their responsibility everyone will be impacted.

What method or type of bin will you choose? I like to leave this up to the people doing the work as it give them ownership of the project and they can switch things up for a new challenge. Some methods are lots of work and no monitoring (trench composting), while others are little work but lots of monitoring (tumbling), and others are in between. All are great learning opportunities.

A bin can be constructed of any long lasting material. Whatever you have laying around can be repurposed to hold waste, as long as it lets a bit of air in (but not too much), is between 1m and 1.5m high, and takes advantage of solar gain.

A high school is a great place to ask for unique ideas for bins. You might get some interesting suggestions, like basketball back-boards, or car doors (let air in by rolling down the window), or bus tires and binders... Teams could have 1hr to build it and the students can vote a design winner, teamwork, compost performance, etc.

I have seen some high-school and college level bins that look great, but are not suitable for the purpose or location and end up becoming a home to wasps, or magpie magnet. A bit of fore-thought will make this a very rewarding project.

I think that is all for now. I am anxious to hear where you are at and discuss options. Composting is not an entry-level waste reduction initiative (not as easy as changing a light bulb), but it is one of the most rewarding.

Regards,
Mark

Hi! Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. To answer your questions: It would be mostly Home Ec. scraps for the time being as I am the one introducing this to the school. As time goes on we may introduce more from other sources. I haven't done an audit but I'm fairly certain we would have a higher green ratio than brown. Could I fix this by adding shredded newspaper and other things?

Compost will be collected in designated bins in my classroom. In the summer it would be likely that the caretakers could monitor the compost bins but I was hoping for an option that did not require much more than weekly monitoring. I have asked the I.A. teacher to have his work experience class create a compost bin that would work well in the courtyard of the school or behind the school (either way it would be placed on top of grass or soil).

The type of bin I choose... well, I was hoping that you could give me some input on that front!

Could you give me a bit of advice?

Thanks, KD

In that case, I would choose a black plastic unit, with small air holes, located in full sun and sheltered from wind. Shredded newspaper, autumn leaves, animal bedding, paper hand towels, and soil are good browns to balance things out. You might also ask students to chop green pieces small to increase the rate of decomposition and reduce odours.

The Earth Machine is a good unit for your purpose - durable and affordable and less likely to be taken when your back is turned. Your municipality may have a compost subsidy program, or a nearby business may be willing to provide the unit in exchange for a bit of advertising.

A wood bin will be a bit more work to keep moist, but if you paint it a dark colour and keep the air holes small and near the bottom It could work well for you. Consider clamping two opposite corners so the unit may come apart into easily managed pieces to make troubleshooting and harvesting easier. Wood lids are more cumbersome as well. The big benefit to having students build the bin is ownership and reduced vandalism.

I think is a good idea to have the caretaker involved in the bin selection as well, to gain their goodwill.
-m-

Thanks a lot! This helps a ton. -KD

Waste Management Services 2012 Budget Update

Last week, Waste Management Services’ 2012 budget was presented to the Utilities Committee requesting a fee increase of $1.86/month for single family and $1.21/month for multi-family households. City Council will make a final decision in December.

Here’s an explanation of the increase that volunteers can use to answer questions:

Why the Increase in Budget?
Why are you requesting a fee increase of 5.9%? (from $31.34 to $33.20 for single family and from $20.37 to $21.58 for multi-family)
Of the $1.86 per month increase (for single family homes), 38 cents is for the services provided directly to residents (collection services and operations at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre). The remainder is for non-operational increases, such as financing costs and corporate administration costs.
The waste fee supports garbage and recycling collection, Eco Stations, Big Bin events, recycling depots, all the environmentally responsible processing operations at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre, and landfill disposal.

Edmonton is going through a major transition in its waste system, from landfilling waste to processing waste and keeping waste out of landfill. This new system positions us as world leaders for its environmental sustainability. By 2015, we expect to be diverting 90% of residential waste from landfill.

Free Admission Day Fun!

On our record-breaking hot day last Sunday, September 25th, Free Admission Day, John Janzen Nature Centre hummed with guests.

Mark Stumpf-Allan and I were kept busy talking to people touring the Composting Education Centre, showing them the composters, recruiting new wanna-be converts, showing them the "red wiggler" composting worms, the finished compost and the benefits of compost tea. They appreciated our information and the shade on the deck and under the trees. Plus when they found the porcupine damage to the larch tree, the metal square decal with the porcupine etching was right beside it - Clue #1 on their Treasure Hunt Sheet.

People had fun exploring the John Janzen Nature Centre site: participating in the Treaure Hunt, watching bird banding, finding water insects in the wetlands pond area, playing in the newly redesigned auditorium.

Mark also took some of the compost from the bins and spread it on the grassy area adjacent to the centre, which needed some care. He made a labrynth of it, and invited passersby to try to walk it.....Later he raked it in. All in all it was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon!

One consistant comment from the visitors was that they hadn't known the Nature Centre was here, and what a lovely spot it was!

Share a gritty world view of Waste's Impact on Society

Our garbage says a lot about us as individuals and as a society.

A large number of Edmontonians recently got a taste for how different societies treat their waste via a number of award-winning films from around the world that were screened at the Metro Cinema.

The films were part of the 2nd installment of the REEL Waste film festival, a feature of the tri-annual Waste - the Social Context conference which ran from May 8 - 11th and offered a unique opportunity for delegates from around the world to meet and present research contributing to innovative solutions in sustainable waste
management.

“There was a really good variety for everybody in terms of tone and subject matter," states Branch education programs co-ordinator Garry Spotowski (class of 1992, at left) who coordinated the film festival which explored the funny, chilling, and sometimes poignant, sides of waste.

“I have no doubt that everyone who attended REEL Waste now has a new view on waste and our throw away culture.”

As a special treat, volunteers interested in holding their own Film Fest can attend the monthly update training night August 25, which will focus entirely on hosting a movie night, and Patty will share her secret recipe for Perfect Popcorn and Twizzler combinations.

Green up your morning coffee...

Folks who went to the Canmore Folk Fest are talking about the pasta alternative to wood stir sticks.

I mentioned this to my friends at 3 Bananas and their first impression was that food should not be thrown away. This kind of surprised me, but having been raised by people who lived through the depression and then the war I certainly understood that reaction.

(I learned that this coffee house is already doing a bunch of stuff to reduce waste, Bravo!)

Of course, harvesting, transporting, and processing wood is incredibly energy intensive. The pasta option has big environmental and economic benefits, like local products and manufacturing, plus kitsch options like spelling out fashionable words, or bright orange and green Carrot shapes.

Despite the sign in this photo, I don't think the stirring would take long enough to cook the noodle, but hey, if it does, why not make them Biscotti Flavoured and reduce waste even more?!?

Volunteer Opportunity: Talk to your favourite barista about it, and then log your hours under the "Building Awareness..." activity on myVolunteerPage.com.

Have a great weekend, and don't forget your travel mug!

Sharing MC/R Inspiration

Hello,

Just thought that you might like to see this. MC/R grads deserve to know that they inspire...

simple moodlings

Maria K

Down Home Revival

Hi all!

I did indicate that I would endeavour to transform my front yard from lawn to re-usey, gardeny complete-with-compost-bins goodness and some of you were interested in my progress.

Please follow along at my REVIVE page, the photos are in the album “Front Yard Transformation”.

Neil B (class of 2011) was kind enough to arrange a clandestine visit (kidding) to the MRF to scour the Yellow Pages bins and I’ve built the rough drafts of some of my raised beds. Suggestions are always welcome!

I completely appreciate feedback, comments, and advice.

Thanks much!

-Karen P

A successful initiative to beat the Tax Man blues

Hi everybody, I set up this display on Mar 13 at the Fuzhou Association of Alberta. This services centre was open Fridays and Sunday mornings in March for income tax claims.

I talked with people when I went there on Sunday mornings. I might talk with ten people or more. When I was there, I noticed most people would like to have a (quick) look at my display while they were waiting. They seemed only interested in recycling, and showed a general knowledge about recycling; for composting, needless to say, know less and not interested. They usually didn't like to ask questions.

When I engaged some people in conversation, they then began to ask some waste management questions, i.e. where they are supposed to bring batteries, etc.. I met a teacher who teaches Chinese in a school, she was interested and took some pamphlets and Michael Recycle Magnets to share with her students.

Because I work Friday I didn't have chance to visit my display that day, but I was told that many people showed up. There were several small workshops and activities going on in the same place on other days, so there was quite a lot of people traffic over there.

I am confident many people visited my display as 30 recycling bags were all gone, and so were half of the fridge magnets and some pamphlets. I heard Omni Television went there to shoot and interview people for tax event one day. I guess there over 250 people have been to the office in the past month which doesn't include income Tax volunteers.

Well, I guess that's all about my event. Thank you all for your support. Have a good day!

JingJing

Tours of EWMC in High Demand

Requests for tours of the EWMC continues to grow with 2010 seeing
462 tours of the EWMC and 69 presentations delivered – a 13%
increase over 2009. This included 10,345, students and 4,250 adults
and parents from diverse groups such as seniors, government agencies
and private sector organizations.

Speaker's series presents "Climate Change"

Heather W (class of 2003) emailed me with some information on upcoming Green events. One of the surest signs of spring is the huge bump in the number of local environmental activities.
.
Now before you all send me links to every clean air, fresh water, and cloth diaper event please remember that I can only blog about those that are in some way related to YOU, our Waste Branch Volunteers.
.

There are a few things to mention here, so I am just providing links and you can decide which to check out.
.

First, some background:
From the city's vision "Transforming Edmonton" came the strategic plan "The Way Ahead" which is broken down into 5 Ways - The Way We Live, Grow, Move, Finance, and Green.
.

On The Way We Green page:
March 23: Climate Change,
March 14-28: Climate Trail Display,
The Way We Green project videos,
and Links to discussion papers, videos, surveys, up-to-date information and policy advice, the integrative plan diagram of the whole process, and opportunities to comment on all positions.
.

When you discuss these issues with friends and neighbours, log your hours under the Building Awareness... activity.
.


Thanks Heather, and yes, I won't forget Earth Hour coming up next weekend!

Family-Friendly Waste Management

Happy Family Day!

David Suzuki has some great advice for families in this article in the Daily Gleaner. I love the story of his grandson on the hunt for worms, and the sobering comment from his daughter about being the change you want to see in the world.

If someone as busy as David Suzuki can make time for his family I guess I can too. One tip I learned* is to enter your home through a less familiar door. Park in a different place and pay attention to your journey into your home; take a side trip through the yard; pause on the landing and take a good look around. By taking the time to experience your home through fresh eyes you will be better prepared for the good things waiting inside.
*from Give Me A Break,

Last week, Tracy R-A (class of 97) sent me David Suzuki's call to action on cosmetics, and around the office we have been Oohing and Aahing over the plans for the Airport Lands. Here are two opportunities for families to discuss an issue and take action together. What better lesson for this week than civic responsibility.

If your letter is about waste reduction we will even let you claim your hours on myVolunteerPage.com under the Building Awareness and Encouraging Proper Waste Handling

Thanks for being part of our MC\RFamily!

"I'm doing a worm presentation, what help can you give me?"

The MC/R team has all kinds of resources to help you be successful in your outreach initiatives.

Monique emailed to borrow a worm bin, and asked what else we can provide. Well Monique, when I do a worm workshop I have a set of notes that outlines each step in building and maintaining a bin. Take 'em.

The Composting booklet will meet your needs, but the Compost Bins You Can Build will not. How many of each you want.

The compost chef kit lets you dress as a chef and chop kitchen waste while discussing what to expect from the different material as it rots. You supply the kitchen scraps, but we can help if you don't eat eggs or certain fruits & veggies.

Want to demonstrate building a worm bin and then give it away as a door prize? We supply the container (plus newspaper and autumn leaves) and the worms.

This is just a start, we can loan you display units so you can advertise (that way folks know a bit about it as well as all the benefits before arriving - a real time saver!), or can photocopy notes, or make colour posters,

...hey! If you can dream it we will make it happen.

Treat Your Friends to An Organic Spa Night

Hi Karen and Mark,

Please post this link on the blog, these look like good tips; I just have to spend some time watching them all.

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=11901618371F0683

Tracy R-A


Thanks Tracy. This is a great collection of videos by David Suzuki's Queen of Green.

Lindsay's recipes for making your own cleaning and cosmetic products without toxic chemical additives are simple and look like they smell wonderful.

I also love the eclectic assortment of reuse containers throughout her video series.

Of course, the Blue Bin Dos and Don'ts is not based on our system and is therefore not suitable for an Alberta audience (maybe some enterprising MCRVs will create one for our region!), and I don't think her Compost Tea video is well researched, but the How-To-Make series are worth viewing. Especially if you have seen the Story of Cosmetics!

A fun volunteer opportunity presents itself for those who want to watch the Story of... series, whip up some Avocado Facial Scrub, and enjoy some green chat while your Banana Mask dries. Host a Green Spa party and then log your hours on myVolunteerPage!

I am off to wash my hair with herbal tea, and slather honey all over!

Employment Opportunity

Employment Opportunity: Just Food Edmonton (JFE) / Personal Community Support Association (PCSA)

Position: Community Garden Network Facilitator, Edmonton region.

Contract position; funded annually; required roughly 1 week per month; potential to increase over time.

Build community capacity to support community gardening; increase opportunities to participate in community gardening through the creation of 6 new gardens in 2011. General Duties:

1. Administer Grant program

2. Secure funding for programming

3. Deliver supports to new garden leaders

4. Provide general program support

Starting Date: February, 2011

Annual contract estimate: $15,000

The Candidate: The successful candidate will be outgoing, and possess the following Qualities and Training:

1. Community development or community building experience

2. Understanding of organizations: public and private

3. Some program experience

4. Growing food experience (not necessarily “horticultural”)

5. Ability to work flexible hours with peak intensities throughout the year

6. Access to a vehicle (a mileage policy is in place).

To Apply: Submit résumé and cover letter to catherine@city-farm.org by 4:30 p.m. January 7, 2011. Please note: only the successful candidate will be notified. We thank all applicants for their interest.

See the website for further information: www.edmcommunitygardens.org

Highlights of 2010 - #5

Assisted Waste Collection

Over 80 residents have registered for the service and are, by all indications, extremely pleased with it .
“I thank my stars that this service came to be,” said Lindsay, who signed up for the service in January. “It allows me independence and an easier winter.” She even sent the mayor a letter praising the helpful service, and has mentioned it to everyone ever since the day she signed up.
Lindsay’s appreciation for the service has been echoed by other residents. Bonnie, who lives in an apartment building, thinks it is a great idea. “I mention it to all the people I know who are housebound and alone,” she said. “I just hope they call you and take advantage of this wonderful service.”

Could somebody you know benefit from this service? Send them to www.edmonton.ca/waste for more information and to access the online application form, or call Eric, our waste cartoonist, at 780-496-5698.

Cool Compost Demonstration Garden.

Take a tour of Vancouver's Cityfarm. I got to visit this site last autumn and was in awe of all they do there, and has left me open to all kinds of projects that volunteer teams want to dream up. Got any ideas?

thanks to Anna V for passing this on.

Date set for next Open House

UPDATE! The next EWMC Open House will be Saturday, September 25!
Save the date! You will certainly want to be a part of all the fun.

Here are some memories from the June event...

WOW! What a great day! Thanks to all of you who came out and helped educate, entertain, and enlighten over one thousand guests.

With a lot of energy and enthusiasm from a great group of people who gave up their Saturday for us, we had most shifts covered and everything went off smoothly.

For many staff, it was their first opportunity to work along side the volunteers, and they were impressed by your knowledge, goodwill, and caring attention.


Waste Branch Volunteers are the Best in the City!



Enjoy these images from our Open House...

Engaging the Public and Changing Behaviour

How do you know your efforts lead to real and on-going change?

Check out the short blog entry on how to get a firm committment from people (click on blog title) and put these three tips to work.

These will be especially valuable to people active in Community Garden and Transition Town models.

Reuse Centre Video

Shopping for school supplies? Check out the Reuse Centre. It accepts various items from Edmonton residents free of charge and makes them available to organizations and individuals for reuse.