First let me start off by saying that worms are one of the keys to hands sustainability education.  Capable of imparting lessons about landfills, organic waste landfill diversion, benificial reuse, food chains, composting, recycling, global warming etc etc etc, worms are an underutilized and cost effective resource for education. 

Based on research conducted in house and at James Ford Rhodes High, Buckeye Sustainability Institute (BSI) had determined that this technology warrants further exploration.   We fully intend to increase the amount of student exposure to vermicomposting (worm composting) again this year. 

We are now in the process of drafting up the next steps, and the collaborative team for 2007 phase III.

In 2005 BSI brought the north coast Rhodes 2 Vermicycling (R2V): Starting off as a collaboration between BSI, 25,000 worms, 25 worm bins, a small business (Fulton Bar and Grill) and the Environmental School at Rhodes.  Ending up as a partnership between students, family, and classes including biology, chemistry, math, journalism, and sociology.  We all learned a lot and our worms had a sky high fecundity rate (made lots of babies), the true testimont to a happy and effective vermcomposting operation!

Pictures of the R2V kick off party are on BSI's blog at:
http://northcoastgreenspieler.blogspot.com/2005_01_01_archive.html

Regrettably, in 2006 significant renovations at Rhodes caused our core collaborative teachers to be shipped to a different school which lacked the space to continue our good work.   We moved onward and upward

In 2006 BSI brought the north coast Learning Garden 2 Vermicycling (LG2V): In collaboration with Maurice Small, the Worm Proliferation Front, and BSI, we put our worms in the hands of urban youth operating under the moniker 'the green corps' at the Learning Garden.

In 2007 we are working hard to lay the groundwork for worms to head back into schools and other hands on learning based educational environments.  Our goal for the third year is to have 20 bins in 20 schools.  We have been working since 2006 to ID appropriate collaborators and potentially interested parties for this next step.

Anyone with  an interest in getting a worm bin into the hands of students either at a school, or a less formal setting for hands on learning please message me on realneo.  We are currently identifying and evaluating collaborative partners at education based organizations.   RealNeo is the only community to receive this invitation outside of those folks who are currently sitting at this collaborative project's table.    

Viva La Verm.

ZM
Buckeye Sustainability Institute
Soul|Society|Science