You are probably wondering now – How are worm farms related to your business?
You don’t have to be involved in agriculture or some similar line of work to be able to benefit from the worm farms.
Do you make organic waste in your workplace? Do you have a dark place for a couple of bins?
Good. Your office is eligible for starting its own, little worm farms.
That’s a start. But why would you do it?
Well, would you like to improve your ‘Green’ office image?
This is one of the easiest ways to do so! And that’s only a start. Vermiculture, or worm farming, is an ultimate recycling approach where waste is decomposed safely and quickly. In that way, it feeds the soil itself.
Although it sounds a bit off having actual worms at your workplace, when you think about the benefits, it doesn’t sound like a terrible idea.
Don’t worry, it doesn’t mean that you’ll have the worms crawling around your office. It is all very clean, safe and environmentally friendly. You just need a bit of space for your new worm farm.
Moreover, it leaves a great impression on your clients as you are showing a high level of care for your surroundings and your waste disposal. And the benefits don’t stop there.
Why Are Worm Farms Such a Good Idea?
Worms produce an amazing fertiliser from organic waste. In simple words: you get rid of the waste and you get powerful fertiliser in a greenway.
In more details: the advantages are numerous:
1. The waste that is decomposed in this way feeds the soil. It influences better seed germination which means more plants!
You can use that fertiliser for the office plants, a little office rooftop garden with spice plants and any other, useful, green, idea.
Don’t be surprised if your employees start asking you for some of your fertiliser for their home gardens.
2. In this way, you are reducing your food leftovers and saving some money too, since you will not buy as many rubbish bags and you are reducing the amount of waste.
We all know that sandwich in the office fridge that has been there for ages. Now, it finally has it’s purpose.
Photo Courtesy of Flickr Images by Cheryl
3. If there is enough of it, you can trade it with the local farmers for some fresh produce for your workplace. It would be a nice, healthy addition to the office lunches and it would promote healthier choices and the local economy, at the same time.
4. You will definitely impress the customers and clients as green initiatives have been proven to boost the company image and to bring some customers your way.
5. It is odour and toxin-free. Did you know that organic waste which is processed in landfills produces methane? Methane is one of the most harmful gases for the environment.
What is more, it needs more than 10 years to dissipate. Using worm farms helps in reducing the production of methane.
6. You are following the natural cycle. Think about it!
- people grow food
- eat it
- organic waste is produced
- worms eat that waste and produce fertiliser
- fertiliser is used to grow food again!
Nature is great, isn’t it?
How to Make a Worm Farm?
It is really simple. You don’t need any fancy equipment, and you don’t have to worry if you don’t like the sight of worms, because you won’t be seeing them. They live deep in the ground.
Photo Courtesy of Flickr Images by Doug Beckers
The entire system behind the worm farm is the following: you make containers and put the soil in and a colony of worms. You feed them your food scraps which they eat and they produce their droppings in the form of a liquid.
This liquid sometimes referred to as “worm tea” is collected and used to enrich the soil. It fertilises the soil amazingly and it even repels some of the pests, especially aphids, that attack the plants.
In addition, it can fit almost everywhere! It is not important where you place it, a basement, garage or a simple, small storage room. The worms are not fans of sunlight, so anywhere dark would be perfect.
You need to make sure that you maintain the correct temperature of your worm farm and that you don’t overfeed the worms. There are some tips and tricks about worm farming that will make it easier for you to do this well.
Still Worried about Space?
If you really don’t have a place for a worm farm you can always contribute to the environment by contacting worm farming companies.
Such companies will pick up your waste in order to feed their own worms. They gather their raw materials from restaurants, pubs, hotels as well as from schools and universities. Even more and more schools are starting with worm farming.
All in all, the benefits of having worm farms are numerous. The biggest one is increasing awareness of environmental issues amongst business people. Since it takes less than ten minutes per week to maintain a worm farm, it is something that could be done in every office.
It is a very effective green initiative that will help reduce your waste. You are probably aware that your waste has significant ecological impact and worm farming is one way to reduce it.
If you really want to put more effort into your green initiatives, the next thing you should try and tackle is the way you clean your stubborn, heavy and extremely dirty machinery.
Just like worms use their natural processes to reduce methane emission, certain microorganisms are very effective in cleaning greasy and dirty machinery.
That is the technology Alsco harnessed and now we offer the amazing Ecosafe Washer. It is environmentally and people-friendly.
A water-based product which completely eliminates grime, grunge and dirt within seconds!
What is more important, it is 100% safe both for the environment and your staff and clients.
If a safe and green environment is what you want as much as safe and healthy staff, contact Alsco for more info. Your satisfaction is guaranteed!
Photo Courtesy of Flickr Images by USDA
