When it comes to anything related to vermicomposting (worm composting) it certainly doesn’t take much to get me excited.
I’m always particularly interested to learn about those eco-entrepreneurs who have put their heart and soul into some form of vermicomposting (or vermiculture) business - something I’d like to eventually do myself.
Kitsap EZ Earth, located in Bremerton Washington, is a prime example of the type of business I’m talking about - and one I find particularly inspirational based on their business model alone.
They are owned and operated by Peninsula Services, a “non-profit rehabilitation agency organized in 1971 by parents and concerned citizens for serving people with disabilities”.
Here are some exerpts from their ‘about us’ page:
Finding meaningful employment opportunities for people with disabilities has been a real challenge in Kitsap County. To remedy this situation Peninsula Services is promoting an unique, non-governmental employment model called Kitsap E-Z Earth. This innovative business enterprise centered around manufacture and distribution of vermicompost and other environmental sensitive products.
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Kitsap E-Z Earth products are 100% natural vermicompost which is packaged in 2 and 10 pound bags for sale at retail outlets. Bulk quantities are available for sale directly from the Kitsap E-Z Earth greenhouse.
The product line includes red worms (in limited quantities), vermicompost (worm castings), worm bins and other supplies. Vermicompost is also a main ingredient in brewing ‘worm tea’, a natural substitute for pesticides and environmentally harsh fertilizers. This new technology offers great promise for home and commercial applications and increased revenue and employment opportunties.
If you want to learn a little more about how this great business got started, I highly recommend you check out this article from the Kitsap Business Journal: Kitsap E-Z Earth is the newest local brand name (it’s pretty dated, but very interesting nevertheless).
Technorati Tags: vermicomposting, vermiculture, red worms, worm composting, kitsap, kitsap ez earth, organic
Written by Bentley on April 3rd, 2007 with no comments.
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One of the great articles that I found in the ENVIRONEWS newsletter from the Region of Waterloo is, “Beyond the Blue Box”. With spring’s arrival many of us are anxious to do some spring cleaning and purge our homes of unwanted items. Before you run out and buy a ton of garbage bags, do a quick scan of what you want to get rid of and separate your unwanted stuff into two different piles, “usable” and “trash”. Once you have isolated your piles, you have a few decisions to make on what to do with your reusable items:
• Host a yard sale?
• Give your unwanted stuff to a friend or family member
• Donate to a local charity
Your reusable items should not be going into the landfill. “One person’s junk is another person’s treasure”.
For those items that are not re-usable, you should recycle whatever possible and only throw out the non-recyclables. I am sure you will be amazed at how small your garbage pile becomes. A great website for determining what you can recycle is Blueboxmore.ca. I recommend that all of our Ontario readers head over to the website. If you live in the Waterloo Region, the Waste Management division offers re-use or recycling programs for:
• Bicycles
• Paint
• Building materials
• Propane tanks
• Cell phones
• Rechargeable batteries
• Clothing
• Tires
• Computers
• Toilets
• Electronic Equipment
The list is quite extensive the programs available to us should prevent any of the above items from entering our landfills. We should all think before we toss out anything. For more information on the Region of Waterloo’s waste management programs, visit their website or call them at 519-883-5100.
To read the full article, download the newsletter here.
Written by steve on April 3rd, 2007 with no comments.
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Last night I opened the mail box and came across a newsletter from the Region of Waterloo, called “ENVIRONEWS”. I looked at the front cover and instantly I wanted to read more. The April 2007 issue is chalked full of valuable community information. The newsletter contains information on vermicomposting, water conservation, recycling and tips on how to help our region conserve energy and resources. I hope that people actually read the newsletter and not recycle it with the other “junk” mail that inundates their mailboxes. I will try to do my part, by spreading the Region’s messages on our website. My marketing background is kicking in, we need frequency!
I must say I am proud to live in the Waterloo Region and feel fortunate that we have many fantastic environmental programs and initiatives at our disposal. I get the feeling from our readers that not all communities are alike and many fall short with their environmental programs. If you think your community needs an eco-boost, get involved and lobby your politicians for better programs. Show them what other communities are doing to help our planet. Education and awareness is the key to positive change!
I encourage all of our EcoSherpa readers to head over to the Region of Waterloo website and download a PDF version of the ENVIRONEWS. I am going to recap some of their tips and information in my next few posts on the website.
Technorati Tags: ENVIRONEWS, Region of Waterloo, sustainable living, recycling, water conservation, composting
Written by steve on April 3rd, 2007 with 3 comments.
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A little while ago we received an email from Chris Sukornyk, founder of FiveLimes, letting us know that he was going to be launching some exciting new features.
As a bit of an aside - for those of you who are unfamiliar with FiveLimes, essentially it was (and is still) a really cool place to go and find reviews for many different products and services that fall into the realm of ‘green’.
Well it seems with Chris’ latest launch that FiveLimes has decided to tackle the often-challenging issue of finding green businesses in your area, and I certainly commend him for his efforts!
You may or may not recall my post about LimeLocal, an interesting service provided by our friends at the Lime network (no relation to FiveLimes) whereby web surfers can (hopefully) track down some green goods and services close to where they live. While Lime Local does look quite comprehensive for some U.S. cities, sadly they have not yet expanded north of the border.
I was very happy to see that FiveLimes features cities from all over North America (Chris is a fellow Canadian, so I certainly wouldn’t expect anything less!) - I was even able to find some green businesses listed for my area. I have a feeling the FiveLimes local search is only going to get better over time as more and more people get involved.
Aside from the reviews and local listings, another great feature of FiveLimes is the community atmosphere. It definitely has a web 2.0 ’social’ feel about it - thus providing a great way to connect with like-minded greenies. In order to participate you simply have to sign up and create your own profile - it only took me a couple minutes.
If you have not already done so, I highly recommend you check out FiveLimes for yourself and add this one to your favourites - this is definitely a green site with a LOT of promise!
Technorati Tags: fivelimes, 5limes, Lime, green products, product reviews, eco friendly, sustainability
Written by Bentley on April 3rd, 2007 with no comments.
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Bentley, do you want to become a compost ambassador? I just came across an article over at News Wales, and Pembrokeshire is looking for enthusiastic residents to become Master Composters. The Master Composters would encourage their local communities to participate in home composting. I wonder if the Waterloo Region has a similar program. I would nominate Bentley in a second.
The Master Composter programme has been developed by Garden Organic (www.gardenorganic.org.uk), one of the UK’s oldest standing environmental charities. Previously known as HDRA (Henry Doubleday Research Association), Garden Organic is involved in scientific research and development work, the provision of advice and information and the promotion of organic food, farming and gardening. All Master Composters will become members of Garden Organic, which has Prince Charles as its patron and more than 32,000 members.
I hope Pembrokeshire has great success with the program. I wonder if our community has a similar program. Perhaps I will do a bit of research this morning and see what I can find out about similar programs around Ontario.
To read the full article, visit the News Wales website.
Technorati Tags: composting, master composter, gardening, community composting
Written by steve on April 3rd, 2007 with 3 comments.
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