GCompost Wraps Up With Composting
April 8th, 2010, 9:22 pm
As a successful end to the semester has come upon us, it is a good time to reflect on the state of composting. At the University of Windsor, GCompost has been able to acquire compost from food services and proceed as planned in making compost.
The dryer composter was a raging success and is arguably one of the most recognizable, and visible pieces of work currently sitting on the Green Corridor Eco House property. We all had a great experience putting things together, and bringing the environment into focus. Though our current group is leaving, we have left behind a legacy for others to follow. Composters to be filled and compost to be made.
In due time, feel free to check out the brand new Green Corridor Experimental Composting project located at the Eco House. As the GCompost team would say, Adios Compostos!
Read the rest of this entry »
GCompost Breaks Ground
March 16th, 2010, 5:17 pm
It has been an exciting and productive week for GCompost. We were first able to break ground with the construction of 3 composters. We were able to contruct 2 pallet composters, of which we are waiting to finish constructing the door. We were also able to construct a chicken wire composter and erected a black plastic composter donated by the EWSWA. Our goals are to test different composters and to determine which is the most effective way of composting. This week we plan to begin construction on the compost dryer and move forward with compost collection. In no time, GCompost will be putting composting compost!
We were also able to develop a logistical plan of how to collect the compost on campus. We have been able to work out an agreement with food services and develop a systematic plan of how to compost will reach the respective sites. We have made some key contacts in local businesses and have approached Canadian Tire with the opportunty to purchase our compost.
Read the rest of this entry »
One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Composter
March 9th, 2010, 6:28 pm
GCompost took a visit to the Essex Windsor Soild Waste Authority Central Facility. It was a search and rescue operation of appliances and materials that would otherwise be sent to the landfill. We recovered a Large Projection television, a stockpile of mesh screens, shopping carts, a plexiglass panel, an old door and an old metal garbage bin.
These materials will be going towards the construction of our various composter ideas. We were successful in finding the proper materials to move the project forwards. Construction is starting soon with the unexpected find of a dryer and 10 wooden pallets. The estimated time of completion is April 1st. Special thanks goes out to everyone at the EWSWA for helping us hand pick our materials and for giving us their full support in this project!
We had a successful presentation at the SIFE Regionals over the weekend, as the project and its business plan look very promising(see previous blog).
Study break ends, but composting doesn’t
February 23rd, 2010, 6:07 pm
There are several examples of successful composting initatives in North America. An excellent example is The New York City compost project which was created by NYC Department of Sanitation .
The average New York City household discards two pounds of organic waste each day—adding up to more than one million tons of organic material a year. Composting these potential resource can help to improve the condition of parks, gardens, and blocks…even windowboxes and houseplants.
That’s why the NYC Department of Sanitation set up programs to recycle organic material through composting and is the goal of the G.COMPOST team.
New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) provides a telephone helpline, a variety of compost-related workshops and classes for residents, teachers, school groups, groundskeepers, landscapers, and other interested parties. DSNY also offers compost bins at discount to NYC residents.
Circular Pod-Shaped Tea House is Heated by Compost
February 14th, 2010, 5:43 pm
If you’ve ever experienced composting in action, you may know that things can get pretty hot when microbes meet organic material. So what if there was a way to capture all that heat and use it to warm up a cozy little space? Tokyo based architects Bakoko have come up with a circular pod-shaped teahouse that does just that by harnessing temperatures in excess of 120°F that are generated by compost. The designers are taking a simple, biological process and turning it into a viable (and free) way to heat small public spaces like the traditional garden teahouses found all throughout Japan.
via INHABITAT by Diane Pham on 2/10/10
After Your Laundry, Compost!
February 2nd, 2010, 6:29 pm
Composters, composting, compostable, composable…we’re composting compost!
Who would of thought that the most unheralded household appliance could be put to use after its been past its life? The ye ‘ol Dryer is simply tossed into the big bin and left to rot. After some simple thought, why not use an old dryer to compost waste?
Its a perfect proposition. Dryers are built to withstand multiple cycles of heating and wet clothing going in and out. The dryer has to air out and dry the clothing. It also has to be insulated so to prevent the house from getting too hot during drying and best of all…its built to last.
A dryer has all the points of a good composter. We haven’t even gotten to the insides. The rotating drum inside can be used to flip over the compost. The motor which is usually burned out can simply be pulled out and replaced with a hand crank. A belt can be replaced and then we’ve got a dryer-composter. If we’re lucky, we’ll get a dryer with a glass door which can act as a greenhouse.
In partnership with the EWSWA, we are in the process of acquiring old dryers that we can turn into composters. With any luck, your old dryer might end up creating healthy green compost.
Composting: A Greener Today, for a Greener Tomorrow.
January 19th, 2010, 9:20 pm
The Team
To create a greener Windsor, we have to reduce, reuse, and recycle. This semester in the Green Corridor, our team is planning to create a composting system in which organic waste can be turned into nutritious compost that can be used for planting, and to encourage growth of healthy, organic vegetables. We will be collecting the organic waste from across the campus, thereby making a cleaner, greener University of Windsor. In co-ordination with other groups such as the Greenhouse team and urban agriculture team, we will help clean up the environment, inform the community and make a difference.
Our group consists of an enthusiastic group of students from different academic backgrounds which provide a broad perspective on the project. From Business, Aaron, Josh, and Shreya. From Engineering, Lie and Tim. From Sociology, Cole. From Enviromental Studies, Dan. Together, with our hard work we plan to spruce up the environment around the campus and ultimately, Windsor. With a Greener today, we can make a Greener tomorrow.
