MEETING

Today, we went around the web, scouring for some information. Actually, a lot of information. It appears that this product is already done to death. No matter, we can still do this differently. There isn't much we can improve on. Though, we can add mobility or decrease the need for maintenance... discussions ongoing.

Meanwhile, even though many people say that milk and meat should not be used for vermicomposting, here's someone who believes that it would in fact allow for better compost. What do you think?
 

Besides that, we are currently thinking of how to integrate the brewery and the composting bin without making the entire prototype too bulky.

ETC

Let's start off with why we ended up writing the first and only post on the eve of the Preliminary round of judging. We all forgot. Dumb excuse, we know. Tells us what we really need to do: have more meetings, and check the website.

Next, summarising everything that happened from the time our team was formed to the current.

We were originally in Category 11 (service learning), on a project inspired by our mentor, but had to change to Cat 3 (inventions) due to failing to obtain funds from Campus Change-Makers. Hence, the 5 members in the team. Since then, we've been working extravagantly hard to finish to project within 3 weeks.

Since it is pretty difficult to summarise in detail what we have discussed over the past month, I will show the results of our discussions instead.

Done

A Facebook group for discussion purposes.

Google Document for interesting links and research

Research on vermicomposting market.

Audience determined, problem identified.

Invention idea

In-Progress

Specific details of prototype: measurements, etc.

Testing of prototype

Meeting Minutes -1

First IS lesson First, we had to decide names - wormtiliser, wormicompost?
Project given by Dr Tan - Plant compost for herb garden
Could have a SL, Education aspect added in to it

23/2
Target audience: Condo, schools, welfare org, government organisateion (e.g. NParks)
Condominium
+ much horticultural waste
- does not necessarily fit with the needs of SL

Schools
+ much horticultural waste
+ may have a gardening / science club we can collaborate with
+ can incorporate education aspect
- none of us used to working with children

Welfare Organisation
+ most possibility of benefiting from our project
- may not generate much horticultural waste
- which welfare organisation?

Government Organisation
+ would surely generate much horticultural waste
- may not require our help

How to take care of your worms

After getting your bin and your worms, the next step would naturally be to put two and two together and get the composting process started. So how do you create the ideal habitat for your worms to live in?

Habitat:
-Redworms are surface dwellers. They live in the top 3 inches of soil

1. Prepare bedding for your worms
Bedding can come in a few forms:
Sawdust
Sawdust acts as a nutritious bedding but takes a long time to be prepared. Age the saw dust for a few months before using.

Newspaper, Cardboard, paper
Shred material into short strips, and make them moist by soaking them into water and squeezing out excess water. Cover the bottom of the bin with a thin layer of newspaper, and add a bit of dirt.

2. Cover up the bedding to protect worms from light and too much heat
Materials such as cardboard can be used as a "lid" to be placed on top of the bin to cover up the worms and the bedding

3. Add your organic material below the cardboard and buried beneath the soil. The worms would then feast on the food and create castings for you to collect. Start off by feeding the worms slowly.Worms eat about half their mass in food each day. Use that as a guide too feed your worms. Increase the amount of food you feed them if they increase in numbers, and you want more compost in the specific batch.


4. Diet
Worms are strictly vegetarians so NO MEAT or DAIRY PRODUCTS ALLOWED. These products can possibly kill off your worms.

Worms like raw vegetables, such as fruit skin peelings, discarded leaves or stems from cutting up vegetables in preparation for cooking.