comments from group four to group five

What NOT to Include in Compost (Allaina Siler, Ku Kim, Delaney Williams)

What you CAN’T compost:

Meat (and anything that came in contact with meat), dairy and bones
- Animal products such as meat have the potential for carrying diseases, and they could potentially attract rodents.

Fats and oils (such as peanut oil, canola/ vegetable oil, etc)
- The oils may attract pests and rodents

Walnuts
- Contain juglone, a compound toxic to some plants

Eggs and dairy products
- Attract pests

Cigarette butts
- Made of plastic

Store bought shampoos/soaps
- Chemicals and dyes contaminate the compost

Baked goods
- Due to their oils that would attract pests such as rodents and ants

Human and animal Feces
- Due to harmful bacteria and the possibility of parasites and infectious diseases
Specific types of water:
- Soapy water from baths/showers or washing cars
- Dishwater from washing up
- Washing machine waste water
- Waste water from the toilet
- Flood water
- Water contaminated with bleach or other cleaning agents
- Water contaminated with petrol or oils
Rice
- Attracts unwanted bacteria and pests

Anything made of inorganic material: polyester, rubber, acrylic, plastic
- Take a very long time to compost

Bits of clothing
- They contain dyes and chemicals that would be harmful

Baked beans
- Worms which might help with decomposition don’t like baked beans, they shouldn’t be included

Specific types of paper
- Glossy or coated paper (that are treated with chemicals)
- Colored paper

Dryer lint and contents from vacuum cleaner
- Contaminate compost

Personal hygiene products: tampons, feminine napkins
- Potential health risk with bacteria

Tea and Coffee Bags
- While tea leaves and ground coffee can be composted, their bags shouldn’t be in the pile, as they have harmful chemicals and are difficult to decompose.

_________________________

Comments:

The main message was clearly what could not be composted

A little more variance in the bullets would make the post more easily readable – I can see that this was done in the editing screen but does not show up in the post itself. Maybe instead the main points should be bolded, or not bulleted at all, with the minor points bulleted, or switched to the numerical outline-style bullets

The purpose is to explain to prospective composters what of their detritus must be disposed of in ways other than by composting

There doesn’t seem to be anything that needs cutting, other than perhaps moving the authors’ names to somewhere else on the page rather than in massive font that sits in the drop down menu as well as the post

Title – Improper Compostents? (components/compostents) or maybe Don’t Soil Your Soil

Soil Infographic

What: The infographic is clearly organized, presenting information concisely without cluttering the page or appearing over complicated. The information is exctly suited to the audience, having been presented on a site specifically about soils and composting. As for the creativity, the information is presented in an attractive, earthy layout – creative and interesting to look at but not overwhelming to the audience
• Gut: I was a bit disappointed the the graphic focused on fear-mongering moreso than it did on offering information on direct solutions – ie how the issues are to be solved moreso than who should solve them, though I was happy to be able to learn from the graphic.
• So What: I hadn’t thought about soil being technically non renewable due to the difficulty and slow speed of creating it from decomposing materials, and the amount of energy nearly always lost during the process. I think this was the perspective the creator was looking for – an increased urgency about the matters of disappearing soil across the world. The data came from the UN’s Food and Agriculture organization – a resource we are sure to engage with in class.
• Now What: I don’t believe our students have realized just how important soil is, and how quickly it is slipping away from us – mostly because we’ve been focused on how it is used and restored, not how it is currently being destroyed. This information can be used to tug at heartstrings and increase the understood importance of preserving and restoring soil.

UGArden

In this picture I see the old composting device as well as some of the garden’s current crops growing in the background. When we first saw the compost system at the garden, it struck me just how much the people cared about the work they did to keep their plants healthy, to minimize the waste they create, to the point where they’ll do their best to utilize even older machines that they need to bear rebuild in the hopes that that machine might improve their system in speed or effectiveness. It made me think about all the hard work out in to growing each and every plant – I can’t help but feel others would interpret this image as equally caring, to see such pretty plants alongside such worn equipment. Even personally I feel simple happiness that someone else could have found such joy and love for the earth and their crops to befit the intense effort put in to making the farm as efficient as possible. The trip and this picture have inspired me to do my best to return to the garden, next time as a volunteer, to help in making it the best it can be.

First Assignment Self Portrait – Jackson

My previous experiences with science involve a childhood wrapped around my parents’ jobs either teaching environmental science, particularly stream hydrology, or applying science as a civil engineer focused on city water and sewage systems. In high school I took basic biology and chemistry, as well as AP Environmental Science, and in college thus far I have only taken Geology. What I’ve enjoyed most has been that Environmental Science course back in high school, as I felt it dealt with important matters to my and every person’s everyday lives, and appeared more immediately applicable than did chemistry and basic biology.

I would like to get a better understanding of the way the earth functions, as well as how human activies affect these processes.

In relation to antibiotics, I would like to get a better understanding of the spread of resistant bacteria in nature outside of direct human influence – how things are indirectly affected beyond our immediate actions

The issues that appeal to me the most, and therefore I assume appeal to others as well, is how I and they might be affected in the immediate and far off future by current human activities and mistakes.

Learning how to interact with the community and what can be done to help people are things I hope to learn through the service learning projects.