Sustainability at USF: Creating Compost Bins

By: Anastasia Groshev

I have to say, I was a little skeptical at first about the idea of having a red worm compost bin in a kitchen, but this was only my first impression. Later, I discovered that, if done properly, a compost bin does not smell, does not impose any health hazards, and worms do not climb out. In fact, a compost bin is very easy to make and maintain, but at the same time helps the environment and is a source of very rich soil.

I arrived to a decision to start my own bin while working on a campaign to promote composting on the USF Tampa campus. It was formed when Susana Alvarado, Alan Guagliardo, Michelle Gersten, and I gathered information and launched an awareness campaign with the aim of educating the USF community about composting. We felt like we needed something that spoke loudly to students, so we decided to host an actual composting workshop. Guagliardo started a bin and took care of the compost worms for a few weeks.

We came up with the idea under the guidance of Dr.Wells, instructor of the Honors course IDH 3600: Applied Ethics on Global Sustainability, who explored the history and progression of sustainability in the classroom. In essence, sustainability is the “living green” philosophy that has redefined our perception of the color green. Now, the first thing that comes to mind when “green” is mentioned is recycling, fluorescent light bulbs, and reusable shopping bags … but really, all of this entails sustainability as a way of life.

Enlightened by the readings in the class and the valuable input of Dr. Wells, we were all ready to put our knowledge into practice. So we left the classroom in order to help our campus to become more sustainable. To find out more about the project, check out the video documentary and join the vision - compost!