Putting it all together

Step 1: We had to put the composter together. Another nice thing about the Can-O-Worms is that most of the packaging and materials are either made out of recycled material or you use it in your compost bin. With a snap of a few legs and a stacking of layers it was together in no time.

Another challenge of urban composting is that you have limited space and resources. One of the directions is to soak the block of coconut husk in water. The best method is in a bucket but we did not have one easily on hand so we used the next best thing, the sink. We do not recommend this method and if you have an extra moment run down the block and invest in a bucket.

We cut up the cardboard (part of the packaging) laid it in the bottom tray, added the soaked coconut husk, and now we were ready for the WORMS! The worms don’t like light but you can see them in Sally’s hand before they went into the bin and dug down into the husk. The worms have found their new home….. stay tuned for more worm adventures.

Just starting

I want to clarify something. We DON'T have a backyard. No balcony. We have a fire escape that's not that accessible, but worms can't live below 42 degrees, and I don't feel like hauling my rotting food scraps in and out of my window every day. So we need a clean, contained indoor system that doesn't smell and can fit in our kitchen or right outside our door.

So we ordered our Can - O - Worms composter from Amazon.com for $99.95 (go through alonovo.com to support progressive economics) and our worms from umm... some other online thing for $30/pound (including shipping).

Here is the Can-O-Worms just out of the box and the baggie of worms. They come in a little breathable sack full of bedding. They're shy about being in the light, so inside it just looks like dirt.

Luckily, I just got a new camera

So for your composting edification, we can chronicle the whole process as we transform into vermiculturalists (that means worm culturalists. or something along those lines).

Here is Courtney, your composting guide.

We want to be sustainable but...

So, Courtney (my roommate) and I are living in New York City (Brooklyn, to be exact). We're NYU grad students, commuters, a little hippie, a little preppy, a little hipster, and we're sick of sending our food scraps out to the curb, to support the rat population and the Fresh Kills landfill, or wherever it ends up.

What do we want to do? Compost!

We did a lot of online research, and asked around a lot, and apparently the best way to compost (when you're living in an apartment with absolutely no yard or green space to be had) is with worms. We didn't want to plunge right into it. We were hoping other hip young New Yorkers would go first. But we can't see that they did. So here we go...