At 10 a.m. on Wednesday, September 6, college officials will conduct a ground breaking ceremony for a specially designed worm composting greenhouse. The greenhouse is part of an overall campus waste-reduction program funded by the grant. When fully operational, the facility is expected to process nearly all food and paper toweling waste generated on campus. The facility will also be used to grow vegetables for use by the campus food service and plants for biology experiments. Compost will also be available for use in campus landscaping projects.
Plans call for the facility to be self sustaining.
The super-insulated building will be heated by solar energy, supplemented by heat generated by the composting process. Any electricity needed to operate the facility will be generated by alternative energy sources. Both wind generation and solar energy being considered. This is practical technology with potential benefits for any size organization, from families to corporations. LSC President, Kathleen Nelson credits faculty, students, community experts and the campus Environment Council with developing the project.