Ecology Club News

School Garden Caretakers Needed

The pumpkins are in the raised beds and ready to grow. This summer, we need club members, neighbors, and other Millburn Family members to sign up and come by to water these seedlings. Our pumpkin crop will get most of its needs from mother nature. However, the month of June is crucial for constant watering and some weeding. July will also need some watering and checking on pumpkin vine health.

Check this website for a sign up sheet or email rreynolds@millburn24.com

Build School Garden Beds

July will be a possible opportunity to help build the remaining raised beds.
This is not so difficult. We assemble with screws, stake into the ground, and fill the spaces with soil.

Watch this site and the backpack for exact dates

Adopt a Plant Project
Plants around the indoors here at school are getting a boost from our hard working worms! If you know of a plant thay needs some fertilizing care, we have an organic solution to pour on the soil. Contact the Ecology Club to get on the adoption list

Earth Day Bracelets Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Busy at work, Ecology members are braiding and beading friendship bracelets that celebrate Earth Day. The bracelets are to handed out to students practicing Earth friendly habits and to students showing Earth Day spirit. These colorful, biodegradable symbols will remind everyone to remember the three R's.

Paper Making Analysis Complete! --See Paper Production

Worm Farm Care
This month, the worm condos are being put to a wider use. Fourth grade lunch waste that is vegetable based will be fed to the worms. A vermiculture or red wiggler worm habitat is part of the Fourth Grade neighborhood. The worms have been digesting the vegetable matter from teacher lunches. The compost/soil made by the worms has already ourished (fed good vitamins and minerals) to some LRC potted trees.

Now, each week, one fourth grade section will feed the worms scraps from student lunches. This soil will help nourish the young seedlings grown in First Grade that go into the school garden.

Want to know more? Log in at the end of March for some photos and student comments about worm farming.

Working Hard (and Having Fun) Reducing the Paper Waste

Paper Production

Training for paper production took place on 1/22. Many students are using Monday and Wednesday recesses for creating softly tinted sheets of handmade paper. At this time, recycled copy and notebook paper from fourth grade classrooms is the source for the handmade paper.

Special effects and materials are being experimented with (this week and into next month) to see what other types of paper will produce an interesting and usable product.

Ecology members will be figuring out the 'cost' of producing handmade paper. They will record the time and effort needed to create one sheet (human power). The amount of raw material used in the paper slurry will be measured. The raw materials include the recycled paper, construction paper scraps to tint, and the water used in the paper slurry. Lastly, the energy used to power the blender (plus the blender) will be added into the calculations. Check back at the end of February for the analysis.