THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	102
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

Encouraging the implementation of vermicomposting at all Hawaii public schools.

 

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii reportedly leads the United States in the amount of solid waste produced per person; and

 

     WHEREAS, kitchen scraps, garden trimmings, clipped palm fronds, shredded newspaper, and white paper can all be easily composted; and

 

     WHEREAS, vermicomposting, which uses worms for composting, has been introduced at one hundred eighteen public and private schools on Oahu since 2005; and

 

     WHEREAS, vermicomposting is an effective method for teaching biology, ecology, and soil science; and

 

     WHEREAS, vermicast, or worm castings resulting from the breakdown of organic matter in vermicomposting, is a plant growth enhancer, suppresses certain plant diseases, and holds a full range of key and trace elements important for plant health; and

 

     WHEREAS, vermicomposting has no odor and the bins can be easily stored in a cool, shaded place indoors or outside with a lid; and

 

     WHEREAS, some schools have developed vermicomposting systems for their cafeterias, including Maemae Elementary, Webling Elementary, Waianae High School, and the University Laboratory School; and

 

     WHEREAS, one Hawaii school, using only fifteen per cent of its lunch waste, generates about four hundred fifty pounds of vermicast annually for sale at fundraisers; and

 

     WHEREAS, Maemae Elementary School's pipeline worm system for cafeteria waste, designed in a lateral flow that allows easy movement for worms and eliminates the need for hand-harvesting, completed its first cycle in January 2011, with the goal of integrating vermicomposting into their ecosystem curriculum; and

 

WHEREAS, Waianae High School composts cafeteria waste and food waste from home and uses the vermicast for experiments; and

 

WHEREAS, California has adopted a statewide vermicomposting program as part of that state's waste management policy and includes vermicomposting in school curriculums; and

 

     WHEREAS, vermicomposting reduces school waste, enables students to recycle natural materials and raise funds from the vermicast, and teaches students to care for the environment; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2011, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Board of Education is encouraged to implement vermicomposting in all of Hawaii's public schools; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education; the Superintendent of Education, who in turn is requested to transmit copies to the principal of each Hawaii public school; and the Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Vermicomposting; Solid Waste; Public Schools