Many companies and organisations are doing all they can to protect the environment and, through new worm farms and other efforts, Gellibrand is no different.
Worms might not be everyone’s favourite creatures, but they’re now a big part of life at Gellibrand. Renowned gardener and Customer Wellbeing Manager Margaret Given is keen on the benefits of the slimy dirt dwellers and she brought that passion to Gellibrand’s sustainability efforts.
“We were composting our food waste at our head office and then I was taking it away to use in my personal worm farms at home,” she said. “It meant the composting process wasn’t very engaging and didn’t connect with team members.”
So, it was time for Gellibrand to have its own worm farms that the compost could go into directly. Gellibrand now has one at its Withers Street office, three at shared accommodation residences, and one at Jenny Burbidge Centre, where Gellibrand clients enjoy activities and already have a functioning vegetable garden.
“Clients helped set up the worm farms and they are really engaged with them, feeding the worms and adding worm farm conditioner,” Margaret said.
For those not down and dirty with what worm farms are all about, the worms produce ‘worm juice’ and ‘castings’. These can be used as natural, high-grade fertilisers on vegetable and other gardens. It means clients’ and team members’ efforts in worm farming have the double environmental benefit of reusing food waste and creating natural fertilisers.
The worm farms are, of course, providing an extra dimension to the green thumb activities of clients interested in gardening. They are learning about how to ensure worms are living in environments where soil Ph levels are balanced, which means worms are happy and can thrive.
“Clients will be responsible for ongoing feeding of the worms. If we get enough castings and worm juice, we may be able to bottle it and sell it.”
No matter what happens, Gellibrand will keep getting its hands dirty in an effort to be a good environmental citizen.
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