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Dennis and Nathan Mason like worms.
They like the way they feel when they wiggle in their hands, they like to watch them slither into a pile of dirt and they really like to see the looks on their friends’ faces when the brothers tell them they keep worms in their house.
But the worms in the Mason house aren’t pets or future fishing bait. Their worms work hard day and night in the basement of their Cockeysville home, breaking down kitchen scraps as part of a composting kit. Instead of throwing away their food waste, the Mason family is composting as an environmentally friendly alternative to sending it to a landfill.
But you don’t have to keep worms in your house to do your part keeping the planet green and clean or to pass on the lesson to your children. Everywhere you turn these days — from television programs to school initiatives to nature center workshops — there are plenty of resources available to help families go green.
At the core of these lessons are the three R’s:
1. Reduce by cutting down on the amount of garbage or trash that is generated.
2. Reuse something as long (and as creatively) as possible.
3. Recycle to repurpose materials from items you have already used and make them into new products with new functions.
The U.S. Environmental Production Agency estimates that 75 percent of our waste is recyclable, a statistic that has prompted the state government to create and promote green programs for residents of all ages.
Since 1985, the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE) has provided training opportunities and resources to teachers, natural resource managers and nature center staff across the state. This includes the Maryland Green School program, which trains and supports school staff and students in pursuing environmentally friendly programs in their buildings and throughout their communities. Schools that meet strict guidelines are designated as Green Schools, and there are currently about 200 around the state.
Since the inception of the Green Schools program, students have completed projects such as an energy conservation program that saved one school $5,000 in four months, recycling 2 tons of paper, decorating reusable grocery bags and performing energy audits in the schools and community.
Many of the projects completed at school can be done at home, said Carol Thompson, the Maryland Green School coordinator.
At one school, the students participate in a project called No Waste Wednesday, Thompson said. The classes at the school compete to see which class can bring in the least amount of garbage for lunch, she said. After eating lunch, the children put all of their garbage into a giant trash bag, and then they weigh and graph it, she said.
“This program is a great way to get the parents involved,” she said. “They help their children pack their lunches in Tupperware rather than plastic baggies … that type of thing.”
Make it happen
Amy Mason, Dennis and Nathan’s mother, has always tried to purchase reusable containers for water, and recycle paper, plastic and bottle products, she said. But she wanted to do more. Her chance came a couple of years ago after she saw a PBS television show about composting. She was intrigued and began researching different types of compost bins, she said.
“I wasn’t interested in the compost bins that go in your backyard,” she said. “They get rodents in them and they smell.”
However the worm compost kits didn’t smell, and they weren’t kept outdoors, she said. She purchased a kit that included a wooden bin and red worms for about $35. She put the bin, layered with wet newspaper, in the basement. After each meal, she places the table scraps into the bin, and the worms make the waste into compost that she spreads in her backyard.
Between composting, recycling and reusing, she has noticed a huge difference in the amount of garbage the family puts out each week, she said.
“I have a lot less trash going out,” she said. “We usually have one bag of trash per week. I think that what I do definitely makes a difference. I think it’s our responsibility to take care of the earth and pass it on to our children in better condition that we found it.”
In May, the Irvine Nature Center in Owings Mills is offering a program where children can make their own worm bins, said Robert Mardiney, the center’s education director. (For more information about this and other programs at the center, visit the Web site at www.explorenature.org.)
“We try to offer programs that teach people about the environment and show them things they can do to help take care of it,” he said.
Through other programs at Irvine, children can learn how to make use of what they already have, he said.
For starters, children should look at their backyards as a habitat, he said.
They need to play outside, and explore and discover the available resources. For example, they can make a bird feeder by rolling a pine cone in peanut butter and seeds, and then hanging it from a branch. Or they can make a brush pile for animals to hide in. Most importantly, whatever they do, they should share it with their friends and family, he said.
“Lots of times, when kids hear things they can do to help save the earth at school or at the nature center, they go home and ask their parents why they don’t do it.” he said. “Or they might ask their parents why they aren’t recycling more. So what they learn here has an impact on what their parents do as well.”
To that end, Thompson offers these ways children can make a difference at home and at school:
>>> Encourage recycling of paper, ink cartridges, cell phones, cardboard, plastic and glass at home.
>>> Students can shop with their parents and help make decisions about purchases based on packaging (less is better). They can also encourage parents to buy locally produced food.
>>> Learn which plants are native to this area and make sure they are only planting those species.
>>> Students and parents can borrow stencils from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and label storm drains in their neighborhoods to remind people of their connection to the Chesapeake Bay.
>>> Plant a tree — families can learn which trees are native to this area and plant a tree at home or at school, a community center or playground.
>>> Make a bird feeder. Bird feeders not only provide needed food for birds, but offer students and parents the chance to participate in bird counts, such as those sponsored by Cornell University (visit www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw).
>>> Set up a composting bin and begin composting vegetable scraps, leaves and other plant material. The compost is great for gardens and keeps all of this material out of landfills.
Check out these Web sites for ideas and fun activities for kids: