Lillian Larsen Elementary
Lillian Larsen in San Miguel has been vermicomposting since 2001. They use two old planter boxes as worm bins to bury the food waste from the cafeteria on a daily basis. The cafeteria staff help the students sort the lunch waste and the middle school students dig the hole and bury the food waste. The students at Lillian Larsen use the finished compost in the school garden planter boxes. Christina Wilkinson looks after the program and advises someone interested in starting their own program to be patient and persistent. It takes a while for adults to change their ideas and routines, but it takes very little time for students to get into routines. She also recommends getting as many students involved as possible. Christina has a lot of great project ideas to tie into school curriculum, such as weighing food scraps to see how much waste can be diverted from the landfill.