March 2013 A brief report.
Vandra of The Vokashi food waste pick up service in NYC invited Pit Mau, EM-1 Expert from Germany, to see the work we are doing with the EM-1. He has a business of fermenting food waste with EM-1 in Germany where EM-1 is widely used. Pit Mau co-founded and is the managing director of the German nonprofit EM e.V., and, since 2002, he has been the editor of the quarterly EM Journal.
We met at El Sol Brilliante where the 12th St food waste model is run by Shig Matsukawa, Susan Greenfield and Barbara Augsburger. The system is
flourishing with the efforts of these three people every Tuesday morning. They have processed over 3 tons in just a few years for their block of bokashi method participants.
Pit gave us some new ideas and inspiration.
Then we all went to Brooklyn College to meet with Dr. Joshua Cheng, Biochemistry Professor working on a study with the bokashi food waste method.
Annie Hauck-Lawson was also there to share her study with the kids at Poly prep in Brooklyn. The last photo is a phenomenal example of a before-and after-image of their extensive testing with EM-1 and mud balls in water from their very green pond.
This photo could be on the cover of the NY Times but they still have some testing to do!
If you want to help support further testing contact us. There is a crowd source campaign that needs a volunteer leader to spearhead a promotion. It is at https://ioby.org/project/beneficial-mud-balls-gowanus
El Sol Brilliante on 12th St between Ave A and B
Their finished product is amazing.
The food waste should not smell bad. It smells like the fermented food mix it is. Always trust your nose.
smell.
Shig explaining
The soil smells like the forest floor. ;)
EM-1 ceramics. Pit wears an EM-1 bead necklace and bracelet.
At the Children’s educational Garden where more EM-1 food-waste is fermented in bear-proof plastic bins.
Susan dug up the ground where the finished soil goes.
The ground feels like the forest floor.
Worms!
It is tangled with worms!
Pit processes large volumes of food waste in piles without bran starter. The covered pile is big enough to create enough air tight fermentation with just spraying EM-1 as the pile grows.
Joshua’s office.
Books in Joshua’s office.
Pit and Joshua.
Annie with her “after EM-1 and before test” from the Poly Prep pond.
