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Transplant and Vermi-Composting Multiuse Greenhouse

Project Description

The Sustainable Student Fann supplies locally grown organic food for the university dining halls. Currently the Sustainable Student Farm also needs a greenhouse to grow transplants (vegetable starts) that eventually become food for the dining halls. On the other hand, the university housing has the need to reduce the amount of pre-consumer food waste generated in the dining halls going into the regular trash. To tackle the problems that both the Student Farm and university dining halls are facing, project I-Compost serves as a pilot project that aims at closing the loop between the Student Farm and the dining halls. The project collects food waste from the university dining halls, decomposes the food waste into organic fertilizer on the Student Fann in a self-contained vermicomposting unit, and uses the fertilizer to grow transplants for the Student Farm. The greenhouse that we intend to construct for the vermicomposting unit also serves as a site for the Student Farm to grow its own transplants. The project brings the waste food from the dining hall back to the soil of the Student Fann. Therefore, I-Compost will not only be a food waste reduction strategy for the dining halls, but also a source of organic fertilizer for the Sustainable Student Farm. The project will effectively reduce carbon footprints in our university and create a greener and more sustainable living community.

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Funding Details

Student Campus Environment Fee (SCEF) - 303692
Fiscal Year Status Amount Date Operations
2013 Allocated $65,222.00 4/24/2013 Edit | Delete

SSC Basic Info

Year Started: 2013
Semester: Spring
Status: Closed
Student Led? No
Project Category: Food and Waste

SSC Project Team

Project Lead:

Zachary Grant (zbgrant@illinois.edu)

Financial Advisor:

Anna Tammen (amtammen@illinois.edu)

Team Members:

  • Yiyun (Ariel) Jin
  • Jeane Natalia Lie
  • Nga Hong Le
  • Jessica Chang

Illinois Green Fund - Student Sustainability Committee