We have put in place a number of sustainable business initiatives to ensure that we minimise our impact on the environment wherever possible.
We operate with a Four bin system in the kitchen (food waste, organic, non-organic and recyclable), with all organic waste going to our on-site worm bins which in turn produce wonderfully rich organic compost and vermicast for our vegetable garden and orchard fruit trees.
Our worm bins are made using recycled bathtubs and produce both vermicast compost and worm tea.
Worms mix the minerals and organic matter in our kitchen waste with enzymes inside the worm's gut making minerals and nutrients more available to the plant in a slow-release form. The great thing about worm composting is that the action of the worms means the compost (called vermicast) is created more quickly.
So these little guys do a fantastic job of helping us keep our business more environmentally friendly! Vermicast is a wonderful soil conditioner, rich and full of healthy bacteria and soil life than ordinary compost and has been shown to grow healthier plants and hold more moisture than ordinary compost.
If you can get vermicast or make your own with your own worm farm, then you only need to apply small amounts, so it can cover a larger area of garden than ordinary compost. Used as either a solid or liquid, it will not burn plants and can be used for all types of plants in the garden. It is certainly starting to have results in our garden.
A beautiful and rich organic compost of vermicast takes only a few weeks to be created from all the organic food wast from the kitchen.
Auckland Council has some great information on how to start out with worm farming at the following link: http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/council/services/garden/worms.asp
Other sustainable business initiatives include the obvious one of working from home - therefore reducing our travel requirements, using our own produce (and/or local Kaipara produce) whenever possible ensuring minimisation of food miles and in the not too distant future we will be installing a living (green) roof on our kitchen area to reduce or even eliminate the need to summer cooling in the kitchen.
