4
Replace the missing vowels to learn more about earthworms.
Standards Link: Life Science: Know that all organisms cause changes in their environments and these can be beneficial or detrimental.
s the holidays approach and our thoughts turn
to giving and getting gifts, you may be surprised to
learn about how worms give the gift of clean water
and healthy soil to grape growers in California.
Worms can turn old food into plant food. It's called
vermicomposting.
A company called BioFiltro took this
on in a big way!
ioFiltro partnered with O'Neill Vintners &
Distillers to create the largest worm-powered
winery wastewater system in the world. Each day,
more than 22 million red worms are at work eating
organic matter in the wastewater created in the
wine-making process. The water needs to be
ltered and cleaned before it can be put back
into the soil.
That's where the red wigglers (as the worms are
called) come in. They lter more than one million
gallons of water every day.
Within four hours, treated water ows out of
pumps throughout the worm beds and into the
irrigation ditches in the eld. This water is now
full of nutrients which improve soil health.
The worm beds cover 5 acres and the entire
system of California red wigglers reduces
waste, lowers the winery's carbon footprint
and protects the environment—all while
supporting plants growing in the elds.
The winery plans
on the red wigglers
to recycle up to 80
million gallons of
water a year. That
is the same as
2.7 million full
bathtubs or 640
million water
bottles!
Vermicomposting, or composting
with worms, creates rich soil that
helps gardens grow. And it gives
humans a clean, odor-free,
environmental way to get rid of
garbage. The worms get a good meal
and contribute their poop, or castings,
to the production of good soil that
grows better flowers and vegetables.
Red wigglers love leftover
salads, melon peels and apple
cores. Help this worm reach a
delicious rotten apple meal!
Red
worms
won't
eat
plastic
trash.
The latin word vermis means worm.
Official Kids Mag www.kidscoop.comVicki WhitingDecember 2020
