GRAILVILLEMax Agranoff, Nicholas Kiser, Samantha Harrell, and Courtney Bills

HISTORY – The Grail, an international women’s movement

rooted in Catholicism, began in Holland in 1921– In 1940, the Grail came to the US– The Grail came to Loveland in 1944– Currently in 17 countries

MISSIONThe Grail work to create a world of “peace, justice, and renewal of the earth”

LOVELAND LOCATION - GRAILVILLE– Based in Loveland, Ohio – Included 315 acres of woods, wetlands, and

prairies– Host several learning opportunities – 162 acres are certified organic – Large grass fed beef operations

ORGANIZATIONAL SCOPE– Aim to inform the community

about their mission– They aim to achieve this

through workshops and other activities

– Involve members of the community, not just members of the grail

– Promotes “Green Grailville” - focus on food, water, and waste management

GREEN MISSION - FOOD– 5.5 acres devoted to produce– 75 acres devoted to grass-fed

beef– 200 pounds of gourmet garlic

yearly– Seasonal Honey

GREEN MISSION - WATER– Sewage system without chemicals

– Wetlands, Leach field, Prairie Bushes– Rainwater Irrigation for Kitchen

Garden– Also uses pond Water to irrigate CSA

garden– Water Saving toilets, showers and

faucets– 38 acres devoted to land

conservation

GREEN MISSION - WASTEFood waste:– Compost used in kitchen garden– Worm bins and vermicompostRecycling:– All buildings at Grailville have

recycling binsLow-impact materials:– Repurposed buildings– Recycled paper– Unbleached paper towels– Non-toxic supplies

CHANGES BEING MADEThis year: Organizational transition- Closing retreat and

meeting center- Closing the organic

storeBetter use of land to meet the mission- Previous use showed

beauty, no link to sustaining it

SUSTAINABILITY PROPOSALSAllow community members to use the lands- Proposals for sustainability - Open to individuals, non-

profits, even companies- All 315 acres & buildings

availableFlexible- Unpaid partnerships,

tenant/lease, partial purchase

SUSTAINABILITY PROPOSALSOffers resources to like-minded parties - Organic food production- 75 acres set aside, grazing - Existing infrastructure -

chicken coop, bee hives- Internal irrigation system

from Little Miami

WORKING WITH GRAILVILLEAfter speaking with the staff they proposed 3 project ideas

1. Planting Trees: Coordination with the Taking Root Campaign

2. Creating an ecosystem garden3. Expanding Compost/Vermicompost

TAKING ROOT CAMPAIGN

Taking Root Campaign: Planting 2 million trees by 2020.• Obviously appealing

PLANTING AN ECOSYSTEM GARDEN

Planting a non-till garden of beautiful flowers and vegetable producing plants• Another great and

exciting option

COMPOSTING WORKSHOPS Grailville wishes to begin composting workshops throughout the community

They aim to educate on correct composting techniques that are efficient and cost effective

Would partner with local farmer’s markets and schools for organic waste

Would help benefit the environment for several reasons: Correct poor composting techniques that can do harm Create community awareness about composting Lessen amount of human waste to be processed.

VERMICOMPOSTING

Vermicomposting: Having a bunch of worms eat natural fibers to make quality soil.• What we decided to

choose• Grailville will use it as

main platform for correct composting

• Aim to teach community how to make Vermicomposting bins

MORE ABOUT VERMICOMPOSTING

What you needA container – preferably with layers

WaterKitchen scraps: OrganicWorms - Redworms

HOW DOES VERMICOMPOSTING WORK

General Idea: Worms eat any organic material and leave incredibly rich soil behind

1. Gather 2 bins, with holes in the bottom & 1 on top

Bottom holes, larger for compost to fall throughTop holes, smaller for air

2. Fill the bins with damp paper, a bit of dirt, and leaves

3. Add the worms4. Wait a day and begin feeding them

Any and all organic material – Grailville has fed them corduroys

HOW DOES VERMICOMPOSTING WORK CONT.The bottom bin will collect the most nutrient rich soilUniversity of Georgia Study

Tomatoes grown vermicomposting soil 126% from their original height

Plants grown using traditional potting soil grew only 45% from their original height.

Worm population doubles every 3 monthsCan handle more and more garbage

VERMICOMPOSTING AND FERTILIZERCastings compared to soil has:

5 times the nitrate 7 times the phosphorus 3 times the exchangeable magnesium 11 times the potash 1.5 times the calcium3

VERMICOMPOSTING AND CLIMATE CHANGEEach year 34 million tons of food added to landfills2

EPA believes that 55%-65% of waste in the US is residential1Paper products: 34% of residential wasteFood scraps & yard trimmings: 25% of residential waste59% of residential waste doesn’t need to end up in a land fill

Food residuals in landfills are the 2nd biggest source of methane1 Methane is 21 times more harmful than CO2

STEMMING METHANE EMISSIONS Composting done incorrectly can lead to methane emission

Anaerobic decomposition (fermentation) causes energy to be lost from carbon to escape from methane gas

In North America, landfill make up 24% of methane emissions

This composting does not produce heat, leaving parasites in the produced compost

Grailville wishes to teach working compost methods to reduce this issue

THANK YOU–Questions?

WORKS CITED1. https://

www.bae.ncsu.edu/topic/vermicomposting/pubs/ag551_cafeteria%20-scraps.pdf2. http://

extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/Sustainability_2012-08pr.pdf3. http://

academicdepartments.musc.edu/vpfa/eandf/sustainability/Documents/WMPRIMER.pdf