I was happy to hear from the Beaver County Times when they said they wanted to include me in an article as a part of their environmental series called “Veil of the Valley”. This article, titled “A soiled past, a natural future”, covers the issue of fertilizer run off and it’s effects on the environment.
Growing up in Maryland, fertilizer run off is something I learned about starting in elementary school. The Chesapeake Bay watershed is the largest on the east coast, and even 60 miles away from the water you will see signs above sewage drains saying, “CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED”(probably painted by some school kids on a field trip learning about the environment). Nonpoint source pollution is one of the reasons I got into composting in the first place.
Even though Pittsburgh isn’t in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the effects of fertilizer run off is still seen in the rivers running all the way down in the Gulf of Mexico. Naturally made fertilizer is often seen as a healthy solution because it doesn’t have excess chemicals- even so, the more important issue I like to bring up is the fact that naturally made compost builds healthier soil by increasing important beneficial enzymes and bacteria, that in turn help the soil hold excess nutrients for much longer- extending the life of your yard or potting soils for future seasons.
Along with a farmer from Oak Spring Farms, Shadyside Worms was able to join the conversation about natural fertilizers like our worm compost, as a healthy and sustainable alternative to synthetic fertilizers. If you want to know more about it, check out the article below:
Shadyside Worms 