Ecopreneurs
Sustainable Restaurants
While this video isn’t specifically about vermicomposting (there is a brief mention of it though), I think it’s definitely worth watching! Thanks very much to Nevin, who told me about it!
Not only am I very interested in eco-entrepreneurship, but I am also a pretty serious “foodie”, so I’m always interested in learning about eco-restaurants. Those who read “Da Book” (lol) will also know that I’ve been dreaming of one day starting up my own sustainable restaurant/farm – one that incorporates vermicomposting (in a BIG way) of course!
I’ll definitely be interested in learning more about the work this gentleman is involved in!
Cool stuff!
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Neesy Gots Worms!
Not too long ago, I received an email from Daric Lennard inquiring about the possibility of having me link over to his daughter’s small worm business site. Learning some of the backstory via our email exchange, I asked Daric if he might be interested in writing an article about his daughter’s business instead.
Some of you may recall my article about young Ryan Reynolds and his worm business (see “He’s 7 Years Old…and He’s Got Worms“). Well, this one is similarly inspiring, and I’m really glad Daric took the time to send me a note (and was willing to share his daughter’s story).
Neesy’s Story
By Daric Lennard
I guess you can say this story started when my autistic and mentally challenged daughter Denise (Neesy) was 4 years old. Her mom had been in the yard, doing some gardening when she spotted some worms that had washed up unto the sidewalk after a rain. She pointed them out to my daughter and THAT WAS IT. Immediately her love affair with worms was going full force. She would spend hours watching worms crawl all over her hands, digging them up, looking in spots where she would think she could find them, and really got to be an expert on finding the biggest ones in the yard.
Jump ahead 12 years later. Neesy’s love affair with worms has not changed. She still searches when she has time, but now her interests have been more focused on getting a job. To be honest, most people that know my daughter find her very bubbly, and she has a warm heart that will make anyone smile. But the job market in PA is not what it should be, and people are scrambling to find work. Most experts in the mental disability field have told us that finding a job for our daughter would be impossible. So late one night, I sat up thinking about our plight. How can I get my daughter a job? What kind of job could she really hold? It was puzzling, to say the least. Then it hit me…. why not find a business that she could help run? Dad and mom could help with the finances, and she could provide labor.
It was only a matter of moments after that when the idea to start a worm farm came along. After all, who better to raise worms than an autistic girl whose splinter interests are insects and worms? SO, last month (March, 2010), we started a website for my daughter and ordered a bunch of worms. The worms are fine, no signs of migration at all, and they are actually showing signs of making great castings. The idea of packaging the worm tea was another late night revelation. Denise is currently selling a 2 OZ and a ½ OZ. Bag on her site, which can be found at {LINK REMOVED – Someone seems to have taken over the site for spammy purposes}.
She is getting castings TEMPORARILY from a friend locally, but that will soon change once the castings start to grow here at home. She packages every bag by herself, weighing and ironing shut the bags. She works a little every day, because she gets bored easily, but does package each order herself. She has gotten her first fruits of the business, and bought a camera (pink, of course) so she can take pictures of, what else, her worms! In the pictures you can see her filling a bag in the backyard. She really does most of the work, we just make sure to keep her on task.
I am really very proud of my daughter, since she has overcome many people’s negative thoughts about not being able to do what every 16 year old wants to do… work and make money. It just shows what wonderful things can happen when you think positively, not negatively.
Thanks again to Daric and Neesy for sharing their story! Any support you can provide for this budding young entrepreneur will be greatly appreciated – here again is her website:
{LINK REMOVED – Someone seems to have taken over the site for spammy purposes}.
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He’s 7 Years Old…and He’s Got Worms
I like to think that I was somewhat precocious when I was a young kid – as an extremely avid birdwatcher (and amateur naturalist in general), and painter – but what’s interesting, is that I never really had the entrepreneurial bug back then. Ok, well there was the one summer my older brother and I sold golf balls and nightcrawlers (both gathered from a local golf course). But that’s it!
Nevertheless, the ‘bug’ did eventually hit, and now I just can’t help but be inspired when I learn about young people starting up their own businesses. Ryan Reynolds is certainly no exception!
I first learned about Ryan while recently checking through some links that had been submitted to our Worm Composting Business Directory [UPDATE: directory is no longer active]. The name of his business, “I’ve Got Worms”, caught my attention right away – I never cease to be entertained by the phrase (ever since watching “Dumb and Dumber” for the first time), and as you can see, I even make use of it here on the site (look left – haha). Believe it or not, I’ve even been working on a video series with the same name!
Great minds think alike, I guess!
😉
Naming aside, what REALLY caught my attention when I visited the site was that fact that Ryan is definitely NOT your average worm farmer! First and foremost, he started his business – based in Provo, Utah – back in March, when he was still in Grade 1!!
But I don’t want to steal the poor guy’s thunder here – long story short, I got in touch with Ryan ask him about his business and see if perhaps we could put together a write-up about it for the blog. Here is what he had to say (along with some pictures he sent me):
I started I’ve Got Worms! because the street I live on is too dangerous for lemonade stands. I’ve always wanted to find ways to make money so when my mom told me about composting worms, I was excited! My investors (mom and dad) helped me out with the start-up costs except for my hard earned $1. They gave me a loan at 0% interest on condition that I payed all that money back before I kept any for myself. I got my worm bin finished March 5th, the same day my worms came (2 pounds to start out). I’ve never seen that many worms before! Holding them is weird.
Since then, I’ve been able to pay off my investors and reinvest in my business so that now I have a bin full of worms that are just growing (I can’t sell any of them because I’m trying to get enough so that I can just sell my own worms) and another bin of worms to sell.
My favorite thing about my business (besides the money!) is I get to help the world be a little cleaner. I love recycling cardboard and newspaper for my neighborhood and I love helping other people start vermicomposting too. And we’re already getting tomatoes that we grew in vermicompost and they’re the best I’ve ever tasted (oh yeah, I trade vermicompost for my mom’s time whenever she has to help me with emails or phone calls or anything. She says it’s a great trade and by the looks of the garden, I’d have to agree!).
Ryan cutting cardboard for new bedding. He uses a shredder for the newspaper but then rips or cuts the cardboard. It takes him a while to get the bedding done for a vermicompost starter kit, but he listens to books on CD while he’s working so it’s not too bad.
My least favorite part of my business is touching the worms. Well, not the worms exactly but the bedding. My hands get so dirty because the vermicompost sticks to them when I’m mixing the bedding or checking on my worms or sorting them, but it’s worth it. Mom laughs at that because she thinks most boys don’t mind getting their hands dirty but I still don’t like it. And sorting the worms for sales is pretty hard too. I like it best when my friends or mom have time to help me. I’m thinking about saving up for a worm sorter, but so far I sort everything by hand.
Ryan holding a few of his worms.
The funniest experience I’ve had with my business is when we first started, we didn’t know that you have to leave the lights on at night so the worms won’t get out. Or maybe we knew but we thought the worms were doing OK without it. Well, the next morning we went down in the basement where my bin was and there were worms everywhere!! Luckily we saved most of them. Now we always keep the lights on them for a few days when we get a new shipment.
Ryan checking on his worms. He says they look great!
Oh, and another favorite thing about my business is handing out business cards whenever I’m out with my mom or dad running errands. I love how surprised people are to see me and find out that I’m the President of my own business.
Ryan posing with his latest batch of worms. He’s up to 12 pounds now and excited for his business to grow even bigger.
I’d like to take the opportunity to thank Ryan for sharing his story here on the blog. I’m sure he will be a source of inspiration for many people – both young and old!
😎
Ten Things I Love About Terracycle
Although I haven’t really written about them in awhile, it is certainly no secret that I am a huge fan of Terracycle – the now hugely popular ‘liquid worm poop’ fertilizer company. I can still remember when I first heard about them – at the time they were just a couple of young entrepreneurs at Princeton trying to make things work on a shoestring budget. Part of me was kicking myself for not thinking of the idea first (haha), but I was also very excited to see someone helping to raise awareness about vermicomposting!
We’ll they’ve certainly come a LONG way since then – they’ve attracted a massive amount of media attention, their sales have gone through the roof (showing no signs of slowing down any time soon), they even went head to head the billion dollar mega fertilizer corporation, Scotts (see: Scotts Miracle-Grow Sues Terracycle?). According to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer (thanks to ‘Friendly Worm Guy’ for passing that one along!), that battle cost them $400,000 in legal fees. Thankfully they weathered the storm and were able to settle the dispute (agreeing to change their labeling).
Here is some other interesting info from that same article:
It wasn’t easy raising capital, and TerraCycle, based in Trenton, has yet to make a profit. But already its products have been embraced in the United States and Canada by corporate bigs like Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Target and Whole Foods.
Fourteen thousand stores – and counting.
And get a load of sales: $70,000 in 2004, $500,000 in 2005, $1.5 million in 2006, an estimated $4 million this year, and a projected $8.6 million in 2008.
In another five years, Szaky (pronounced ZACK-ee), a CEO who’s “really not much of an eco-freak or recycler,” envisions sales topping $50 million. Don’t laugh. Inc. magazine last year dubbed TerraCycle “the coolest little start-up in America” – and where it finishes is anybody’s guess.
TerraCycle lawn and garden products are made from 100 percent recycled garbage, thanks to the red wiggler earthworm known as Eisenia foetida. The worms’ excretions, or castings, are brewed into a “compost tea” and packaged in recycled plastic milk jugs and soda bottles collected by schoolchildren around the country. TerraCycle pays them a few cents per bottle – $78,000 so far.
So what is it exactly that I love about Terracycle? Here are the “ten things” (in no particular order):
1] They’ve clearly demonstrated that ‘green’ entrepreneurs (or ‘ecopreneurs’) can make it big too!
2] They’ve helped to raise awareness about worm composting – I can only imagine what the future holds!
3] They epitomize my Compost Guy motto – ‘turning wastes into resources’
4] Speaking of mottos, they have a great one too – ‘Better, Greener, Cheaper’
5] In 2003 they won the $1 million Carrot Capital Business Plan Contest – yet turned down the prize money when it became clear they’d be required to stray from their original vision! (i.e. it’s not just about the money for them). This is a prime example of how…
6] They’ve dared to be different!
7] They’ve harnessed the unbelievable potential of the web to get their message to the masses – in fact…
8] They haven’t even had to spend ANY money on marketing or advertising (according to the Philadelphia Inquirer article mentioned above)
9] The stuff really works!
10] Not content just to rest on their laurels in the ‘worm poop’ market, they have also been expanding their line of products – still making everything from ‘garbage’
Oh, and one more bonus “thing”: 11] They have an awesome website! Check it out:
http://www.TerraCycle.net/
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[tags]worm poop, worm castings, vermicompost, worm compost, worm tea, compost tea, terracycle, scotts, fertilizer, organic fertilizer, recycling, green products, ecopreneurs, entrepreneurs[/tags]
Worm Girl – Promoting the Power of the Lowly Worm
I love hearing about other people who are as passionate about vermicomposting as myself. Susan McVety, a.k.a “Worm Girl” seems to be one such person – and she’s a fellow Canadian, no less!
I recently came across an interesting article about McVety and her Montreal-based worm crusades, and knew I had to write a post about her here.
Here is a blurb from the article:
If you’re looking to compost with worms but don’t know how, Susan McVety will come to your rescue.For $10 McVety will deliver a yogurt container full of red wrigglers to your home. For $25 she’ll bring a “stylish” Worm Girl compost bin (a Rubbermaid storage bin with plenty of air holes around the sides near the top and a “handy/pretty sash covering the holes”) complete with worms, and a pamphlet on worm care basics. McVety offers the service on weekday evenings and weekends, and technical assistance and follow-up visits as needed. She’ll even baby-sit your worm bin for a while if you run into problems.
“Baby-sitting” worms?? Now that’s what I call true dedication to the cause!
😆
Interestingly, Worm Girl (in true superhero fashion) holds down a regular day job (as a university researcher) – donning her worm cape only on evenings and weekends.
Aside from reading the article I mentioned, you can learn more about Worm Girl and her wormy work via her MySpace page.
[UPDATE 2018: Link to article no longer working so it was removed. Amazingly enough, MySpace DOES still exist, but Worm Girl’s page doesn’t look like it contains any worm-related information so I removed the link to that as well.]
Terracycle on BBC
I wrote about this on EcoSherpa today, but wanted to post it here as well. Not too long ago I wrote a post (here on RWC) about the lawsuit filed by Scotts Miracle Grow against Terracycle (see Scotts Miracle-Grow Sues Terracycle?).
The above video is coverage of the suit on BBC news. It seems that Terracycle has refused to take this lying down (and rightly so!). Aside from their website, Sued By Scotts (mentioned in the other post), they have launched (or at least will be launching) a media campaign to help drum up support.
Rest assured I will continue to provide more updates as they become available!
Kitsap EZ Earth – Great People, Great Products
When it comes to anything related to vermicomposting (worm composting) it certainly doesn’t take much to get me excited.
I’m always particularly interested to learn about those eco-entrepreneurs who have put their heart and soul into some form of vermicomposting (or vermiculture) business – something I’d like to eventually do myself.
Kitsap EZ Earth, located in Bremerton Washington, is a prime example of the type of business I’m talking about – and one I find particularly inspirational based on their business model alone.
They are owned and operated by Peninsula Services, a “non-profit rehabilitation agency organized in 1971 by parents and concerned citizens for serving people with disabilities”.
Here are some exerpts from their ‘about us’ page:
Finding meaningful employment opportunities for people with disabilities has been a real challenge in Kitsap County. To remedy this situation Peninsula Services is promoting an unique, non-governmental employment model called Kitsap E-Z Earth. This innovative business enterprise centered around manufacture and distribution of vermicompost and other environmental sensitive products.
~~~
Kitsap E-Z Earth products are 100% natural vermicompost which is packaged in 2 and 10 pound bags for sale at retail outlets. Bulk quantities are available for sale directly from the Kitsap E-Z Earth greenhouse.
The product line includes red worms (in limited quantities), vermicompost (worm castings), worm bins and other supplies. Vermicompost is also a main ingredient in brewing ‘worm tea’, a natural substitute for pesticides and environmentally harsh fertilizers. This new technology offers great promise for home and commercial applications and increased revenue and employment opportunties.
UPDATE 2018 – I learned from a reader that the original Kitsap EZ Earth link was no longer working. Looks like they are no longer open unfortunately. You can learn more >>HERE<<