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Sustainable Landfills, Produce Compost, Greenhouses, & Concepts for Growing Suburban Populations

Project Statement: The Wasteland Dream Makers seeks a grant NYSP2I 6th Annual

R&D Student Competition to focus on the concepts of sustainable landfills, concentration on

food-waste reduction techniques for growing suburban populations. After extensive research,

including visits to the local landfill and attending the Town’s DEC Public Hearing, we have

designed a proposal to create our own compost, and greenhouse to grow fig trees, olives, herbs,

and more to provide to the economically disadvantaged in the area and implement our ideas. We,

like the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, hope to provide food to "children,

single parents, seniors, working poor households, unemployed people, homeless," while at the

same time, using compost derived from household (organic) waste compost, thereby decreasing

the landfill burden (“How the Food Bank Works” 2006).

We propose creating a test greenhouse to entrepreneurial food industry service site at the

home adjacent to the project leader. There is a window-paneled indoor porch, which perfectly

reflects the various 19th century homes in the university’s city that have a porch, with at least

half of the wall space being windows, which we will convert into a greenhouse. Then we will

grow fruits, such as strawberries, olive trees and various hearty herbs, fig trees, tomatoes, kale,

spinach, and collards. Our group’s plan is to have a few plants that reproduce asexuality (through

budding), including lettuce and potatoes, in our greenhouse. Certainly, pineapples and lettuce can

primarily be eaten and then submitted to water for long enough for the top clipping to become

another fruit-bearing pineapple plant. We realize the importance of oxygen-giving plants,

because all plants will benefit from the improved air conditions of plants with varying

photosynthesis schedules. We are gathering herb seeds from a neighbor, and we also already

have a mini-greenhouse plant bed and many garden tools. As well, many parts of our project,

such as additional insulation, which we will create with the understanding that we generally take

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them off on warm days all year, and certain natural planters (egg cartons, team-constructed

raised beds and compost zone…) are not included in our budget but will be included in our final

project and presented explanation. Our group hopes to plant tropical guava plants, with improved

systems of method within the greenhouse.1

Greenhouse and Compost Frameworks (Project Summary and Background): This

greenhouse and compost will be an organic project. There are many benefits to composting, as

outlined by various readings. In a comprehensive educational tool, some of the benefits of

compost are outlined by the US Composting Council, and include the harassing the properties of

compost to "bind heavy metals and other contaminants, reducing both their leachability and

absorption by plants," and, "the same binding affect allows compost to be used as a filter media

for storm water treatment and has been shown to minimize leaching of pesticides in soil

systems." Also, "the microbes found in compost are also able to degrade some toxic organic

compounds, including petroleum (hydrocarbons)." Finally, "compost has been used for the

restoration of native wetlands, because compost "can closely simulate the characteristics of

wetland soils, thereby encouraging the re-establishment of native plant species," (“USCC

Factsheet: Compost and Its Benefits”, 2008). The final beneficial property of compost is poses a

helpful consideration to facilitate the protection of the wetlands surrounding the Mohawk River

(where the Town Landfill is located) and towns.

The structure of our greenhouse, much like the supportive structure of this research

proposal, encapsulates a dedication to the environment, economy, and society. We’ll make a

peaceful environment, as we’ll be spending time monitoring the lights until we get a video

camera following any success of this project, so that we can monitor all scientific components of

the project, such as the timed lighting and rotation. We'll try to support local businesses in the

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purchasing of our plants, though one must keep in mind that some tropical plants are hard to find

anywhere else but online. The Wasteland Dream Makers prefer not to purchase items online, due

to the heavy burden of carbon associated with the shipping and the complication of calculations

that we are forced to leave out of our community gas-mileage study. We are ensuring that our

project is not harmful, by means of the application of standards and regulations, and instead we

are creating beneficial, non-toxic produce. To create organic produce and compost is the ultimate

end goal of all realistic models structured after ours in the area. Our greenhouse and compost

system can be easily replicated, because we are utilizing organic methods and purchasable

structures and horticulture supports. Many houses around NYS have an area in the front with

numerous windows that can be repurposed into a greenhouse. Finally, realistically this project

encourages that we do not overbear any environmentally unskilled person with excess technical

explanations, and rather we create the format with which any number of people can be inspired

and be fed within their own homes and community.

The easily replicable lens through which the Wasteland Dream Makers looks is not only

optimistic, but reliably realistic. As far as the transportation of fruit is concerned, it is our hope

that individuals will automatically desire to grow and donate extra produce to their local food

bank. The attainability of a sustainable greenhouse/compost in one's own backyard is an idea

promoted with the intent that people will appeal to start-ups and community

greenhouses/gardens. We are looking to grow a predominantly "Moderate Greenhouse" (Night

temperature. 55-60 degrees F), especially with the aid of our heating pad and heat lamp,”

(“Energy Conservation for Winter Greenhouses” 2016). In the summer time, we won’t have to

worry about thrips, and other pests, because we are going to try avoiding overwatering the plants

by finding the perfect ratio of water, (Graper 2015).

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Methods and Materials: We'll be measuring our success by the amount of compostable

waste reduction, especially from food that would otherwise be going into the landfill, as well as

the volume (lbs.) or quantity of harvested produce. The compost will be constructed of wood

sourced from natural scraps, and with the purpose that the logs will eventually decompose and

provide the compost on a yearly basis. We strongly encourage organic exploration of compost

systems to all future models that can support a compost. While it is not easy to measure how

much pollution we are preventing with our model, we can log and track the hours of car

transportation to-and-from the Food Bank, the construction and plant store, and as well as

transportation from other supportive components such as local businesses. We can utilize a

simple formula and chart to demonstrate an accessible version of how much time we spent

driving, but we are not planning to make our calculations based on the economic fluctuations of

gas prices. The leader is going to collect all waste she creates at home, weighing, and sorting the

compostable trash in comparison in the same week. Once, we calculate weekly trash

consumption and production, in relationship to monthly trash consumption, found all on one data

sheet, which can be utilized for statistical analysis.

2We’ll be tracking the evidence of natural plant management, such as ridding of pests

with a soap mixture, fertilizing hearty plants with diluted tea water, and even contributing egg

shells, coffee grinds, and banana peels to a nutrient-rich compost. The project itself will require

raised beds, heavy insulation, and even intricate details, such as putting rocks and mulch on the

soil to keep the heat in, as done in New England. The previous resident of the proposed

greenhouse site, which is now owned by primary author and experiment coordinator created a

compost for many years.3 We'll keep this project going indefinitely, planting some plants outside

in the summertime, harvesting seeds, and to promoting the original Wasteland Dream Makers

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model with its continued success. We’ll weigh our trash versus compostable trash every seven

days. It is our hope that this building/model design, plus our outside research, will encourage any

individual to create a greenhouse that has the potential to support the community. By the

budget’s calculations, we will not go over the allotted amount, as dutifully provided by the

Department of Environmental Conservation.

Insulation inside of greenhouses is of the upmost imperative to consider through

sustainable intentions and budget. Similar to a landfill, we'll be sure to line any plant-affected

area within the sun room micro-greenhouse, with plastic (from re purposed shopping bags/trash

bags). "Wood is a natural insulator due to air pockets within its cellular structure, which means

that it is 15 times better than masonry, 400 times better than steel, and 1,770 times better than

aluminum," ("Wood is a Natural Insulator", 2016) Apparently, even the wooden frames can

support a great deal of insulation, with the biggest losses being from windows and doors. Also,

"Insulation for Natural Buildings", a Q&A from Coloradan environmentalist, Dan Chiras,

affirms a belief that "straw bales" are an inexpensive insulation option, which we'd like to

explore, (Chiras n.d.) We are using repurposed denim to insulate the "seal openings". Other

suggestions, from "Tips for Keeping Plants Warm in a Greenhouse", and the “Farmer’s

Alamanac” are outlined and considered, particularly in the presentation (Matthews 2015). 4

There are many scientific considerations to consider when impacting the growth of food.

For example, we'll want to avoid soil compaction, by occasionally transplanting some heartier

food options outside during the warm months. All plants within the system should theoretically

be taken outside for no more than two days, every few months or so. Also, we are using

breathable system products, repotting techniques that prevent "over-watering" and "soil decay",

and refreshed compost systematically replacing most soil at least once a year, (Kostelnick,

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2014). Even more scientifically, we must focus on the undeniable importance of the

understanding of light's effects on plant growth. 5

We are looking to explore the variables, which are outlined by the University of

Arizona's College of Agriculture, including "light quantity", "light quality" and "light duration"

as well as "temperature". (https://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/botany/environmental.html)

In summary, fluorescent lights are efficient sources of light for growing plants in specific

locations or situations. Blue-red fluorescent tubes may elicit an adequate response from some

crops, but cool white light is as, or more efficient for most crops. For several crops requiring

especially high light intensities, the high-energy discharge multi-vapor lamps should be

investigated as well as high output and very high output fluorescent tubes."

(https://www.hydrofarm.com/resources/articles/fluor_lights.php).6

With the amount of energy utilized in our greenhouse model, we hope that others will be

able to raise the funds to have solar heat lamps/emergency heating systems. Yet, we are focusing

more on insulation in our budget to prevent fire hazards. However, we also recognize that the

scale of the amount of people that will be interested in this project enough to re-create it, and

tailor it to their own demands, is locally quite small. Also, not everyone has the land available to

accommodate a greenhouse, or a compost pile, let alone a compost pile that accepts food

donations, such as industrial sized organic composts. One way we'll measure the success of our

project is by our group's ability to make the greenhouse and compost system as organic, with the

least amount of burden on the environment as possible. Though our construction is insulated, we

hope to be able to learn more about the ecological impacts of our project. Luckily, leader’s uncle,

with gardening and culinary experience will take care of the Wasteland Dream Makers model

system and contribute to the transplanting of any extra plants into the wetland-zoned garden

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across from the home. Clearly, this is a concept that is best measured with the products that we

utilize to make everything nearly organic and renewable.

Relationship to Sustainability: While larger, sustainable municipal landfills benefit a

larger percentage of the population in some ways, because of the benefits of a highly funded and

multi-industry supported daily routine (which just has yet to be afforded to smaller landfills), this

reality does not work for small-scale composts. The odor alone is realistically not able to be

lessened for all individuals today, and is therefore too unstable of an idea to promote to all

residents of the Town. The model we revere reflects those established for local businesses in

Massachusetts and New York City, (Ruiz-Grossman 2016). For comparison, in Massachusetts,

"generators will be prohibited from disposing, transferring for disposal, contracting for the

disposal, or transporting commercial organic material." https://ilsr.org/rule/food-scrap-

ban/massachusetts-organics-recovery/ Many trash collection businesses, such as Empire Zero,

are great to consider working with if under company budget.[1] According to the DEC website,

the DEC does "also send 2.5 million tons to Waste-To-Energy (WTE) facilities and export 6.1

million tons to neighboring states, in 2008,” (“Recycling and Composting” n.d.). The Center for

Ecotechnology is an organization that claims to "assist your business in setting up or improving

existing recycling and composting programs," creating a comprehensive plan that all businesses

can follow and ask state-related questions about (Recycling/Composting, 2015).

Within these proceedings, we have information regarding "food waste recycling", "food

scrap legislation", "organics quantity", and "organics collection", as well as information

regarding the standards and technical details of the leachate and bio-reactor system, at the Town

Landfill.

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Accordingly, the "Food Scrap" presentation claims "Organics make up about 30% of

materials generated in a municipality," which includes, "18% Food Scraps", "5% Yard

Trimmings", and 7% Soiled Paper". We hope to make organics a reality for individuals. There is

a state budget of $500,000 to P2I for waste audits, etc. The DEC presentation states that the uses

of the P2I budget include, "food waste audits", "web-based information clearinghouse",

"Updated Organics Resource Locator", and finally "research on small scale anaerobic digesters",

(Vitale, Dave, and Sally Rowland n.d.).[2]

Though we are all living indoors, and should theoretically have to pay less mind to

groundwater infiltration at landfill sites, this is not the case. We are insulating and protecting our

greenhouse, following an eco-friendly clean, to ensure that it is not covered in potentially

hazardous dust. Similar voluntary cautions can be utilized for Volatile Organic Compounds and

gas collected from landfills. Since we are not supporting contaminating products, we are not in

need of any geochemical data. This model of caution should be reflected in the outdoor compost;

it is better to let organic waste decompose inside first in the winter. 7

This group believe that, with proper funding and public education, the Town Landfill can

also have an anaerobic digester, which will free up some of the space at its current composting

site. Per the website, “Waste Management World”, by “adding air along with moisture in a bio-

reactor system holds further promise as various laboratory, pilot and field-scale projects have

demonstrated,” (Hudgins, et. al. 2010). This is quite positive when one considers that "aerobic

conditions can lead to lower leachate treatment costs, reduced methane gas and odor." The

sustainable landfill concepts embodied in this large institution’s environment are to be re-

imagined on a micro-scale for the savviest of local businesses. There are many imperative

directions to take with regards to making the land, on which populated areas are supported, more

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sustainable. Here is the history of the Kyoto Protocol, which historically can lessen any impacts

of the environment in ways that American measures can, ("Glossary: Kyoto Protocol” 2015). As

well, we can technically prove that carbon sinks, as outlined by the Kyoto Protocol, are a benefit

to the environment of any populated area, and that composts, organic composts, and greenhouses

are possible. Per “Let it Rot!”, “more widespread use of compost by farmers and gardeners could

make a small but significant contribution to the commitments made in the Kyoto Protocol of

1997 to reduce CO2 emissions,” (Campbell and Bond 1990). Sustainable landfill mining is also a

possibility, for actively and non-actively utilized landfills, and we are looking to prove all of this

in our existing and proposed research.8

Results, Evaluation and Demonstration: The Wasteland Dream Makers would love to

take some of the organic waste from other projects, except that our model is reasonably expected

to be a small-scale one spread over different areas and this would be hard for renters to do. The

transportation vehicles to the dump create a great deal of pollution and use up a great deal of

nonrenewable energy. In total, 2.82 lbs. of trash were disposed of (not including organic

compost waste, tissue/toilet paper, or all recycled cans) and 4.4 of compost were disposed in one

week in the life of a student.9 We’ll calculate how much electricity we used as well.

We’ll visually represent our scientifically-completed project at the competition with

copies of our essay, a poster board of our research, data evidence in metrics and chronological

photographic evidence, and even a small, potted plant taken from our greenhouse to show our

success and act as a test drive for the effects of moving a plant from the greenhouse plant prior to

it being placed in (another) greenhouse. Also, we’ll create a greenhouse/compost model, part of

the larger cyclical food waste reduction project, for an agriculturalist’ representation at the Earth

Day presentation. We’ll measure everything in pound (lbs. of food waste, of compostable waste

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that is saved, of viable plant cultivation, and of the amount of supplies needed) in a way that can

theoretically measure the burning of fuels and the effects on climate. We’ll compare techniques

and products proposed versus what our greenhouse became.

Conclusion: The results have been positive, but the group leader simply desires to

pursue a theoretical explanation of her model at this point, so that others in the region may be

able to access its brilliants for real applications.10 To follow up micro-containers of sustainable

ideas on a residential basis, the Wasteland Dream Makers intends on ensuring that local

businesses and food banks have the legal ability to set up food bank compost. While a staff

member from the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York stated that the organization is

happy to accept produce, that "the issue of composting our waste is a complicated one, and to

date our efforts to find companies where we could donate our waste have been unsuccessful.

Basically, we would have to pay companies to take our waste, even our produce. We also have a

lot of cardboard to recycle, and even that is difficult to find anyone to take it." Also, a worker at

the Food Bank stated, "anything we can do to minimize waste without incurring exorbitant costs

would dovetail with our mission and be of great interest." With regards to this statement, the

Wasteland Dream Makers is willing to help our local food bank purchase a nearby property with

proper funding initiatives. Also, please note that this project leaves room for further scientific

studies, based on the methods of "hydroponics”. We aim to test the affects of lights, material

choices, and proximity to plants, in the future. well.11 This is a feasible, flexible project for

anyone who wants homegrown fresh produce and organic seeds.

[1] Large landfills have the luxury of corporate support, such

as: http://empirezero.co/commercial/.

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[2] More of the role of P2I is outlined here: http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/37277.html.

Proposed greenhouse area:

“Houses along Grove Avenue in the Helderberg neighborhood of ( ), New York United States,” (Anonymous, 2010).

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Here is a picture of the Town Landfill, part of the proposed cyclical model, taken on a tour with the Town Engineer and

staff:

References

American Society for Horticultural Science. (2011, December 21). How Exposure to Irregular

Light Affects Plant Circadian Rhythms. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 9, 2016 from

Anonymous “UpstateNYer”. (2010, May 30). ( ) Houses. Retrieved December 9, 2016.

Brevinton, G. (2016). Organics in New York State. NYSASWM Fall Conference - Gerhardt

LLC.

Campbell, S. & Bond, K. (1990). Let It Rot! The Gardener's Guide to Composting.

Pownal, VT: Storey Pub.

Chiras, D. (2016). Insulation for Natural Buildings. Accessed 9 Dec. 2016.

Department of Environmental Conservation. (n.d.). Retrieved December 09, 2016.

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Energy Conservation for Winter Greenhouses. (2016) Charley’s Greenhouse & Garden.

Charley’s Greenhouse.

Fretfulpageant601. (2015, January 30). Guideline Ideas For Rudimentary Hydroponics Plans.

Retrieved December 09, 2016.

Glossary: Kyoto Protocol. (2015). Eurostat Statistics Explained. United Nations. Accessed Nov.

11, 2016.

Graper, D. (2015) Watch Out for Houseplant Pests. iGrow. South Dakota Board of Regents.

Retrieved 15 Oct. 2016.

Goldenberg, S. (2016). Half of all US food produce is thrown away, new research

suggests. Theguardian.com, The Guardian. Retrieved 11 Nov. 2016.

How the Food Bank Works. (2006). New York. Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York,

Accessed 11 Nov. 2016.

Hudgins, M., James, L., David R., & Jun S. (2010) The "Sustainable Landfill" Becomes a

Reality. Waste Management World. INDUSTRIEMAGAZIN Verlag GmbH, 11 Nov.

2016.

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J. (n.d.). How Oxygen Affects Plant Growth. Retrieved December 9, 2016.

Kerfoot, H. (1994). LANDFILLS: Landfill Gas VOCs Clean Up Leachate Costs. Waste360.com.

Waste360. Accessed 11 Nov. 2016.

Kostelnick, M. (2014, March 28). Why Do Plants Need Air? Retrieved December 09, 2016.

NYS Organic Recycling Facilities (Compost Facilities, Anaerobic Digesters, and Other

Processes). (2016) DEC. Department of Environmental Conservation

Matthews, D. (2005, December). Insulating Your Greenhouse. Retrieved December 09, 2016,

from http://www.aos.org/orchids/additional-resources/insulating-your-greenhouse.aspx.

Ruiz-Grossman, S. (2016). NYC’s Big Businesses Now Have to Compost Food

Waste. huffingtonpost.com. The Huffington Post. Accessed 11 Nov. 2016.

Recycling/Composting. (2015). Center for Ecotechnology. Center for Ecotechnology. 11 Nov.

2015.

Recycling and Composting Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Composting also including Product

Stewardship. (n.d.) Department of Environmental Conservation. New York State.

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SHIFT. SHIFT: Trash Talk Documentary. (2015). Online video clip. YouTube.com. YouTube,

Accessed 11 Nov. 2015.

Siress, T. (2008). High Density Vertical Bioreactor. Online video clip. YouTube.com. YouTube,

Accessed 11 Nov. 2015.

Specca, D. (n.d.). Best Practices in Hydroponics and Sustainable Greenhouse Production.

Rutgers EcoComplex.

Thompson, K. (2007). Compost: The Gardener's Essential Compost and Recycling Bible.

Penguin.

Understanding Climate Change. Climate Change and Global Food Security: Prof David Battista.

(2015).Online video clip. YouTube.com. YouTube. Accessed 11 Nov. 2015.

United States Composting Council. (2008). USCC Factsheet: Compost and Its

Benefits [Brochure]. Bethesda, MD.

Vitale, D., & Sally R.(n.d.) Organic Waste Management in New York State: Potential

Legislation. NYSASWM Fall Conference. Department of Environmental Conservation.

Webb, A. (2016). Source Separated Organics Collection. NYSASWM Fall Conference - Lake

Placid, NY. Casella Resource Solutions.

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Wood is a Natural Insulator. (2016). Retrieved December 08, 2016.

1 Per a “SHIFT: Trash Talk” Documentary, in North America, an estimated 300 million tons of solid waste are produced on a yearly basis, (“SHIFT: Trash Talk Documentary” 2015). Compost can be certified organic, with the “circulating economy”, which equates to energy on the other side of recycling. Also, in the NYSASWM Fall Conference, from Oct. 5, 2015, on the topic of "Food Waste Recycling: Trends & Considerations”, states that "food waste recycling has many important benefits," including that it might, "improve environmental impact, support local agriculture, alleviate local hunger and poverty, and protect the climate," (Webb 2016). Better care, and better conversations with the local food banks about greenhouse to food bank services, leads to better food and food dispensary in all instances, especially our model.

2 Rutgers University’s greenhouse collection of sustainable forces inspires the Wasteland Dream Makers, minus the use of hydroponics. Rutgers's model, according to pages 15-21 & 24-26, combines "aquaculture" and "hydroponics", with "small-scale packaged aquaponic tanks"; an "anaerobic digester", which expects "500 pound-per-day Food Waste Demonstration at Eco Complex Greenhouse", a "landfill gas fired boiler", and other types of "co-generation" and "greenhouse production", (Specca, n.d.). Hydroponics systems are encouraged to be considered for the most ambitious of the Wasteland Dream Maker model makers, and we hope to test out a small-scale model with a tank hydroponics system we found online and a beta fish.

3 The fact that the compost will be just outside the windows and door of the greenhouse equates to every part of the process of food waste reduction being right at the site. One of the biggest results we hope to see is the literal fruits of our organic labor and research. The team leader’s research will contribute to a comprehensive suburban greenhouse/compost how-to guide and model. The physical parts of the project are about even for the two partners, with some input from the various professional supporters. Our project is to start the building of the week of January 2nd, after ordering our materials before the end of the holidays, and we’ll be planting everything live as the plants arrive.

4 “Trap dead air with plastic sheeting placed below the roof and inside the walls. Use sumps (bottles, buckets, barrels filled with water) to capture free heat from the sun to be released after dark. Seal openings around windows, doors, and ventilators to prevent cold air from entering and warm air from escaping. Position reflective panels to direct sunlight onto plants and heat sumps." We'll also be using a radiant barrier as a way of gauging its effectiveness for one window.

5 Per "How Exposure to Irregular Light Affects Plant Circadian Rhythms", extrapolated information include the fact that it is good to remember the findings of this study when thinking about the lighting schedule. Our model allows the potential to keep plant constant and have the other grow with variables, hopefully with two of the same plant, to test the variable response of the variable light then eventually, However, with our set-up, we can only make findings based on the plants that we order and watch mature from seeds.

6 "According to “How Oxygen Affects Plant Growth”, Aeroponics is like nutrient film technique (NFT) or deep water culture (DWC), except the roots of the plant hang down into an empty chamber. The roots are kept wet with nutrient solution by spraying or misting. Since plant

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roots are surrounded by air instead of water, oxygen levels are extremely high. Oxygen levels can be further improved depending on the coarseness of the spray used. The finer the spray, the smaller the water droplets. The smaller the droplets, the greater the surface area exposed to oxygen. Greater surface exposure to oxygen naturally leads to increased oxygen levels. At this point, you will be close to the absolute limit for maximizing plant growth (assuming all other factors are ideal)"Guidelines for "Rudimentary Hydroponics”: http://www.slideshare.net/fretfulpageant601/guideline-ideas-for-rudimentary-hydroponics-plans"

7 The Town Landfill is made to outsource their bio-reactor energy collection system to the State of Massachusetts due to stringent New York State business-emissions regulations. Other solutions include this “High Density Vertical Bioreactor” film, which encourages the tailoring of the lipids, to collected and harness algae, into enough energy for 20,000 acres of oil per year. Apparently, an area the size of about 1/10th of the state of New Mexico could meet all the energy demands for the United States, (Siress 2007). The Town Landfill hopes to expand their clean energy to other areas.

Regarding Municipal Solid Waste Facilities, "Under Subtitle D, MSW facilities must monitor volatile organic compounds in the groundwater. Some-times, however, the VOCs are in the groundwater because of landfill gas - not leachate. In fact, landfill-gas VOC costs are only a fraction of the clean-up cost of leachate problems." Therefore, practically, one must find where "VOCs originate since it is more cost-effective to terminate the source of contamination than to treat affected groundwater." More information from the Waste360 article is somewhat biased against intervention of the contamination of groundwater by leachate, claiming that "pump-and-treat techniques, remedial measures that collect and treat groundwater, may be the only practical alternative," (Kerfoot 1994). 8 David Battista, the Tamaki Endowed Chair of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington stated in a Tidal video, "the projections for the next 35 years is that we’re going to have to double the world’s food supply- mostly grains, to meet the demands of a growing population, and populations that are developing are going to eat higher in the food chain. To do that we should increase yields at a rate that was only achieved once in human history for a 20-year period at the end of the Green Revolution… only we should do it over a span that’s twice as long. We also have to do it at the face of stressors that were not existent over the Green Revolution,” (Understanding Climate Change 2015). While Battisti's talk is cynical, in that he claims that all the good, agricultural land is pretty much completely used, it is important to reflect on the correlation of climate warming to global food production crises and realities.

9 Notes, to provide context: 3/16 10:30 – Snowy run-down. Spritz mini flowerings ~2-5 times. -10:20 – blast sunflower seeds with first dose of heat lamp – 10:35 – add olive trees until 11:40 pm under heat lamp – 10:42 – respritz individuals on trays one and two then 3 and four – no onions? – kale and lettuce – tray 3 – doing well – peas are just sprouting – 4: dill: hard to tell, no watermeon – squash and melons (180 of day incubation doing extremely well) – tray 1: Dill somewhat there tomatoes – beefsteak and yellow pear not appearing – definitely at least 3 peas (sugar pod 2 snow pea) nothing in tray 1 -> concerns that herbs dried 3/18 – 6:00 – 6:30 heat lamp “olives” and sunflower seeds – after the confusion of initially finding the new olive tree (shipped 3/8/17) when it was delivered. Unfortunately, planted in the sunflower seed pot by another. I dug up the sunflower seedling to confirm this, and then replanted the one of many seedlings that will be replanted outside shortly.* I hope to get “organic replacement” for the soil that I had to use. (…3/31: and I still need to get sustainable

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fabrics for the larger trees pots.) (4/2) : We planted trays 3 and 4 in the garden, which was exceptionally muddy. Eco-agriculturalist explanations to follow.

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10 . Inexpensive signs can be produced to support any number of the Wasteland Dream

Maker's goals! As far as the technical training, within the community, is concerned, the strongest foundation is to have comprehensive signs about gardening, compost, greenhouses, of nutrition and of food chemistry. As for more ways to improve the end to the toxic cycle of food waste, a legislative promotion of comprehensive signs the landfill trucks, around public garbage cans, as well as voluntary sineage is encouraged, (Goldenberg 2016). As well, more signs, and website material, can be pushed to promote the feeding of the correct type of crops to cows/commercial livestock. These small-scale efforts can also promote the feeding efforts of the local Food Bank of Northeastern New York. Potentially, at the Food Bank, there can be potential cardboard pick-up and food drop-up, which can happen simultaneously with the support of the most altruistic community members. Also, our team’s efforts fill-in needs of other circular economic endeavors of major community gardens everywhere, especially in the capital region, and the intended construction of the Urban Grow Center, of Capital Roots. This can also be logged as a kind of volunteer/community service, one that could potentially even play into having some of the younger, less implicated criminals complete some hours of time, as a way of completing probation. Certainly, experimentalism is a supportive structure of even the services that make

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landfills sustainable and the education that ensures that Food Banks are feeding the underprivileged in a way that is nutritious to the general population.

11 Finally, the "Organics Quality" presentation, from NYSASWM poses a question, since

6,100,000 tons a year of garbage are exported, on page 5 (Brevinton 2016). Why encourage

others to export waste, which one can only assume is doomed for controlled disposal, when one

can compost your organic food scraps (and evidently more), into organically-fueled compost?

One can utilize organic food, with the hope that other products they utilize to create their simple

compost are also organic. Green food waste systems also encourage households to use green

products- such as recycled paper and organic/home-grown produce. One can also put non-

diseased and non-invasive plant remains (from gardens) into the compost.

Certainly, there are many other designs of sustainable waste management, such as black

fly larvae compost. The Waste360 website outlines Volatile Organic Compound resolutions, as

well this “break-through” documentary on “landfill mining”, highlights how, one day, landfill

mining might take layers from the Town Landfill, (Kerfoot 1994). This group believes in the

potential of landfill mining, keeping in mind the blatant fact that the decentralization of landfills

does not work in most cases. There are types of regulations, big business support, energy

collection systems, agreements, and simple monetary constraints that cannot be fought with tiny

landfills that are aesthetically more appealing to the public. It is the hope of this group that all

buried landfills, from the mid-late 20th century, are harnessed to their full potential, so long as

this is not a waste of energy at current standards considering how long the garbage has been

sitting.11