Here's how you can keep Earth healthy and happy

Summer-Time Fun

Isn’t it wonderful that you can go out and play cricket in summer? Or go for a swim? Or just go for a long walk in the garden looking at all the trees and listening to the birds? So that you can continue to enjoy all the lovely moments in your holidays, you need to look after the Earth.

Even though the Earth is a very big place, taking care of it is very important. Imagine, if you don’t take care of the Earth, in a few years there may be no playground for cricket, no trees, no birds in them. Summer holidays will be so boring.

So here is a simple summer activity that will help you look after the Earth by learning to recycle waste and turning it into manure.

You will need a container to hold the waste. A medium-sized flower pot will do quite well. Collect all the organic waste in your kitchen – like vegetable bits, fruit peels (avoid fruit like oranges and lemons), scraps of food, used tea leaves and coffee powder – for two or three days and place it in the pot along with little bits of waste paper, any grass you may have cut in your garden or dried twigs and leaves.

Don’t put too many dried leaves and twigs – about one part of dried leaves for two parts of wet waste is perfect. Cut up the bigger leaves into small pieces if you need to. This will help expose the leaves to more air and increase the rate of composting.

Make sure the pot is about three-fourth full. Spray a little water on the waste to keep it lightly moist (not soaking wet). This helps the microbes grow and turn the waste into manure. Cover the pot with a lid (a piece of wood will do nicely). Remember, when the waste is warm, the microbes grow faster. When the microbes grow faster, they turn the waste into manure faster.

Soon enough, the waste will begin to smell. Don’t worry. Just open the lid and stir the waste with a strong stick. The microbes need air. When you turn the waste from time to time, it provides air to the microbes. Once you do this regularly, you will notice that the smell reduces. But to begin with, we suggest you keep the pot in a corner of the garden or on your terrace.

Check every day to keep the pile of waste in the pot lightly moist and warm. Keep stirring regularly.

In about 60 to 90 days, you will see a dark brown “soil” that is healthy, nutritious, good manure. You can use this in your garden and all the plants will be thrilled by the wonderful manure you have made.

Top tip for composting: Make sure you do not have any meat, skin, bones or dairy products in the waste pile or these will attract lots of pests. While composting, the pile of waste will attract flies and rats.  This is natural. The eco-friendly way to ensure this does not happen is to add a handful of neem leaves to the pile of waste. When you use the compost with neem leaves on your plants and trees, it will help keep them extra healthy as the neem will prevent pests from attacking your plants.

There! You have learnt to recycle waste, create organic fertiliser that does not have chemicals that harm the Earth and also learned to use neem leaves to keep pests away in an environment-friendly way.  Go ahead, keep the Earth happy and healthy.