The poop on composting case study answers

Please answer all the questions that in the Word file that about talking the subject "Waste and A Natural Resource". Also, the two PDF files provide you with more information about the subject, so kindly use them to answer all the questions in the Word file.

Name________________________________________________________ Part I – The College Visit Miles was visiting a local university with his mother. The tour guide, Jen, was explaining that the university had numerous environmentally sustainable features, including solar panels, geothermal heated water, and composting toilets. Miles’ mother had just finished a 20 oz. café mocha and was looking for a trash can just as Jen pointed to her coffee cup and said, “We have a composting program, too, and it looks like your coffee cup is compostable. You can check the cup to see if it says ‘compostable.’ As long as it is made of paperboard, and not plastic or styrofoam, it can be composted. So be sure to put it in the proper bin.” Miles’ mother nodded. Jen continued, “This is our student-run garden. We grow tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, radishes and many other veggies, which we sell to the campus cafeteria or donate to the local food pantry. We also use the finished compost to fertilize the gardens.” Miles whispered to his mother, “Mom, you should start a compost pile at home. We could reduce the amount of waste we put in the landfill just by composting and make soil for your garden, too.” “I don’t know much about composting, though.” After the tour finished Miles and his mother went to the cafeteria to get lunch. They each had a burger, french fries and a soda. They picked up their trays and went over to the waste sorting station; a blue bin was labeled Recyclable, a green bin had a Compost Organic Waste Only label and a brown bin was marked Landfill. “Miles, I’m so confused. What do I put in the compost bin and what do I put in the trash?” “I know you can put the soda cup in the compost bin because it is marked ‘compostable,’ but I don’t know about the french fries I didn’t eat.” “And what about the paper plates?” his mother asked. Questions 1. Differentiate between waste and a natural resource. Explain how food waste could become a natural resource. 2. Define “organic” as used in the phrase “organic waste only” on the compost bin. 3. Describe the general characteristics of compostable material. In other words, how do you know if something is compostable? 4. Why do most composting resources discourage composting of pet waste? Part II – Environmental Science Class Miles decided to attend the university with the solar panels and composting toilets because it was important to him that the campus was committed to environmental sustainability, plus it wasn’t too far from home. He also registered for environmental science his first semester to learn more about environmental sustainability issues. On campus, he continued to use the green bins for his compostable waste, like banana peels and apple cores, but he wasn’t sure what happened to the compostable material from there. The third week in his environmental science class, his instructor, Dr. Hall, explained a bit about composting. Miles took the following notes about composting: Miles was really excited about composting because he wanted to reduce his environmental impact as much as possible. He already recycled and donated unwanted clothes to the thrift store but he knew he could do more. As he was thinking about all the waste his family produced, he heard Dr. Hall ask for volunteers to help with composting on campus. Miles immediately volunteered. Miles met with Dr. Hall later that day to discuss what he would be doing. “Miles, it’s nice to meet you. We have been collecting compostable materials on campus for about two years now. We count on help from students like you to run the composting program. Your responsibilities will include weighing and adding new material to the compost pile, recording the temperature of the compost pile, and aerating. These tasks must be performed every day, though you are only responsible for Tuesdays; our other volunteers will cover the rest of the week. If you are sick and can’t pick up the compostables, please be sure to let me know since we don’t want the compost collection bins to attract fruit flies. Also, the compost pile should not smell. If you notice a smell, then you should aerate. You’ll find a compost aerator in the shed. It looks like a corkscrew, and you just push it down into the compost then pull it out which will add air to the pile.” “I’m very excited to learn how to compost. I plan to show my mom how to start composting at home.”