THE BROWN & BEAUTIFUL STORY OF COMPOSTING

Compost is a highly valued resource these days; however, the history of amending soil to grow better crops dates back to prehistory. A nutrient-rich organic soil amendment, the so-called ‘black gold’, named for its dark colour and the many benefits it brings to our rapidly degrading environment, compost is regaining popularity among both gardening enthusiasts embracing sustainable practices and those who advocate organic produce.

While the world is rapidly catching on to a trend that has made a welcome comeback, Karma Lakelands has been practising the art of biocomposting for several years. Keeping environmental sustainability at the heart of everything we do, one of our most passionately undertaken eco-initiatives is biocomposting.

BIOCOMPOSTING

Our compost is created from plant clippings and pruning collected from across the campus, which are gathered and mixed with cow dung and sewage pumped from the staff quarters, villas, and Klub. The combination of this biomass with sewage eliminates unpleasant odours and prevents the presence of flies or mosquitoes. In this way, the decomposition process, accelerated in time and concentrated in space, mimics what nature accomplishes in forests.

This is the process of soil building. What takes decades in the wild, we are able to concentrate into a matter of weeks. Dead plants become soil, and that soil in turn nurtures the next generation of plants in the garden. This cycle has existed since life first emerged on Earth, life begetting life. At Karma Lakelands, we believe that composting is not merely a soil amendment practice or a standalone effort towards responsible agriculture; it is also an integral part of our overall waste management policy, helping us move towards becoming a zero-waste organisation.

Our restaurants and domestic kitchens segregate waste at the source. Raw vegetable peels and fruits, known as pranic waste (excluding leftover cooked food, tea leaves, onion, and garlic), are fed to the cows and quickly turn into dung. Goats enjoy nibbling on broken branches, weeds, and plant prunings. Non-pranic waste, including cooked food and non-vegetarian leftovers, is given to the chickens and ducks. This system helps create and accelerate the composting process.

VERMICOMPOSTING

‘Vermis’ is the ancient Latin word for worms; therefore, vermicomposting is essentially the decomposition of organic material by worms. At Karma Lakelands, we have 6 vermicompost beds. The worms perform their magic on both waste matter and soil, producing a nutrient-rich organic fertiliser and soil conditioner called “vermi compost”.

Vermicomposting uses specially bred worms to aerate the soil and convert organic matter into compost. Worms are efficient feeders that consume the bacteria growing on waste organic matter and pass it through their digestive system, producing worm castings or “worm poo”. This worm manure, or vermi castings as it is politely and officially called, may be useless waste to a worm, but to a gardener it is an excellent soil conditioner and enhancement medium. Vermicompost not only contains worm castings, but also their bedding materials and added organic waste at various stages of decomposition, allowing other micro-organisms to attach to the digested organic matter that has passed through the worm.

In line with a strong focus on eco-responsible practices, the composting and vermicomposting initiatives are also extended to K Villa, the residence of Mr Ashwani Khurana, President of Karma Lakelands. To expand the eco-footprint and encourage citizen participation, plant clippings and pruning from the farm, as well as from the entire Green Avenue neighbourhood, are collected and placed into various pits. Septic tanker operators emptying sewage from different farms deposit it onto the biomass piles and pits, which over a few months transform into rich compost. This process is what we at Karma Lakelands call “From night soil to soil energiser”.

The cow dung is also processed through a biogas plant that generates methane gas to fuel the staff kitchen at K Villa, while the slurry produced is further used in the vermicomposting process.