City of Dreams Manila (COD) has established eco-efficient operations on property, namely a vermicomposting facility, an herb garden, and a greenhouse nursery.
The practice of vermicomposting will enable COD to be self-sufficient in providing organic compost to the ornamental plants used in the resort’s landscape and in the propagation of the existing plants.
Vermicomposting involves the use of worms in converting organic wastes to produce a potent vermicast, which then can be used as compost, and is far more superior to chemically manufactured fertilizers as it provides more nutrients to the plants, and is more potent compared to normal garden soil. Meanwhile, vermitea, another by-product of vermicomposting, is also being used as liquid fertilizers for the different plants across the property
Vermicomposting within the property will also help in the resort’s waste management by drastically lessening the organic wastage from vegetable trimmings, fruit peelings, egg shell remains and used coffee grounds, which are collected and used to feed the worms at the vermicomposting chambers.
Agriculturist and COD’s Landscape Manager Cirilo Alerta who initiated vermicomposting on property says that on an everyday basis, about 63 kilos of used coffee grounds, 20 kilos of fruit and vegetable peelings, and 3.35 kilos of egg shell remains are being gathered from the different kitchens and outlets of the property, and are then brought to the vermicomposting area located at the rooftop of the parking building. To date, COD’s vermicomposting area is composed of six chambers with a total of nine cubic meters of capacity that are able to produce about 380 kilos of vermicast and about 452 liters of vermitea a month.
Four additional vermicomposting chambers with 12 cubic meters of capacity are in the pipeline. This expansion aims to increase the production of vermicast and vermitea, which COD’s targets to share with local farmers as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program.
In a bid to be self-sustaining as well as promoting gardening amid a busy urban city, COD has also started its own herb garden. Also located at the parking building’s rooftop, the garden is growing herbs such as peppermint, coriander, sawtooth herbs, betel leaf, kaffir lime, Thai basil, holy basil, Vietnamese mint, onion chives, calamansi and curry tree; which when harvested, can support the properties’ kitchen supply needs.
As of March 2019, about 24 kilos of herbs and about 110 kilos of calamansi have been harvested at the garden. Also in the pipeline is the growing of plants through hydroponics, which when adapted, is seen to further reinforce this self-sustaining initiative.
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