User:Annalisemetzger/sandbox

MTSS
STORC successfully operates an almost entirely closed-loop, Multi-Trophic Sustainable System that gathers food waste and introduces it into Compost and Vermicompost systems to produce high protein sources of food for a variety of fish. These fish then produce growth-limiting nutrients necessary for vegetable fertilization. These vegetables and other items are grown at STORC and consumed locally. Produce is also fertilized by use of Compost tea, a liquid solution that is compromised of concentrated compost nutrients.

The food waste that enters this system is gathered exclusively from restaurants and cafes on the Sacramento State campus. The two main locations on campus that STORC receives their food donations from are Epicure, a restaurant and catering company that specialized in their fresh food, and the Campus Commons, the restaurant that produces fresh food for Sacramento State dormitory inhabitants, students, and guests. The food waste collected considered pre-consumer waste, which is a component of Pre-consumer recycling, where the waste is recycled and never reaches the consumer. Food waste collected from Epicure and the Campus Commons is collected in specialized bins in the kitchens, during food production, then set aside for collection by STORC.

Bio-Waste
Biodegradable waste is organic matter that can be broken down and degraded into simple compounds by micro-organisms. At STORC, this is most commonly performed with food waste (fruits and vegetables), coffee grounds, green waste and leaves. One of the most important aspects of the MTSS in the reduction in bio-waste that occurs by STORC diverting food waste and green waste from landfills and creating nutrient-rich compost from it. Not only is bio-waste gathered from campus restaurants and coffee stands, but also from campus landscaping. Green waste is gathered from nearby baseball fields and leaves and small branches are brought from all over the campus. Since organic food waste accounts for over 33% of California landfills, this diversion of waste is helping the campus to move to a more sustainable future.

Composting
Composting is the process of taking organic solid waste, like food, paper and landscaping waste and allowing it to be broken down by microorganisms, creating a nutrient rich fertilizer to be used in food production or in landscaping. Once organic waste is placed in a pile, millions of microorganisms come from the soil to help break down the food waste. There are different types of microorganisms that are found in compost piles, depending on the temperature and pH of the compost pile, which can be determined by the types of waste introduced to the compost pile. In the beginning phase, mesophilic bacteria jump-start the decomposition process by breaking down all of the most easily decompostable material, raising the temperature to a level that the next phase of microorganisms thrive in. In the next phase of decomposition, thermophilic microorganisms further break down fats, proteins and complex carbohydrates. It is during this thermophilic phase that temperatures inside of a compost pile can reach above 55°C, killing most human pathogens that may have been introduced. Once the maximum temperature has been reached, the thermophilic microorganisms tend to slow down and are replaced with more mesophilic bacteria, which continue organic breakdown. During these phases larger organisms like flies, mites and beetles also aid in the breakdown of organic matter. The time it takes for fresh organic waste to be completely decomposed is dependent on multiple factors: microorganisms present, water content, oxygen content, and surrounding air temperature, for example.

STORC operates two different compost locations, one on the STORC grounds, and one other location on the Sacramento State campus. STORC student interns and volunteers pick up discarded food waste from campus eateries daily and deliver it to both of the composting facilities. Due to the amount of waste diverted from landfills to these compost piles, hundreds of pounds of compost is ready or in the process of becoming ready for various uses. Compost is used to feed and shelter worms in vermiculture bins at STORC, which are then used to feed fish inside of the aquaponics systems. The compost is also used as a main ingredient in STORC-made compost tea, which in turn is used to fertilize plants grown in the aquaponics systems. All compost tea made at Sacramento State is made from steeping STORC compost with molasses and other ingredients to produce an ultra-concentrated liquid fertilizer.

-complex biological process using microbes to break down materials and make nutrients to plants available

-importance/relevance: in nature, energy flows and nutrients cycle (used over and over again) ( don't know if we should go into this or if it is fluff)

Aquaculture
Aquaculture is the cultivation of fish and other aquatic species in closed environments, where aquaponics is the combination of aquaculture and Hydroponics. While many commercial aquaponics systems use fish that can easily be sold for food, the species used at STORC were not chosen with that consideration in mind. CSUS Biology professor Dr. Ron Coleman was a consultant for STORC as they were choosing the specific types of fish species they would be using in the aquaponics systems. Carp, Catfish, Bass (fish), Bluegill, and Sacramento perch are all common fish species that are found in the numerous aquaponic tanks at STORC.

In an effort to repopulate an endangered species, STORC contains a system inhabited by Sacramento Perch. The Perch existence as STORC is considered a restoration effort, due to their endangered status granted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Commonly used in California aquaponics systems, once grown and released, the Perch ideally thrive and add new genetic diversity to existing populations in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta area. Studies have shown that when raised in captivity, Perch tend to prefer to eat mosquito larvae, which could potentially aid in the reduction of diseases spread by mosquitoes.

Catfish are very easy to keep in captivity, since they tend to thrive in warmer climates, like the Mediterranean climate of Sacramento.

Hydroponics
Hydroponics is the process of growing plants in nutrient-rich water, without the use of soil. At STORC, the largest hydroponics systems not involving aquaculture is used to grow plant seedlings. Nearly all plants grown at STORC begin in the seedling hydroponics system and remain there in labeled PVC pipe halves until they are large enough to be transplanted into the larger aquaponics beds, taking the place of fully mature plants that are ready for harvesting. In this specific hydroponics system, nutrient-rich water is slowly trickled into a series of PVC pipe halves, where seedlings are starting to take root to small pebbles. These pipes are angled slightly down so that the nutrient-rich water can be recycled and not lost immediately to the Hydrologic Cycle.

All plants grown in aquaponics beds at STORC begin in these containers, as transplanting these seedlings from soil to a non-soil environment would be a detriment to the entire system. STORC's largest crop are its lettuces, but strawberries and herbs are also very commonly found growing.