In the Lonely Planet travel guide about the Philippines you can find the sentence: "Filipinos don't need much of an excuse to hold a festival." Being here as a Junior Expert for the German Development Service involved in Education and Composting projects in the Philippines for more than six months, I can only support this without hestitation.

The Compost Parade

So why not combine education on environmental issues with a festive event and create more awareness of composting and the Solid Waste Management Programme of Bayawan City? In November 2009, 34 participants of six different schools joined the Information and Education Campaign, held in Bayawan City/Negros Oriental. Issues discussed during the two days were the:

• Current waste situation in the Philippines;
• Waste generation in Bayawan City with comparison to other cities around the world;
• Waste disposal practices, such as burning, open dumpsites and sanitary landfills;
• Segregation of waste;
• Climate Change;
• Recycling and reducing waste, special and electronic waste; and
• Most importantly composting as the average waste being generated is 56% biodegradable.

Students watering the compost and seeking for African Nightcrawlers during the fieldtrip

Composting is the intended degradation of organic waste into soil-like material with the help of macro organisms (worms, springtails and nematodes) and microorganisms (bacteria, yeast and fungi), together with water and air. To enhance the composting process, macro organisms such as the African Nightcrawler Eudrilus eugeniae can be added into compost. The principle as well as the functions and anatomy of the earthworm were taught. The activities were completed with a fieldtrip to two different compost farms in Bayawan and Dumaguete. Here the students could see and feel compost in its different stages.

Making of: African Nightcrawler

After listening and learning about the composting process, the creative and group work activities took place. Participants created worms out of papier mâché and created banners with phrases inspired by the Information and Education Campaign workshop. Not only Banga Central School, Villareal Elementary School, Bayawan East Central School, St. Augustine Academy, Bayawan National Highschool, Bayawan College and Bayawan City Science and Technology Education Centre, but also employees from the Local Government Unit of various departments marched through the streets of Bayawan in the Compost Parade.

People carrying banners

The Parade was a good chance to advertise composting as an alternative to burning waste for the residents in town.Afterwards, participants joined the closing programme in the City Hall in which acknowledgements, messages and dances finished the activity and left encouraged students and teachers to practice composting at school with their newly gained knowledge.

For further information please refer to our DED junior expert:

Evren.Sinar@ded.de

Text and Pictures: Evren Sinar