BOISE, Idaho (Achieve3000, June 24, 2010). At Dave Krick's restaurant in Boise, Idaho, humans are not the only
ones enjoying the food. Krick's eatery also serves another species of diners—worms, specifically—that work
around the clock to convert kitchen waste into compost. The endeavor is part of the eco-restaurateur's effort to
eliminate garbage.
For over a year, Krick has been feeding some 100 pounds of food waste a day to 200,000 Vermont red wiggler
worms. The worms live in a metal bin in the basement of his restaurant. The large 14-by-4-foot bin contains a
metal screen, on which the worms nestle in a mixture of organic dirt and everything from leftovers to kitchen
scraps. After the worms consume and digest the food, their excrement—called "castings"—intermingles with the
dirt, creating nutrient-rich compost soil. Krick uses the soil to grow plants in his restaurant's outdoor planters and
the garden at his home. This worm composting is known as vermiculture. The process results in less waste for a
business that would normally leave behind a lot of it.
"One of our goals is to eliminate our garbage by 2012," said the environment-conscious Krick.
Before Krick decided to take up vermiculture, he spent weeks cataloging his restaurant's garbage. He wanted to
determine where waste could be reduced. He considered the mass quantity of food scraps that either don't make it
to customers' plates or are left behind after diners finish eating, Krick decided that vermicomposting—the process
of worms creating compost—would be a good place to begin. He then set up a vermicomposting bin in his
restaurant's basement.
"We wanted to do onsite composting because it takes very little energy," Krick explained. "But regular composting
smells, because it's basically the chemical process of heating things up, and in a restaurant setting we knew that
wasn't going to work."
Worm composting is less likely than regular composting to produce an odor because the worms eat the rotting
food.
Only one other U.S. restaurant—located in Hawaii—has taken up vermicomposting. That's possibly because most
restaurants simply don't have the space to do it.
"Restaurants pay a lot of money for rent, and at the end of the day they want to just send it off and have the
composter pick it up," said Colleen Oteri. Oteri is spokesperson for the Green Restaurant Association.
There's also the potential "Ewww!" factor—concerns that customers might be repulsed by the thought of thousands
of squirming eaters nearby.
"I anticipated that," said Tracy Solomon. Solomon is sustainability coordinator for the restaurant in Hawaii that has
taken up vermicomposting. "Sometimes when I go feed the worms I get a lot of people staring at me, wondering
what I'm dumping in the bins," she said.
Still, Solomon keeps her worm bins in an outdoor seating area, right alongside dining tables. She has found that the
wriggling composters are not as unappealing to customers as she had feared.
"People just think it sounds like an interesting step to take," Solomon said.
In Idaho, Krick's vermicomposting endeavor has worked well. In fact, the restaurateur plans to purchase another
bin and double the number of worms he feeds. He hopes to eventually sell the compost at a local organic nursery.
But Krick isn't expecting to become wealthy from the endeavor. The bin he uses set him back about $12,000. He
opted to fill it with the more expensive organic soil so that the resultant compost would be completely organic.
According to Krick, selling the compost will pay for only a portion of the startup expenses.
"For us, we know that we're not ever going to [recover] the investment. But to eliminate our garbage, we find those
gains are [a part of] our business, [so it's] a matter of priorities," Krick said.
As his worm herd increases, Krick also hopes to sell starter buckets for home vermicomposting. Krick imagines a
scenario where environment-conscious customers take home doggie bags from his restaurant to feed to worms that
were cultivated in the eatery's basement. If Solomon's experience in Hawaii is any indication, Krick's plan could go
over extremely well with customers.
"Kids love it," said Solomon. "I do presentations for kids at schools, and we give starter bins of worms and
castings to the schools for their own gardening."
Decomposers and scavengers play a critical role in the structure of food chains and food webs. When things die,
they can't grow anymore. But the building block chemicals they contain, like carbon and nitrogen, need to be
recycled into the soil so that they can be reused in food webs. That's where decomposers and scavengers come into
the cycle.
Scavengers, such as turkey vultures, find dead animals to eat. In the process, they rip them into smaller pieces.
Then, decomposers such as worms, fungi, and bacteria go to work. They each break down material differently, but
they all play an important role in our environment. Without decomposers and scavengers, our world would be
overrun with dead material, and plants wouldn't get the essential nutrients they need to grow.
Dictionary
compost (noun) dead leaves, food, and other things that are added to soil to make it better
decomposer (noun) an organism that breaks down already dead organisms; it's last in a food chain
excrement (noun) solid waste that is produced by the body
organic (adjective) produced by natural processes, without the use of chemicals or artificial substances
priority (noun) something that is placed first in importance
repulse (verb) to disgust or revolt someone
scavenger (noun) an organism that eats already dead organisms
1. According to the article, why did Dave Krick decide to take up vermiculture?

He hoped to sell the compost he makes at a local organic nursery.

Vermiculture is less likely than regular composting to produce a bad odor.

He hoped to eliminate his restaurant's garbage by 2012.

Vermiculture has gone over very well at a restaurant in Hawaii.
2. The news article says all of the following except __________.

Worm composting is less likely than regular composting to produce an odor.

Tracy Solomon keeps her worm bins in an outdoor seating area, right alongside dining tables.

Only one other restaurant in the United States has taken up vermicomposting.

Dave Krick hopes to recover the costs of his vermicomposting project by selling starter buckets.
3. What is the fourth paragraph mainly about?

Why Krick came up with the idea to take up vermiculture

Why restaurants generate a mass quantity of food scraps

Why the restaurant's basement is the best place for the worms

Why reducing food waste can help sustain the environment
4. The article states:
In Idaho, Krick's vermicomposting endeavor has worked well.
Which would be the closest synonym for the word endeavor?

Venture

Bin

Soil

Feature
5. Which of these is a statement of fact?

Looking for ways to reduce garbage is an admirable endeavor that anyone can attempt.

Tracy Solomon probably gives entertaining presentations for schoolchildren in Hawaii.

Dave Krick feeds about 100 pounds of food waste a day to 200,000 Vermont red wigglers.

Housing 200,000 worms in a restaurant setting is a disgusting idea that Krick needs to reconsider.
6. The author probably wrote this article to __________.

Teach readers about the important role that worms play in Earth's ecosystem

Tell readers about the variety of ways that restaurant owners in the U.S. are helping the environment

Tell readers about a restaurant owner who is using worms to help convert food waste into garden compost

Teach readers how to earn extra money by starting their own vermicomposting projects
7. Which of these had not yet happened when this article was written?

Krick sold starter buckets to customers for home vermicomposting.

Krick filled a metal bin in his restaurant's basement with organic soil.

Krick purchased a 14-by-4-foot metal bin for about $12,000.

Krick used compost made at his restaurant in outdoor planters.
8. The article states:
Krick's eatery also serves another species of diners—worms, specifically—that work around the clock
toconvert kitchen waste into compost.
Which would be the closest synonym for the word convert?

Reduce

Transform

Cultivate

Sustain