Trekking South America!

“it may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world as these lowly, organised creatures.” Charles Darwin.

trekSA set up 6 new worm farm with funds donated by our clients , this kind of initiative can go a long way to offset the carbon emissions of our flight.

Average flight Carbon Emissions of our last trip   = 2500 kg CO2.

Average Carbon Emissions reduced : by 6 Householder Worm Farm per year = 6000 kg CO2.

For every tonne of raw food waste that ends up in landfills, one tonne of emissions are released, however when composted through the use of earthworms, that number is reduced by 83% to only 0.17 of a tonne of gas emitted.

Householders can do their bit for the Global Warming problem by having a worm farm and thereby converting much of their household waste in to high quality garden soil (vermicompost) rather than have it go to landfill where it generates harmful Greenhouse gases

Vermicomposting is the process of using earthworms to breakdown organic waste material to create a nutrient-rich organic fertiliser and acts as a cheap, local alternative to the five million tonnes of fertiliser used pe annum, 66% or which is imported from overseas.

With the increasing concern of CO2 emissions resulting from air travel and their contribution to climate change, we are striving to make sure that our travellers have the opportunity to offset their own CO2 emissions from their air travel.

TrekSA made provision this year to start earthworm farms in Scarborough to compensate for our CO2 emissions ( this year travellers ) , so if you have containers with a lid ( 20 liter up to 500 liters ) and would like for us to turn into a worm farm  lets us know and we will come to you and  do the job  for FREE !

“Many people think worms are yucky, but in fact they are quite clean. They have no known diseases and their digestive system destroys pathogens. The job they do cannot be compared to anything else. If everyone had a worm farm our compostable garbage would be reduced by 1 tonne per person per year. That’s an amazing amount and worms do it all for you. They are really fantastic !

6  good reasons to start a worm farm (and how to do it)

BY PIA TAYLOR ? JUNE 18, 2008 ?

There are hardly any good reasons these daysnot to have worms hard at work munching on your food scraps.  Worm farms are easy to make or buy, and even if you don’t have a garden, there’s absolutely no excuse – you can keep them indoors under your sink!

So, if you haven’t already started your worm farm, here are six good reasons to get cracking as soon as possible…

1.  Free compost and plant food.

A worm farm is a really (really) easy way to convert all your food scraps into the most amazing plant food.  The hungry red wigglers gobble it all up and provide you not only with a compost exceptionally rich in the micro-organisms that make for enthusiastic plant growth, but also with worm ‘tea’, a fabulous (natural) liquid fertiliser.  And they do it all for free!

2.  Less waste going to the dump

Landfill sites are bulging at the seams.  By processing all or most of your food waste (in addition to recycling) you can reduce the amount of garbage you’re sending to our already over-burdened waste dumps.

3.  No more smelly garbage bins

The less food waste you put in your bin, the fewer flies and other nasties you’re likely to get coming to find something upon which to munch.  If all that’s in there is stuff you can’t either recycle or compost, you won’t get horrible smells and sudden hideous eruptions of maggots (blech – reason enough for me!)

4.  The earth is running out of topsoil.

Topsoil – you know, the stuff that’s ultimately the source of most of the nutrients and minerals we get in our food?  The food that makes human life sustainable?  Well, it’s washing right off the land and into the ocean at a mind-boggling rate (in some places as quickly as 10 times the rate that it forms) because of erosion – mostly as a result of modern agricultural practices.  The compost formed from vermiculture nourishes our increasingly depleted soil, and gives it a chance to produce more vegetation (which in turn goes back into the soil, boosting it further).  Every little bit counts.

5.  Because it’s so darned easy to do… (and cheap, too)

If money is no object, buy a ready-made worm farm .  They’re set up for you, and come in a variety of sizes and designs to suit your needs.  If your budget is tight, though, make your own!   It’s so easy, even I managed to get it right (ie the worms are still alive).

6.  That there warm fuzzy feeling

Yep, there’s something about doing your bit for this beautiful planet of ours that evokes a distinctly warm and fuzzy sensation that can be rather intoxicating.  Happiness is…

Right, so hopefully you’re convinced… now for some info on how to go about it.

Image by TrekSA

Driftwood can be used as part of decorative furniture or other art forms.

Scarborough Christmas Market, Sunday, 5 December 2010 – 10.00am – 2.00pm.

Venue: The SafariNow car park on the main road, next to Camel Rock Restaurant.

DON’T MISS OUT ON THE FUN, THE FOOD, THE FABULOUS CRAFTED GIFTS FOR XMAS AND BOOGY TO BUDGE’S LIVE BAND.

Over 30 stalls of quality hand-crafted products made by the interesting residents of this conservation village. Meet our resident astrologist. Enjoy delicious samoosas, cakes, pancakes and coffee and more.

Kids will love the face-painting and cup cake making.

Most driftwood is the remains of trees, in whole or part, that have been washed into the ocean, due to flooding, high winds, or other natural occurrences, or as the result of logging. Other sources include the remains of man-made wooden objects, including buildings and their contents washed into the sea during storms, wooden objects discarded into the water from shore (flotsam), dropped dunnage or lost cargo from ships (jetsam), and the remains of shipwrecked wooden ships and boats. Erosion and wave action may make it difficult or impossible to determine the origin of a particular piece of driftwood.

Kel and Ele will be there  displaying some of our craft from Driftwood ( recycle wood ) and Mosaics.

The season for recreational fishing of West coast rock lobster will open on the 15 November 2010 and close on the 25 April 2011.The following conditions for the West coast rock lobster recreational fishing season will apply:

From the 15 November to the 21 November 2010, fishing will be allowed every day.
From the 27 November to 12 December, recreational fishing will only be permitted on weekends and public holidays.
From the 13 December to the 31 December, fishing will be allowed every day. From 1 Jan is Closed until April.
The bag limit has been set at four lobsters per person per day and the size restriction is 80mm carapace length , permits will only be issued to persons above the age of 12 years, recreational permit-holders collecting and landing of west coast rock lobster may do so only between 08h00 – 16h00. The rock lobsters must be landed by 16:00.

A lot of media attention on recreation fishing , responsible for a very small total catch !Our attention should be focus on the commercial fishing company ,responsable for most of all seafood capture in the world.

Image by Treksa

Earlier this year, a group of hikers went to Patagonia in South America for a holiday with  TrekSA .

With the increasing concern of CO2 emissions resulting from air travel and their contribution to climate change,

we are striving to make sure that our travellers have the opportunity to offset their own CO2 emissions from their air travel.

These project will take the form of tree-planting in South America and South Africa .

So 28 indigenous plants/trees had been donated by the last year travellers and planted around Scarborough…