Hillcrest's Solar Panel

The Solar Panel at Hillcrest was put in 3 year ago from a PGE solar schools grant submitted by Mary Ann Piette. Check out this link Hillcrest Solar Panel to see how much energy our panels are producing and learn more about solar (link also posted on blog on the right). We would like to get a couple of teacher and parents retrained through solar schools. Please email us if your interested greenhillcrest@gmail.com.

Josh Plaisted, our resident solar panel expert and dad of Nico and Sage, will be helping us put in a kiosk near the solar panel so that kids can easily see how much energy our solar panel is producing. Thank you Josh!

The Eco Team is looking to improve the energy efficiency at Hillcrest. Last spring a group of middle school students completed a basic energy/water study and we are looking to start it up again this spring. We will keep you posted on when and where!

If you are looking to make your house more energy efficient this workshop might be worth attending. Also, if you plan to upgrade your house or are in the middle of an upgrade, please make sure Hillcrest gets credit when you apply for your rebates. See below for more details.

The Hillcrest Eco Team is participating in a unique new fundraiser called Energize for the Prize, where the PTA gets money when members of our community make energy efficient home improvements through a program called Energy Upgrade California.

If you’ve been considering insulation, new windows, furnace or duct work, or other energy-efficiency improvements, there are up to $4,000 in rebates available for Alameda County homeowners who make energy upgrades.  Hillcrest gets $100 for every upgrade, plus the school that helps recruit the most upgrades will earn an additional $5,000 in May. There is no cap on the number of households that can participate or the amount of money we can raise through this program. Any homeowner in Alameda County can have their upgrade benefit Hillcrest, so please spread the word!

Learn more at www.energizefortheprize.org or contact Edie Irons, our Outreach Coordinator, at 510-891-6528orinfo@energizefortheprize.org. The Hillcrest parent contact for this program is Diane Diamond.

If you’re interested in learning more about Energy Upgrade California, there is a free homeowner information workshop coming up soon. You’ll meet local contractors who do this type of work and hear from an Oakland homeowner who has been through the process. Now is the time to make those energy-saving home improvements you’ve been putting off – plus your home will be so much more comfortable afterwards!

Oakland Home Energy Efficiency Workshop

Tuesday, February 28, 6:00 to 7:30pm
Dimond Library

3565 Fruitvale Ave, Oakland, CA

RSVP: http://oaklandenergyworkshop.eventbrite.com/

Red Wiggler worms in the Kindergarten and 1st Grade

Henderson, Rochester & Inclan's class all have Worm composter's in their classrooms. Although the initial reaction from each class was Eewww... worms and worm poop. Most kids got into digging through worm compost (worm poop) to collect worms for their composter.

Red Wriggler worms, different then Earth worms, love to eat decaying fruit, vegetables and small pieces of yard waste. They use newspaper, paper towel and paper bags as shelter and will compost the paper as well. When the worms digest all the fruits and vegetables they produce a very nutrient rich "poop"soil that is beneficial to our vegetable gardens. Worm compost (worm poop) does not smell if the environment is balanced.

Red Wigglers like a moist, cool (moderate temp), dark home with small bits of fruits and vegetables (already decaying is fine). So fruits and veggies that have gone bad are fine to use. 

Our landfills are filled with uneaten food. Since most of the uneaten food is wrapped up in Plastic/packaging it can never reach the earth to be turned back into soil. By composting at home, you can easily produce great compost soil for your garden and yard. If you are not quite ready for a worm bin, Oakland encourages that all food and food soiled paper waste go into your green bin. 

The Ecoliteracy classes on Monday each made a simple home for their worms. Most kids wanted to take their worms home, so we are showing you how you can create your own worm composter. 

1) Find a Plastic Container (not clear) with a fitted lid. Drill holes in bottom for water drainage, around the top of the bin and on lid to allow in air. Also, put something under the bin to catch compost tea/drainage.

2) Fill the container with shredded paper. Add enough water to moisten all the paper but drain/pour off any standing water at the bottom. Worms will not survive in standing water.

3) Find Red Wriggler worms. The kids loved digging through an Eco Parent's worm compost to find their worms. Ask a friend who has a worm composter for some of their worms or purchase a bag at a garden center.                                                      

Fun Fact: 8 worms can produce 1500 baby worms in 6 months. Each worm is both male and female.

4) We put food (lettuce, apples, coffee grounds & filter, broken egg shells, tea leaves, yard waste) in the middle of the bedding (best to keep food in one area versus sprinkling all over). Worms will not eat meat, dairy, oils so only feed them fruits and vegetables. Don't over feed your worms initially.

Moist bedding, Compost, food & worms

5) Add compost or dirt over the food so the worms have somewhere to hang out.

6) Loosely cover the food & compost with some of the moistened bedding to help keep everything dark and moist. Cover everything with a piece of cardboard and then put on the lid. Worms like it dark!

7) We put our new worm compost bins in the a covered & shaded area.

For additional instruction click here Cheap & Easy Worm Bin.

We will keep you posted on the compost we are creating in the classroom!

- The Eco Team