World Earthworm Day 2020 Webinar

The theme for the 5th annual World Earthworm Day on 21st October 2020 will be "Super Composters" – celebrating the relationship between man, waste and worms! We have teamed up with the Earthworm Society of Britain to put together this "virtual meetup" (webinar) for those interested in learning more about vermicomposting and the important role that earthworms can play in helping us deal with our waste.

Click here to book your place

Earthworms & Composting Webinar

This webinar will be around 90 minutes long and include a series of compost-related talks followed by a live Q&A with the speakers. The event will be hosted using Zoom, a videoconferencing platform (you don't need a webcam or microphone to attend and can turn your video off if you prefer). Timetable:

  • Welcome – An introduction by Keiron Derek Brown, Earthworm Society of Britain (15 mins)
  • Compost Ready To Use Within A Month – Mick Poultney a.k.a. The Compost King (15 mins)
  • Worms & Peace  - Anna de la Vega (15 mins)
  • Mid- to Large-Scale Vermicomposting Around the World - Rhonda Sherman (15 mins)
  • Live audience Q&A with speakers (30mins)

Click here to book 

The speakers

Keiron Brown from the Earthworm Society of BritainWelcome 

Keiron Derek Brown first became interested in earthworms through volunteer work on ecological projects for the Natural History Museum (London). Keiron now manages the FSC BioLinks project, with the aim of inspiring amateur naturalists to take up the identification and recording of invertebrate groups that are often forgotten and rarely recorded. In his spare time he is an active member, and trustee, of the London Natural History Society and is the national recorder for earthworms (running the National Earthworm Recording Scheme on behalf of the Earthworm Society of Britain).

Not all compost earthworms are the same, so Keiron will introduce the organisms that will be staring throughout the event, give an introduction to World Earthworm Day and the Earthworm Society of Britain before officially relaunching the Earthworm Compost Survey.

Mick Poultney a.k.a. The Compost KingCompost Ready To Use Within A Month

Mick Poultney is a retired firefighter and now known on Facebook as ‘The Compost King’. He’s given talks all over the UK on composting, as well as on raised bed & no dig culture. He’s presented at BBC Gardeners World Live, Malvern Spring & Autumn Show, edible Garden Show and is close to finishing his book on composting.

Through trial and error Mick can now get his compost ready to use within just a month. All of the materials he uses are natural and the majority are free. Mick has learnt to work with nature and uses his compost as a growing medium 100%.

Anna de la Vega from The Urban Worm CICWorms & Peace

Anna de la Vega is Founder & Director of The Urban Worm CIC. Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Travel Fellow and Panelist. Anna researched vermiculture in the USA & Cuba under the fellowship and has an academic background in food security and urban agriculture.

Worms are the worlds unsung heroes. Throughout the world worm farming is revolutionising  agriculture and organic waste management, helping us move towards regenerative practices that have the capacity to directly  tackle climate change and repair degraded soil.  Anna will share her experiences from her travels, offering a global perspective, and how we can make changes at a local level through community led action and within the home.

Mid- to Large-Scale Vermicomposting Around the World

Rhonda Sherman, author of The Worm Farmer's HandbookRhonda Sherman is a leading authority on vermicomposting. She has authored over 65 publications including the book The Worm Farmer's Handbook: Mid- to Large-Scale Vermicomposting for Farms, Businesses, Municipalities, Schools, and Institutions.

Earthworms can transform organic materials such as food scraps, manure, crop residues, sludge, paper waste, etc. into a valuable soil amendment. Vermicompost increases crop yields and suppresses plant pests and diseases. Learn about a variety of worm farms around the globe. 

Live Q&A with speakers

A chance to ask the experts about any questions you may have. 

Cost

This event is heavily subsidised by the National Lottery Heritage Fund through the FSC BioLinks Project. A further discounted rate is available to members of the Field Studies Council and Earthworm Society of Britain.

  • Discounted – £5 (discounted subsidised rate available to current members of the Earthworm Society of Britain and Field Studies Council)
  • Attendee – £10 (subsidised rate available to all)

Click here to book your place