About the team
The Attenborough’s Avengers, a team of 8 from the School of Culture and Communication at the University of Melbourne, have been actively participating in the Green Impact program in 2024. Based in the Faculty of Arts, this enthusiastic group of educators and administrators has taken incorporating sustainability into their daily operations seriously. Their engagement with the program has incorporated the University’s sustainability goals, showcasing their commitment to environmental stewardship within the academic community.
The decision to adopt a worm farm came from a strong desire to tackle the growing issue of food waste on campus. Throwing perfectly compostable food scraps into landfill bins felt wasteful and disheartening, especially knowing the environmental harm this creates. Landfills produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and contribute to resource depletion, so the team wanted to find a more sustainable way to handle waste. By introducing a worm farm, they aimed to reduce the amount of food waste sent to landfill, turn organic scraps into nutrient-rich compost, and promote a greener approach to waste management within the school.
To make sure the worm farm worked smoothly, the school operations team stepped in to manage it and before long, the worms were being featured in the school’s fortnightly newsletter and added to the Sustainability noticeboard! On top of that, the University’s Sustainability Team hosted an Organics Tour around campus, showcasing different ways to dispose of organic waste, with the worm farm front and centre.
Getting everything set up wasn’t without its challenges. Health and safety were a big priority, and since there wasn’t an existing SOP from the university’s OHS teams, the project supervisor created a new one to make sure the farm was built and used safely.
The worm farm is now actively contributing to the university’s sustainability efforts, particularly in promoting a circular economy—one of the primary goals in the University’s Sustainability Plan 2030. By diverting food waste from landfill, the project is helping the university reach its target of cutting down waste to just 10 kg per person.
Although it started with the School of Culture and Communication, the project has already sparked interest from staff in other buildings across campus, with more people wanting to adopt similar practices.
The success of the Worm Farm Project by Attenborough’s Avengers the shows that any team with the right space can start something similar. Whether it’s driven by Green Impact teams or enthusiastic individuals, projects like this offer an easy, effective way to manage food waste on campus or in the workplace.
“When we deposit our food waste in our worm farm, it helps promote a circular economy – one of the University’s priorities in the Sustainability Plan 2030.”
