Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 16

Reflection Paper - Essay Example Allen infers that he never bothers to use a more energy intensive and expensive technology in areas where a simple technology can serve a similar purpose. In place of industrial fertilizer, he opts to create his own compost rations that serve the same purpose as the industrial fertilizer. The captioned picture in the book where Allen is standing at the top of a gigantic compost pile speaks volume of the sheer capacity of a simple technology which is less energy intensive. The compost is made from recycled farm waste, brewery waste, coffee grounds, and food waste. The composting operation is run in a greenhouse that absorbs several thousand pounds of coffee grounds from the surrounding restaurants and mash which is an output from an organic restaurant. Other inputs include tons of vegetables and fruits that are usually collected from local food banks. The composting process emits enough heat to warm up the greenhouses during the freezing winters in Milwaukee. In case of alternative, heaters and lighting in the greenhouse can be used to warm up the structure. This would have been a more costly exercise as heaters and lighting equipment would have to be acquired at a cost and additional costs put in place for fuel or electricity. Simple technology from the compost making process has addressed the problem. The way the compost is managed also depicts Allen’s preference towards simple technology which is energy efficient. Instead of commercially manufactured enzymes, Growing Power uses thousands of worms which are tasked with the responsibility of producing castings by breaking down the food scraps (Allen & Charles 62). The process makes compost and top-grade organic fertilizer every eight weeks. The thousands of worms are equally bred in huge bins which are made out of scrap lumber. Allen finds ways to innovate through fabrications of much simpler version of technology which achieves the desired