The Whys and Wherefors of Goldenrod Products

I've been ask "Why Vermicomposting", perhaps the following will give a clue.

WHY Vermicomposting and Goldenrod Products.

Why was Goldenrod Products started in the first place, where is it going (hopefully) and what will be the end result?

 

"I have a dream"

I could at this point make a grandiose statement about cleaning up the environment and have all the environmentalist applaud me. Cleaning up the environment is a by-product of AVSA. So, I won't do that.

I started Goldenrod Products because I needed the money, I loved what earthworms do for the earth and its something that I can honestly believe in enough to sell to someone else.

FACT

If there isn't MONEY in recycling, there is very little recycling. Bread and butter come first, then humanitarian efforts, picking up trash on an empty stomach, without the benefit of money, doesn't sound all that good to me, perhaps if you are a totally self-sacrificing individual that doesn't mind watching your child starve, while you pat yourself on the back and await the applause from the other self sacrificers, then it would be okay.

I love earthworms, they are the best little guys in the world, fantastic pets, they don't wet on the carpet, leave sharp bones laying around to be stepped on, scratch up the furniture, or have to have their bowl changed. Nor do they howl at the moon. They mind their own business and dispose of smelly old garbage in a way that benefits nature, plants and mankind. Even their Poop (castings) are odorless and good for plants! They obediently stay in their place (beds) and complain very little, if at all. Certainly NOT like my pet rooster or goat that run into the house every time they see the door open...that's another story!

I originally started my adventure in 1974, (see My history) with Red Wiggler

earthworms, I loved the vermicompost idea. I've always loved having plants,

gardens and all those pretty green things around me, but I never quite liked

the idea of the chemicals that were needed to keep them that way. So, after

trying the vermicompost on my plants, I was hooked for life.

I spent years, doing it like everyone else, trying new things as they were discovered, but I could never see a way to make the money from the vermicompost, as I wanted to do. I didn't want to sell the worms, I wasn't interested in all the work that was required for fish bait, and I didn't see the advantage of filling up some guys backyard with wormbeds, what was he going to do with them? Sell them to someone else, who would have another backyard full of earthworms, and so on. Just didn't seem right

to me. Sure I could have made some money, but in my heart I knew I wouldn't like it, and that the earthworms were worth far more then that.

I did manage to start Goldenrod Products in 1986, I separated out the castings, just like everyone else, bought the bags, labels and sold to some local stores. But I was a single mom with a 18 month old baby, living by myself (with her) and trying to do it all by myself. I just wasn't physically capable of doing all of the manual labor, and I couldn't afford to hire anyone.

The well went dry and I lost everything. I gave up on my dream for over 10 years and did what I had to, to raise my daughter and feed us. But, in the back of my mind I was designing AVSA, I finally built a prototype in 1995 and tested it, I couldn't afford the Stainless Steel that I wanted, so it was constructed out of plywood and angle iron. It worked! But, still my prior business failure haunted me.

Finally I didn't have any choice, I had to either re-start Goldenrod Products or starve, so I started Goldenrod Products again, by the way for those that might wonder over the selection of the name, if you unscramble Goldenrod, it spells Lord en God" Products. I have to give credit where it's due! Besides Goldenrod the plant, has received a bad rap from the hay fever sufferers, (its really ragweed , that blooms at the same time, that's the villain) just as the earthworms have received a bad rap from the fly-by-night salesmen. THIS is not Trivia, it took me years to figure out a name that was HONEST!

It took me years to design AVSA also, but you know what? I finally did it.

I know what most are saying by now, a woman can't design and build a wormbed that works. Right I didn't design a wormbed, I designed and built a totally new unit and process that works!

It works as well as or better then anything that has been tried thus far.

There is one other reason that I designed AVSA as I did, remember my first business and the hard work, well I used my head instead of my back this time. I'm 5'2", 125 lb. grandmother. I wanted something that I could easily use, work and separate the casting out of, that I didn't have to pay someone else to do, or repair mechanical things that I now nothing about. I designed it to be simple but totally efficient unit, that was capable of processing the huge amounts of "organic matter" that I wanted to convert into vermicompost ($$$).

 

I didn't want a hobby in the backyard, I'd already had that. I wanted a good, clean, efficient business in a warehouse, that contracted with the city to recycle their garbage into vermicompost, and sell it world wide to people that care about what they return to the earth. People that care whether or not their children, grand children will have a safe place to play in our parks, yards, forests, etc., A place that isn't poisoned with chemicals, but that uses natures best product to keep it green and healthy. Okay, so I am a little bit environmentalist at heart, but shouldn't we all?

Where do I see Goldenrod Products going:

I would love for Goldenrod Products to be part of a unique group of businesses that advocate a franchising, co-op system. Where each area would have a central location that processes the garbage for that area, where all of the vermicompost could be collected, bagged and resold. With that area receiving the benefits from it.

I'm NOT anti-government, (well not totally so yet!) but without even claiming any physic abilities I can see down the road, where the government will pass "legislation" that everyone will be required to bring their garbage to one central location, where the government will process it (at the taxpayers expense) and resell it back to themselves (at inflated rates) and still charge You and I for hauling off our garbage! And the

taxpayers will pay for the whole process.

Hopefully by making Garbage a money making business venture now, we can short circuit big government from further intrusion into our lives, they already own everything, do they have to get our garbage too?

AVSA is A Very Simple Answer to Complex problems.

Copyright@Goldenrod Products 1998 All Rights Reserved

Updated 10/19/02