Earth(worm) Mother

Most of us don't understand the merits of worm poop. But that's because most of us aren't Vicki Sullivan of Grand Prairie, Texas.

"I was looking for something to give meaning to my life, something worthwhile beyond my job," says Vicki, who works 9-to-5 in records management.

She'd always cared about the environment, and was a dedicated recycler. In 2003, when her youngest child was a teenager, Vicki took a composting class offered by the city. It made her see garbage—and the world—in a whole different way.

The class included a visit to a landfill that was burdened beyond capacity. The teacher explained that half of what's found there is organic.

"After that I couldn't throw my garbage away," says Vicki. She decided to feed it to worms instead. Her first few attempts at worm composting didn't go so well, so she bought books and tried different methods until she figured out what worked.

She filled a 12-gallon tub with shredded newspaper, coconut fiber, dirt, worms and garbage. The worms eat half their weight each day. Then they poop, creating what is called worm castings, a great nutrient-rich natural fertilizer for plants.

Vicki liked the fact that with worm composting you not only reduce waste and its burden on the environment, you also produce something that literally enriches the earth.

As she got the hang of it, Vicki slowly expanded her operation, going from that 12-gallon tub to a bathtub, to an old freezer, to the rows of wooden bins currently crowding her garage. "My dream is to raise worms on a farm of at least five acres," she says.

In addition to turning her worm skills into a business, the mom of three happily shares her knowledge with the public. On April 20, she'll be talking about worms at Oak Cliff Earth Day in Dallas, and you can find her weekly at local farmers' markets.

"My kids were probably hoping this interest would pass," laughs Vicki. "But it has turned into my passion."