Mary Arlene Appelhof
| Mary A. Appelhof | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 11, 1936 Detroit, Michigan, US |
| Died |
May 4, 2005 (aged 68) Rochester, Minnesota US |
| Cause of death | peritoneal cancer |
| Resting place | Benzonia, Michigan, US |
| Residence | Kalamazoo, Michigan, US |
| Education | B.S., M.S. Michigan State University |
| Occupation | biologist, teacher, artist, worm raising and container design, public speaker |
| Years active | 1960-2005 |
| Organization | Central High, Kalamazoo, Michigan; Flowerfield Enterprises |
| Known for | developing worm composting system, environmental activism |
| Notable work | Worm-a-way® worm bin |
| Home town | Alma, Ohio and Berea, Ohio |
| Movement | environmentalism |
| Parent(s) | Rev. Gilbert Appelhof, Jr. & Hilda Whiteley Appelhof |
| Awards | National Women's History Project honoree |
| Website | www.wormwoman.com |
Mary Arlene Appelhof ( 1936 - 2005 ) was an American biologist, worm farmer, and environmentalist.[1] In 2009 she was designated a Women's History Month Honoree by the National Women's History Project.[2]
Family and Education
Mary Appelhof was born in Detroit, Michigan on June 11, 1936, the daughter of Rev. Gilbert G. Appelhof, Jr. and Hilda Whiteley Appelhof.[3] Her father was pastor of St. John's Episcopal Church in Alma and St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Berea, Ohio.[4] In 1954 she graduated from Berea High School in Berea, Ohio and attended Michigan State University, where she graduated with a B.S. in biology in 1958.[3][5] Appelhof completed an M.S. degree in biology from Michigan State in 1959.[5] She later completed an M.S. in education and enrolled in advanced biology studies, an experience of five years study.[3]
Mary Appelhof was a woman of many talents, including an expert swimmer and award-winning nature photographer.[6] She taught science at Central High in Kalazamoo, Michigan and was a teacher at Interlochen Arts Academy.[3]
Designing and Promoting Worm Systems
In the early 1970s Mary Appelhof began experimenting with worms and organic waste. Her home worm container would become a new career.[7]
- "Her vision at the time of the Stockholm Conference for the Human Environment (1972) was "tons of worms could be eating tons of garbage." [7]
Soon she was publicly advocating using the earthworm to recycle food waste.[7] As “Worm Woman,” she introduced thousands of schoolchildren and home gardeners to vermicomposting. She was awarded a National Science Foundation grant to do videomicroscopy of live worms.[8][9] This resulted in a DVD "Wormania."[9][10]
Flower Press
Mary Appelhof purchased an old mimeograph machine from the Democratic Party in the early 1970s.[11] She used it to produce a brochure, "Basement Worm Bins Produce Potting Soil and Reduce Garbage."[11] By 1976 her publishing interests were firm, and she founded Flower Press. She later explained her thoughts on self-publishing her bestseller, Worms Eat My Garbage.[12]
- My goal, however, was not to make lots of money, but to influence people's thinking. To get them to think differently about waste, and give them tools to deal with it. Self-publishing my book was the way I could do that. So I learned what I had to learn to be able to do so.[13]
Works
- Worms Eat Our Garbage. Flower Press 1982; November 1, 1997, ISBN 978-0-942256-10-9
- Worms Eat My Garbage: How to Set Up and Maintain a Worm Composting System. Nov 2006, ISBN 978-0-9778045-1-1
- Wormania [DVD]. Flowerfield Enterprises. Available from wormwoman.com
References
- ↑ "National Women's History Project". Nwhp.org. Retrieved 2013-12-27.
- ↑ "Honorees: 2010 National Women's History Month". Women's History Month. National Women's History Project. 2010. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 "Mary Arlene Appelhof".
- ↑ "Hilda Whiteley Appelhof". Grand Traverse County Deaths & Obits. Retrieved 24 Jan 2013.
- 1 2 "APPELHOF, Mary Arlene: Newspaper Obituary and Death Notice". Kalamazoo Gazette. 10 May 2005.
- ↑ Walker, Emily. "'Worm woman' leaves a legacy of teaching about environment". In Memorian.
- 1 2 3 "mary arlene appelhof "the worm woman"". A Biography of the Day. Retrieved 24 Jan 2013.
- ↑ "Celebrating gardening, plants, and weeds". EmilyCompost. Retrieved 2013-12-27.
- 1 2 "In Memory of Mary Appelhof – The Worm Women". The Compost Bin. Retrieved 24 Jan 2013.
- ↑ "Wormania". Flowerfield Enterprises.
- 1 2 "Mary Appelhof". Flowerfield Enterprises Articles. Retrieved 25 Jan 2013.
- ↑ Appelhof, Mary (1976). Worms Eat My Garbage. Kalamazoo, MI: Flower Press.
- ↑ Appelhof, Mary. "Why I Chose to Self- Publish". Flowerfield Enterprises. Retrieved 25 Jan 2013.