Thomas Azwell

PhD student in Environmental Science, Policy, & Management
MA  Science Education  University of California, Berkeley, 2006
BS  Biology  University of Redlands, 1996

University of California, Berkeley
124 Giannini Hall
Berkeley, California, United States 94720
azwell@berkeley.edu
 cell: 510-717-4404  

If we consider plant physiology and ecology data together, a more complete picture arises. Crop productivity cannot be calculated from synthetic chemical input alone, but relies also in a crop ecosystem that by itself eliminates pest resistance and soil erosion conditions by developing a crop pathogen-free community and by efficiently cycling soil nutrients respectively. In other words, a crop ecosystem that supports and encourages strong relationships between the right members of a community is less likely to allow the introduction and settlement of plant pathogens, and also more likely to sustain natural soil nutrient cycles. A robust crop ecosystem thus translates into greater productivity and enhanced plant resistance without increasing the input of synthetic chemicals. Ideally, a robust crop ecosystem will not need such inputs and survive at the upper threshold of ecological limits.

A step in this direction is the consideration of composting within the agricultural setup. Composting relies on natural and controllable processes and provides with top quality soil nutrients at low cost allowing also the use of local biodegradable material that would otherwise end up in a landfill. The value of earthworms in composting has been extensively documented. Unfortunately, besides this knowledge, little is known about crop ecology and about its potential to enhance crop productivity. For example, ecology data shows that earthworms modify soil architecture making it more suitable for root and mycorrhizal colonization; earthworms also control pathogenic nematode populations either by direct predation or by dispersal of nematode controlling microbes.

Considering the several ways in which earthworms have been used to enhance crop productivity and resistance, and considering how little we know about them in the agricultural context, I am currently running a set of experiments that can provide with data that will help to clarify and further exploit the advantages of earthworm culture. Using an interdisciplinary approach of biomimicry and social sciences, the hope is to replicate and natural symbiotic relationships and disseminate on a scale which translates to sustaining current agricultural systems needed to maintain our human population.

Field Site:
Dave Wilson Nursery

Industrial ecology is the study of the physical, chemical, and biological interactions and interrelationships both within and between industrial and ecological systems. My research helps to identify the energy flows through commercial industrial systems, such as those closely linked to agricultural. Using principles of industrial metabolism, I first identify the way these materials flow through an industrial system and are transformed or transferred with a portion dissipated as wastes. For example, Costco Wholesale generates over 60 billion in annual sales and has a membership base of more than 50 million.

Costco contracts a collection of dedicated growers who supply large quantities of fresh produce throughout the year. A significant portion of this produce ends up in the waste stream as "D & D" (damage and destroy). I have designed a green-waste collection program which aims to capture 100% of the organic waste and transport it away from the landfill and instead to a local composting facility. The waste is then thermophilically composted before being vermicomposted--with worm 'castings' as the end product. This organic waste is effectively diverted and converted to a value-added retail item which is offered sale back to members. Costco growers are also participating in the program by applying the green-waste derived castings to their farm as an organic soil amendment, thus helping close the sustainability circle.

This research helps to identify all actors in an industrial system, develop necessary contracts and policy, design effective pedagogy and infrastructure for program implementation, and produce a pro forma which demonstrates the economic viability of the program. This systems approach methodology has many layers of complexity and thus requires an interdisciplinary lens to resolve issues. Interdisciplinarity allows us to leverage the intellectual knowledge required to approach a model of sustainability--economic viability, social equity, environmental protection.

Press Releases:
Mother Jones
USA Today

In November of 2007, a Cosco Busan tanker collided with the Bay Bridge in the San Francisco Bay and was ultimately recognized to have discharged more than 55,000 gallons of a category of oil known as bunker C crude. The non profit Matter of Trust donated natural fiber (human hair) mats and mobilized up to 500 concerned citizens a day to clean up hot zones like Ocean Beach. Though “Incident Command” reclaimed the clean up materials “for impending lawsuits”, oil of the same grade was acquired so that we could explore remediation potential to replace standard incineration methods.

Six months after the spill, I have designed a process to demonstrate the potential for fully remediating and transforming the hydrocarbons and toxins found in Bunker C crude oil. After using natural fiber mats to adsorb or collect the oil we are able to then bioremediate this matter using thermophilic and vermi-composting. The end product, after both phases of the remediation process, is a highly nutrient rich medium to be used to enhance plant nutrition and soil quality in local environments.

I believe the two-step process, thermophilic composting followed by vermi-composting, is a viable and sustainable method for hydrocarbon clean up. In addition, the demonstrated success of bio-remediating oil bi-products could measurably assist in establishing the precedent for a replicable, feasible, low cost and environmentally safe alternative to the traditional and highly toxic method of oil waste disposal—incineration. And it is precisely because the traditional process of oil waste incineration carries vast and little acknowledged health consequences for both proximate and distant populations that this project is so important. This issue also has particular significance in the Bay Area where many of the most toxic grades of oil are refined and used in shipping, heightening the likelihood of additional spills in the future. The low cost, time efficiency of the process and the project’s potential for replication in diverse climates all add to the potential for broad dissemination across both ecologic and economic borders.

Thanks to support from organizations such as Patagonia, Matter of Trust, Presidio Trust, and LIV (livngo.org) we are currently taking the field study into the lab for further analysis of the microbiology involved in the remediation process. The California Academy of Sciences has recently filmed a video of the Presidio trial to be shared with visitors to their facility.