Tuesday August 29, 2023, at 9.00 – 10.30 a.m. – Khon Kaen University carried out the project: enhancing nice community around the campus. Ajarn Natsamol Tanakulrungsarit, Assistant to the President for Special Affairs presided over the training, with Mr. Kamolpong Thongdeenok, Deputy Director of Sam Liam Municipal School; Mr. Somchat Chai-ayut, Chairman of Sam Liam 3 Community; Asst. Prof. Tanapatsakorn Sukitprapanon, Ph.D., a lecturer from the Department of Soil Science and Environment, Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kaen University; and Mr. Chumporn Para, Director of the Communications Division. The training, held at Sam Liam Municipal School, was attended by over 100 students, interested community people.
KKU’s project to enhance nice community around the campus aims to promote or strengthen the communities around the campus to create nice living places and good relationships between the University and the communities, in accordance with the strategic plans of administration 2020-2023 and under the Strategy of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) towards Creating Shared Value (CSV).
Ajarn Natsamol Tanakulrungsarit, Assistant to the President for Special Affairs said that Khon Kaen University sees the importance of the communities nearby. And on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the University, this project to enhance nice community around the campus is carried out to promote and strengthen the communities and promote academic service works that will bring new bodies of knowledge to the communities for sustainable development.
“Sam Liam Community is the first model community that joined in the promotion and building of garbage separation, with Sam Liam Municipal School being the learning resource of the community. At the same time, the project instills the youths with awareness in organic waste management at the household level, by teaching them to make compost and hence lessen the amount of waste efficiently. The community people can apply the knowledge at home. This kind of project of KKU will be regularly carried out.”
Mr. Somchat Chai-ayut, Chairman of Sam Liam 3 Community explained about the need of the community and the approach for community development. Sam Liam 3 Community has received good cooperation from the school and Khon Kaen University. The problem in the community lately is the big amount of waste that could not be collected by the Municipality according to the time set. The problem is the community’s trouble. Despite the Municipality’s attempt to buy more garbage trucks, they are not enough. Therefore, the community has to revise the approach to dispose of wastes from the household level.
“We have shared the problem of the community to Khon Kaen University, and we have received cooperation from the University by performing this project to enable the people to know how to manage the problem by themselves. This will be sustainable for the community in waste disposal and hopefully the amount of waste will be reduced.”
After the opening session, Ajarn Natsamol Tanakulrungsarit, Assistant to the President for Special Affairs gave the baskets for making household compost to representatives from Sam Liam Community 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Then another kit set for making compost was transferred to the school as the learning resource for compost making from leave and food wastes. The next session was the training on reduction of food waste by making compost by Asst. Prof. Tanapatsakorn Sukitprapanon, Ph.D., a lecturer from the Department of Soil Science and Environment, Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kaen University.
Asst. Prof. Tanapatsakorn Sukitprapanon revealed that in general, there are many kinds of household waste, including scraps of plastics and metal and organic wastes that can be made into compost, which can be used for growing vegetable, trees and helping to manage the problem from the beginning. At the same time, this lessens the labor cost, too.
“Normally when we dispose of waste, the Municipality of each community will collect it. Next is the separation process. The management of waste here requires cost. If householders separate organic wastes, it would help to lessen cost and labor required for this process. Making compost at the household level is not based on any fixed formula. The food wastes and leaves can be dumped at the prepared place to be filled with manure that helps decomposing. Sometimes, manure may not be used because of its smell. At this stage, we must add water to increase moisture.”
“Dry leaves take 2 months to decompose, while fresh vegetables and fruits take only 1-2 weeks. Tree branches must be chopped first and left to ferment for a couple of weeks before the decomposed part can be used as fertilizer. From research on management of many organic materials, it was found that compost including dry leaves will improve the chemical and physics properties of soil, making it fertile and good for growing plants and crops. The soil can absorb fertilizer much more.”
News: Rawiporn Saisaenthong
Photos: Boriphat Thasi
