Burying Pants and Vests to Save the Big Mac

Churcher’s College Green Team investigate biodiversity and soil health in eco study.

Mr Ostersen and a branch of the Green Team conducted a whole school assembly on insect decline, pesticide use, meal worms and fertiliser and how these all relate to underpants and vests!

This project was investigating the fact that 66% fewer insects were recorded around the world [Ed. UK] in 2021 than in 2004 and how this will affect much of our lives from bio-diversity to food security. For instance, a Big Mac in a world without bees will look very different from today. There will be no coke, French fries, lettuce, sauces and even the sesame seeds from the buns will be gone!

To investigate the soil quality in our area, the students buried underpants and vests in three different locations around the school site – one pair of underpants underneath the Headmaster’s Lawn and a further two vests next to one of our rugby pitches; one with 1 kilo of meal worms (which encourage the development of other critters which break down items such as clothing), the other without.

Their hypothesis was that if the soil was healthy then the underpants would be full of holes after being buried for a few weeks as the tiny beasts living in the soil eat through the cotton. Generally speaking, the higher the biological activity within the soil, the healthier it would be and the faster the underpants would disintegrate.

The results

After three months under the ground of the Headmaster’s lawn, the underpants were completely gone; eaten by the small critters. When the vests were dug up, the one without the meal worms was identifiable while the other, was almost completely gone!

The overriding message from the children was that soil health is incredibly important as this helps us look after the Earth’s biodiversity, while one of the most helpful things humans can do is to go light on the use of pesticides and fertiliser, where possible.