March 14: Compost Conference

Charlestown's Earth Care Farms will be a major presentor

Environment Council of Rhode Island, Greg Gerritt  Coordinator  The Compost Initiative

Charlestown's Jayne Merner Senecal  of
Earthcare Farm will be a speaker

The 2019 Rhode Island Compost Conference and Trade Show will be held on Thursday March 14  from 8:30 AM to 3 PM in the Donovan Dining center at Rhode Island College.  

Organized by the Environment Council of Rhode Island and the Office of Sustainability at Rhode Island College, it is the yearly gathering of the compost industry in Rhode Island.  

This year to celebrate the 10^th conference the Morning Plenary will include 5 short talks by people who have been involved in the compost industry and the conferences for most of the last 10 Years. 

What is most different about the compost industry from 10 years ago, is that the past 2 years has seen a stream of new businesses in the compost industry and a massive movement to remove food scrap from the waste stream, now that the infrastructure to do it has begun to develop. 

Many of the new businesses in the industry will be exhibiting and speaking at the conference, that in addition to workshops features a mid-day trade show. 

Schools are the next compost frontier, and the day will conclude with a panel organized by Foodscape on compost and RI schools.

The entire lineup for the day is included below.  People can register at the Environment Council of Rhode Island Website https://www.environmentcouncilri.org/2019-compost-conference-trade-show  and walk ins will be welcome the day of the conference.

The lineup for the 2019 RI Compost Conference:  

9 AM   The morning  plenary will celebrate 10 years of Compost conferences with 5 people who have been involved in the RI Compost Scene for most of the last 10 years discussing the changes they have seen
James Murphy   RIC Office of Sustainability

Terry Gray   RIDEM

Jayne Merner Senecal  Earthcare Farm

Tim Faulkner    ecoRI news

Michael Bradlee  The Compost Depot at Frye Gardens

Morning Workshops

Session 1  10 AM

Rhodeside Revival LLC. Rhode Island's local curbside composting program

Conor McManus, Miguel Costa Rhodeside Revival

Alternative uses of Compost in Stormwater Management and Green infrastructure   

Jack Eaton   Filtrexx Northeast Systems

How a community composts : one example from the front lines of local composting   

Michael Bradlee  The Compost Depot at Frey Gardens

Existing and emerging infrastructure for food waste - a regional perspective  

Coryanne Mansell    Center for EcoTechnology

Session 2  11 AM

The Role of the Composter: Waste Managers or Land Stewards?   

Jayne Merner Senecal   Earth Care Farm

Progress in collecting compostables in dense RI neighborhoods  

Leo Pollock  The Compost Plant  David McLaughlin  Clean Ocean Access

                   Katie Murphy  Groundwork RI   Nellie de Goguel City of Providence

Rethinking Sanitation: Composting toilet basics   

Conor Lally   Nutrient Networks

Prince George’s County (PGC), MD compost project    

Greg McCarron, William Conrad  SCS Engineers

There will be a trade show in the middle of the day

Exhibitors already committed to attend include:

Biobags America

Bootstrap Compost

Center for EcoTechnology

Filtrexx Northeast/EJ Prescott

Groundwork RI

Listening Tree Coop

Nutrient Networks

Rhodeside Revival

RI Department of Environmental Management

RI Resource Recovery Corporation

Afternoon Plenary  1:30 PM to 3

Composting at Rhode Island Schools

Diane Calvin Foodscape     Moderator

Panelists  Tim Faulkner Miguel Costa