Preparations for the 2013 Rhode Island Compost Conference and Trade Show organized by the Environment Council of Rhode Island Compost Initiative are moving along nicely.  Several sponsors, including ecoRI, Full Circle Recycling, Shapiro Enterprises, and Waste Management have already signed on to support the event.  In addition to the sponsors there are commitments for exhibits from Big Hanna, Earth Appliance, Vegware,RI Resource RecoveryCorporation, EarthCare Farm, Ecoassets, and the URI Master Composters Program.

 

The speakers program is going to be very interesting with Gretel Clark, who developed the Hamilton Massachusetts compost collection program, keynoting. 

This year there will be a number of workshops on compost related topics including home composting, what restaurants and institutions can do, the science of compost, and how to move the industry forward in Rhode Island.  Speakers lined up include Ken Ayars of RIDEM, Mike Merner of Earthcare Farm, Nancy Warner of the Worm Ladies of Charlestown, Paul Frade of PFTrading company, Scott Miller talking about innovations in compost at Johnson & Wales University, Dr Robert Rafka discussing the science of compost,  Reinhard Sidor of the URI Master Composters program, a speaker from Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation, and Representative Art Handy on the state of compost on Smith Hill.  Some of the panels are not fully populated, and if you have appropriate expertise and would like to speak for 15 minutes as part of a 3 person panel, please get in touch with Greg Gerritt.

 

Sponsorship and exhibition hall opportunities are also still available.   Packets on sponsorship and exhibiting can be obtained by emailing Greg Gerritt at  environmentcouncil@earthlink.net  or calling 401-331-0529. 

 

The conference fee is $25.00 per person, but lunch alone at a place with the culinary reputation of Johnson & Wales ought to be worth the price.  Come join us on February 8 in Providence.

 

Tentative Agenda

 

8:30 AM  Registration begins and trade show opens.

9  AM      Welcome    Greetings From hosts, conveners, and dignitaries 

9:25 AM   Charge for the day

                                   

9:35  AM       Keynote  Gretel Clark     Hamilton MA compost program

10:15 AM announcements

10:20 AM  head to workshops

First session of panels  10:30  to 11;25

Solutions for restaurants   Matt Genusio  Chez Pascal  Paul Frade PF Trading

Home composting   Nancy Warner  Worm Ladies of Charlestown     Reinhard Sidor URI Master Composter

Compost science  Dr. Robert Rafka 

The environment in RI for advances in composting  Frank Jacques  Buxton Hollow Farm     Greg Gerritt  RI Compost Initiative

 

 

Second session   11:35 to 12:30

Solutions for institutions  Scott Miller   JWU  , Jim Murphy   RIC     David Temple Vegware

The state of compost on Smith Hill  Rep. Art Handy (invited)  

In vessel aerobic composting   John Clifford     Big Hanna

Compost, soil, and food in Rhode Island   Mike Merner  Earthcare Farm    Ken Ayars   RIDEM

 

Lunch and Trade Show at 12:30  in the exhibition hall

          

2 PM  panel   what next    Panelists from  RIRRC,  RIDEM, Massrecycle. 

3 PM  next steps   

3:15 PM  Trade show