In collaboration with the US Composting Council (USCC) and BioCycle, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance is releasing the agenda for the Fourth National Cultivating Community Composting Forum from January 23rd-24th to be held in conjunction with the USCC’s International Conference and Trade Show, COMPOST2017, in Los Angeles.
These events will bring together composters to network, share best practices, and build support for community-scale composting systems and enterprises. The Cultivating Community Composting Forum 2017 is the fourth national forum sponsored by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and BioCycle.
Thank you to our sponsors!
Best Practices in Community Composting Workshop Agenda
Monday, January 23rd, 2017 • Los Angeles, California
8:30AM to 4:30pm
Agenda available here for download
8:30-9:00AM:
Welcome & Who’s Here
9:00-10:00AM:
Part 1: Key Ingredients of Community Composting
- David Paull, Compostwheels, Atlanta
- Dustin Fedako, Compost Pedallers, Austin
- Guy Schaffer, BK ROT, New York City
10:00-11:00AM:
Part 2: Small-Scale Composting Systems/Processing BMPs
Moderator: Brenda Platt, Institute for Local Self-Reliance
Presenters:
- Composting in an Urban Setting at Howard University Garden, Jeffrey Neal, Howard University Community Garden Compost Manager, Washington D.C.
- Small-Scale Systems & Technologies, Jean Bonhotal, Cornell Waste Management Institute, Ithaca
- Establishing Best Management Practices for Community Compost Sites, Renee Crowley, NYC Compost Project hosted by Lower East Side Ecology Center Project Manager, New York City
11:00-11:15AM:
Break
11:15-12:15PM:
Part 3: Hauling, Bike, & Other Logistics
Moderator: Dan Matsch, Eco-Cycle, Boulder
Presenters:
- Composting Logistics: Material, information, and Money, Michael Robinson, Rust Belt Riders, Cleveland
- Hauling Logistics & Service Design, Justin Senkbell, CompostNow, Raleigh
- The Unique Challenges and Opportunities of Bike Hauling, Kathryn Nigro, Tilthy Rich, Raleigh
12:15-1:45PM:
Lunch & Informal Breakouts
At restaurants outside of the hotel – on your own.
Breakout Topics:
- Topic 1: BMPs at compost sites
- Topic 2: Bike powered operators
- Topic 3: Outreach & marketing
- Topic 4: Business & financing
1:45-2:45PM:
Part 4: The Business of Community Composting
Moderator: Kyle Isaacksen, Reno Rot Riders, Reno
Presenters:
- Dustin Fedako, Compost Pedallers, Austin
- Jennifer Mastalerz, Philly Compost, Philadelphia
- Mary Ryther, Compost With Me, Falmouth [Massachusetts]
2:45-3:30PM:
Part 5: Community Engagement & Building Community Power via Community Composting
Moderator: Linda Bilsens, Institute for Local Self-Reliance Neighborhood Soil Rebuilders, Washington D.C.
Panelists:
- Michael Martinez, LA Compost, Los Angeles
- Corinne Coe, Terra Nova Compost, Atlanta
- Renee Wallace, Food Plus Detroit, Detroit
- Sophia Hosain, Real Food Farm – Civic Works, Baltimore
- Valerie Onifade, Howard University Community Garden, Washington D.C.
- Amy Freeman, Edible Flint & Flint Women in Ag Farm Development Center, Flint
- Lor Holmes, CERO, Boston
3:30-4:15PM:
Part 6: Breakout Discussions
Topics TBD: BMPs, hauling logistics, business plans/financial viability, outreach & marketing, policy agenda, volunteer management, community engagement/community empowerment, school composting, etc.)
4:15-4:30PM:
Report Back from Breakouts, Closing, & Next Steps
Agenda available here for download
4th National Cultivating Community Composting Forum
Agenda
Tuesday, January 24th, 2017 • Los Angeles, California
Agenda available here for download
Moderators:
Nora Goldstein, BioCycle, @BioCycleMag
Brenda Platt, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, @ILSR
8:15-9:45AM:
Part 1: Cultivating Community Composting Forum
Community Composting: Distributed, Diverse, and Growing
Welcome from Institute for Local Self-Reliance and BioCycle
Overview & Introduction to Community Composting (interactive polling)
Forum Keynote: Empowering Neighborhoods Through Compost, Michael Martinez, LA Compost
Panel: Community Composters Drive Local Programs
This panel will showcase how community composters bring public attention to composting and the potential partnerships. Commercial scale composters and haulers – along with local government – will learn the benefit of these programs and how to support/partner with community-based efforts.
Presenters:
- Sustaining Business through Collaboration, Philadelphia. Jennifer Mastalerz, Philly Compost and Tim Bennett, Bennet Compost, Philadelphia.
- Connecting Composting to Creating Jobs in Marginalized Communities, Atlanta. David Paull, Compost Wheels, Atlanta.
- Bike-Powered Collection Spurs Community Participation, Austin. Dustin Fedako, Compost Pedallers, Austin.
10:30-12:30PM:
Opening Plenary – Welcome to Compost2017
12:30-2:30PM:
Lunch in the Exhibit Hall Sponsored by Exhibitors
2:30-4:00PM
Part 2: Cultivating Community Composting Forum
Panel Discussion: Supporting a Distributed Composting Infrastructure – Dollars and Rules
This panel will address the importance of local and state financing and policies to the development of a diverse and distributed composting infrastructure that includes community scale operations. How can state agencies such as CalRecycle’s create funding incentives to support community composters? How can local government revisit districting rules to allow for community composters to compete? What local governments are already financing and supporting community scale composting?
Moderator: Brenda Platt, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Washington D.C.
Panelists:
- Bridget Anderson, Deputy Commissioner for Recycling and Sustainability NYC Department of Sanitation, New York City
- Michael Martinez, LA Compost, Los Angeles
- Christina Oatfield, Sustainable Economies Law Center, Oakland
- Kendra Bones, Commissioner Austin Resource Recovery, Austin
- Kyle Pogue, CalRecycle, Sacramento
- Chris Hunt, ReFED (formerly of Grace Communications Foundation), Healdsburg [California]
Closing Remarks
4:45-6:15PM:
ReFed’s Roadmap Hits the Road: Building Processing Capacity at the Right Scale
Discussion Panel includes:
- Brenda Platt, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Washington D.C.
Agenda available here for download
WHAT IS COMMUNITY COMPOSTING?
Community composting is the radical idea that compost is used within the same community where the material is generated and that the community participates in some way. Community composters keep the feedstocks, process and product as local as possible while engaging the community through participation and education. Projects range from urban to rural and include small enterprises, demonstration/training sites, schools, universities, pedal-powered collection systems, worker-owned cooperatives, community gardens and farms.
For more information on community composting, download our report:
Growing Local Fertility: A Guide to Community Composting
