2010 Vermont Organics Recycling Summit

Gaining Ground: Building Soil and Community

2010 Vermont Organics Recycling Summit

The Composting Association of Vermont and Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation will host the Fourth Annual Vermont Organics Recycling Summit (VORS) at Vermont Technical College in Randolph Center, Vermont on Thursday, April 1st 2010. The theme of the Summit is “Gaining Ground: Building Soil and Community.”  The keynote speaker, Nora Goldstein, is the editor of BioCycle, and author of numerous articles on composting, organics recycling and anaerobic digestion. Nora also serves on numerous solid waste and biosolids recycling advisory committees.  Nora will address organics recycling issues from the national perspective with an emphasis on the challenges and opportunities for rural areas and small cities.

This year VORS offers six workshops to further organics diversion and composting in Vermont. Featured workshops include: “Closing the Loop” an overview of the Close the Loop Vermont! Campaign to increase the diversion of food residuals from landfillng to composting; a demonstration on how to use the new Vermont Compost/Biogas Data Finder; Community Planning for Diversion and Composting; Compostable Packaging: Sorting Through the Hype; Uses of Compost for Stormwater Management and Erosion Control, and; Carbon Credits and Organic Diversion: What’s the Connection? For more information about the Summit workshops and presenters, see the registration site: http://regonline.com/VORS2010
 
By building the infrastructure and know-how in our communities, Vermonters can make the transition from a waste disposal model to a resource management model for organics. Research at Vermont’s own Highfields Center for Composting, indicates that diverting 100% of the food residuals generated in Vermont to composting would produce enough fertility for 17,000 acres of vegetables.
 
As former Vermont State Compost Specialist, Vicky Viens, has observed, “I often hear people say that food scraps, manure, and agricultural wastes can provide some of our energy needs.” They can also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions while improving soil health and providing fertility needs for crop production. Now more than ever we need to weigh our options at the community level, and have dialogue about our priorities for nutrient cycling.”
 
For additional information contact: Roni Coleman, ronic@riverstoneresolutions.com, 802-277-3360.
 
The Composting Association of Vermont (CAV) is a nonprofit that supports and promotes organics recycling that protects and benefits the environment.  The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation (ANR/DEC) is dedicated to protecting and improving the health of Vermont’s people and ecosystems and promoting the sustainable use of Vermont’s natural resources.