The annual Rhode Island Compost Conference & Trade Show brings together food waste generators, composters, food recovery organizations, regulators, legislators, and the general public to network, to trade ideas and learn more about compost and the food waste ecosystem.
Help us advance wasted food solutions in Rhode Island!
The conference will share best practices in the composting of food waste. Attendees will come away with knowledge of many different composting methods, as well as a good sense of what tactics typically do and don't work. Attendees may be composters, haulers, municipality personnel, school students, faculty, administrators, restaurant owners, or really anyone who's eager to learn alternative methods of food waste disposal.
This year’s event will feature nationally recognized keynote speakers, four tracks of morning and afternoon panels representing solutions for municipal and community food waste, surplus and wasted food in schools and helping businesses, over 15 local and regional exhibitors, and an Ice Cream Social to close the day!
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 8 am | Registration, Breakfast, Exhibitors |
| 9 am | Introductions (Rhode Island Food Policy Council, ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ,11th Hour) |
| 9:30 am | Keynote: Domingo Morales - NY Times featured Compost Advocate, founder and CEO of Compost Power |
| 10 am | Keynote Discussion |
| 10:30 am | Morning Breakout Panels 1 |
| 11:45 am | Lunch |
| 1:15 pm | EPA Community Change Grant and Equitable Composting Systems discussion |
| 2 pm | Afternoon Breakout Panels |
| 3:15 pm | Closing Words - DEM (Solid Waste Management Plan) |
| 3:30 pm | Ice Cream Social |
This panel will feature presentations on the importance of composting in schools, student lead initiatives to increase it, and schools who are finding innovative ways to reduce food waste.
How can we design municipal composting programs? best practices for facility and hauling design, how urban trails can impact a pickup program and showing how community scale compost hubs can be additive parts of your municipality.
How can businesses address food waste? Panels will focus on technical assistance to assist with implementing reduction/donation/composting programs, a successful example of implementing an internal program at NEC solar and how businesses and organizations can host zero waste events.
Food Recovery for Rhode Island is a program that educates community members to become leaders in reducing, recovering and composting surplus and wasted food. This panel will feature stories from graduates on the projects they completed within their communities and how you can get engaged.
Schools have seen up to 70% reduction in waste when they implement programs, learn how you can implement programs, how you can sustain it and what state funding program like Get the Foam Out have been able to do to drive change.
Hear on the ground examples of how municipalities are implementing food waste diversion programs including updates from the City of Providence, how municipalities in MA are implementing diversion programs, the MA Food waste ban and how the FCSDW is supporting over 30 drop-off schools and other municipal waste reduction programs.
Hear about how new technologies are allowing medium scale communities to open facilities and start programs, biochar is quickly being integrated to supercharge compost and technology and best practice trends from account the country.
There’s a network of organizations and services working to ensure food that might not make it to markets are still feeding those who need it. Learn about gleaning projects here in RI, MA and how they work together to rescue and redistribute food.
We work to mobilize sports, maritime, and coastal communities with an innovative approach to inspire solutions for the ocean and promote collaborative, systemic change through three primary areas of engagement: sponsorships, grantees, and ambassadors.
