By Greg Gerritt, Coordinator, RI Compost Initiative
The RI Compost Initiative is a project of the Environment Council of Rhode Island Education Fund, funded in part with a grant from the Community Catalyst Fund of Clean Air-Cool Planet. For the past 3 years we have been working to develop a compost industry in Rhode Island that would recycle (by composting) the 250 tons of food scrap that currently end up in the landfill each day. The economics of composting are pretty weak in RI because the legislature sets the tip fees at the Central landfill, and the tip fee has not changed in 20 years despite all the other changes we have gone through. While we work on policy issues and have been testifying at public hearings, the most useful work we can do is to bring together interested parties and help them form alliances, networks, and partnerships to create the industry despite the obstacles.
The 2012 RI Compost conference and trade show is the place to bring them together. We have speakers ranging from the Executive Director of the US Composting Council to the Worm Ladies of Charlestown. We are presenting a wide range of speakers from the industry, but more importantly we are offering a trade show with more than 30 exhibiters from the industry. It is in the trade show that the alliances and partnerships will be found and formed.
Cool Planet 