Monday May 2nd

1:00-1:30 PM State of the State of Organics, from Josh Kelly, Solid Waste Program Manager at the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation

Download a pdf of the State of the State presentation.

Links to the materials referenced:

• From EPA - Emerging issues in food waste persistent chemicals and plastic contamination

• From UVM’s Dr. Eric Roy - Testimony provided to VT House Natural Resources Committee

References shared in chat:

• EPA literature review of PFAS and plastic levels detected in food waste and compost

1:30-2:30 PM Keynote: Finian Makepeace, Kiss the Ground

Finian Makepeace is the Co-Founder, Policy Director & Lead Educator of Kiss the Ground. He is a renowned presenter, media creator, and thought leader in the field of regenerative agriculture and soil health. His dedication to Kiss the Ground’s mission of “awakening people to the possibilities of regeneration”, has motivated him to develop training programs, workshops, and talks designed to empower people around the world to become confident advocates for this growing movement.

Links shared in chat during the Keynote:

• Flour vs. Bread Demonstration at Paicines Ranch by Didi Pershouse

• The Compost Story (Full Video) by Kiss The Ground

• Soil Advocate Training with Kiss the Ground

• Regenerate America

3:00-4:40 PM: The Compost Carbon Connection and Carbon Offsets through Soil Regeneration

Curious how composting can help reduce the impacts of climate change? This panelists in this session talked about the relationship between greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, carbon sequestration and compost use and helped quantify carbon sequestration and other climate-related benefits of composting. After providing an overview of current regenerative agriculture programs, they assessed the practical application of the Climate Action Reserve’s Soil Enrichment Protocol. This protocol uses compost soil amendments for the generation and marketing of Voluntary Emissions Credits. The panelists discussed the strengths and gaps in the current protocol and looked at how future research investments could offset credits through compost amendments for soil GHG emissions capture.

Presenters:

• 00:00 Introduction by Natasha Duarte

• 05:00 Sally Brown, University of Washington

• 25:57 Gordon Hilbun, One Earth Fund

• 50:20 Andrew Carpenter, Northern Tilth, LLC

Resources shared in the session:

• VORS 2021 Keynote presentation from David Montgomery

Special thanks to:

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