Tuesday, April 30th

9:00-10:00 AM: Composting in NH: Collaborations with VT and Leading New Programs

Composting in NH will provide an overview of how the Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission (UVLSRPC), whose jurisdiction lies just across the Connecticut River, has engaged municipalities, schools, and communities in composting initiatives. Through partnerships with professionals and highlighting case studies in Vermont, UVLSRPC has provided resources, workshops, and technical assistance to those interested in diverting their food to compost. This session will highlight the regulatory framework and resulting changes in New Hampshire. The talk will also detail UVLSRPC’s processes for engaging local officials and residents in starting pilot programs and encouraging home composting practices. The session will follow with time for a discussion.

Presenter: Majestic Terhune, Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission

• 00:00-02:41 Introduction by Natasha Duarte, CAV Director

• 02:41-29:43 Majestic Terhune, UVLSRPC

• 29:43-54:47 Q&A and discussion

• Download the slide deck (pdf)

• Learn more about their work at uvlsrpc.org

11:00 AM-12:00 PM: Implementing Full-School Composting - The Wins and the Worries

This presentation explores the benefits and barriers of introducing composting to youth and leading them through the implementation of and participation in school lunch organic waste diversion in a local K-5 school in GA. We will include observations and share research from other nearby schools that have already hosted successful programs and explore a partnership with a local commercial composting business. We will discuss crucial elements of success, including funding mechanisms and securing leadership and custodial buy-in. The presentation will conclude with student and teacher testimonials, adaptation, impact (5,584 lbs of waste diverted in our first 5 months!) and plans for sustaining the program.

• Moderator: Elly Ventura, World Centric

• Presenters: Lauren Hoade, Briarlake Elementary School/Sustainability Matters, and Kate Michalak, Briarlake Elementary School

• 00:00-02:22 Introduction by Natasha Duarte, CAV Director

• 02:22-05:47 Introduction by moderator, Elly Ventura

• 05:47-56:33 Presentation by Lauren Hoade and Kate Michalak, followed by discussion

• Download the slide deck (pdf)

• Resources shared:

  • Briarlake Green Composting Guide

  • FAQs and Barriers Addressed from the Upper Valley Super Compost Project

1:00-2:00 PM Urban Abundance: Neighborhood Composting & Food Rescue

This presentation will outline the successes of grassroots-led food rescue and an opportunity for decentralized composting efforts within the urban landscape of Burlington, VT. Both missions were initiated to empower residents to engage with neighborhood food systems, and to uplift urban alternatives for food access that are otherwise unaddressed. Sarah will highlight the progress of the FNB network in collaboration with co-op residences in Burlington, and the critical role of local supermarkets in preventing food loss and upstream waste. Bo will share about the collaborative joy of a neighborhood pilot and offer scales of opportunity for community composting across urban zoning districts. John will provide an overview of technologies that support decentralized composting, and the value of producing biologically robust compost to improve soil health.

Presenters: John Culpepper, Compost for Good, Sarah Hobson, Food not Bombs, and Bo Meisl, SoilCycle BTV

• 00:00-02:45 Natasha Duarte, Introduction

• 2:45-22:41 John Culpepper, Compost for Good

• 22:41-37:34 Bo Meisl, SoilCycle BTV

• 37:34-52:48 Sarah Hobson, Food Not Bombs

• 52:48-01:02:29 Q&A and discussion

• Download the slide deck (pdf)

• Resource shared:

  • Free, open-source community-scale In-vessel composter design from Compost for Good

    • Recorded webinar from John “An affordable, buildable, easy to operate, commercial rotating drum composter for schools, organizations, and small communities” (VORS 2020)

  • Recycling & Composting Container Grants from CSWD

3:00-4:00 PM One Man's Journey to Soil

This session provides primers on soils and soil biology. We will trace the major shifts in soil management practices that led to regenerative agriculture and highlight new soil science research, including rhizophagy, quorum sensing and theories of plant/microbe communications. NRCS soil health principles will be reviewed and we’ll dive into how to start implementing them.

Presenter: Robert Kurth, Master Gardener

• 00:00-02:29 Introduction by Natasha Duarte, CAV Director

• 02:29-59:08 Robert Kurth, Master Gardener

• Download the slide deck (pdf)

• Resources shared:

  • The Five Principles of Soil Health - Interview at Groundswell 2019, Jay Fuhrer

  • Soil Health: Principle 1 of 5 – Soil Armor, Jay Fuhrer, NRCS Soil Health Specialist

  • Soil Health: Principle 2 of 5 – Minimizing Soil Disturbance, Jay Fuhrer, NRCS Soil Health Specialist

  • Soil Health: Principle 3 of 5 – Plant Diversity, Jay Fuhrer, NRCS Soil Health Specialist

  • Soil Health: Principle 4 of 5 – Continual Live Plant/Root, Jay Fuhrer, NRCS Soil Health Specialist

  • “Soil Health … Our shared journey”, Jay Fuhrer

  • “Quorum Sensing In The Soil Microbiome”, Dr. Christine Jones

  • “Extracts & Slurries - Compost Tea - RegenerateLA Training Series 1 | Part 21”, Nicole Masters

  • “Biopriming Seed Treatment”, Nicole Masters

  • “Microbial diversity and root exudates as an important facet in the rhizosphere ecosystem” (Abstract)

  • “The Four Stages of Plant Health”, John Kempf

  • “Rhizophagy Cycle: An Oxidative Process in Plants for Nutrient Extraction from Symbiotic Microbes”, Dr. John White, et.al.

Special thanks to:

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