The 22nd Annual BioCycle West Coast Conference - March 20-22, 2006 in Portland, Oregon - is perhaps the most cutting edge event in the world of composting, organics recycling and the renewable energy connections. The conference agenda reflects the critical role that people and companies managing the organic fraction of the waste stream play in building sustainable cities and communities. That role opens up a host of exciting project development, investment and research opportunities. A broad spectrum of organizations are cosponsoring this event, including the Energy Trust Of Oregon, the Portland Office Of Sustainable Development, Metro regional government, the Oregon Departments of Energy and Environmental Quality, the Washington Organic Recycling Council, the Northwest Biosolids Management Association, Norcal Waste Systems and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. Over 50 speakers will address what it takes to achieve sustainable cities and communities by focusing on these topics: Organics recycling and future of MSW management; Municipal agencies accelerate composting; Anaerobic digestion of MSW organics; Sustainable steps to energy independence with organics recovery; Storm water management/compost use; Strategies to optimize compost facility success; Crop connections to energy recovery; Expanding markets for recycled organics; and Food residuals recycling strategies. The final agenda appears on pages 15-17 of this issue. And conference activity updates and speaker profiles can be found on the West Coast Conference page of our website - www.biocycle.net.
On Wednesday, March 22nd, the fullday field trip starts with morning tours of the City of Portland's Sunderland Yard, which composts yard trimmings and recycles asphalt and other highway materials; the Portland Food Bank, a nonprofit agency involved in food recovery and nonedible food composting; and the ReBuilding Center, a marketplace for deconstructed and recycled building materials. In the afternoon, the Portland Office of Sustainable Development has put together an amazing walking tour of a host of innovative projects and installations throughout the city. The tour will feature innovative storm water management tools such as green roofs, bioswales and rain harvesting, state-of-the-art green buildings with energy and water conservation innovations, and native plant gardens in community parks.
In addition to the formal meeting sessions and the Wednesday tour, a variety of networking and social events are planned. They start with BioCycle's reception on Monday evening, March 20th, in the exhibition hall. Winners of prizes provided by vendors in the exhibit hall are announced during the reception. Early Tuesday morning, participants can join in a fun run (and a bit slower paced walk) along the banks of the nearby Willamette River. That evening, the Washington Organic Recycling Council and the Composting Council of Oregon are hosting a "Chat and Chow" at a nearby restaurant, providing an opportunity to network, socialize and win prizes in the councils' raffle. Plans are in the works for a Sunday evening get-together for conference participants. Details on all events will be posted on the BioCycle conference page of the website.
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