This week most of you will be receiving an emailed bill or a communication about your USCC dues and STA Certified Compost participation - we’re sure you remember we switched the due date for all of these to June 30, 2019. Pay especially close attention because this year we’re starting a $100 late fee for STA Certified Compost Participants who renew after June 30, 2019.
Welcome to new participants who have joined the STA Certified Compost program over the past year. These compost manufacturers have made a commitment to quality products and vigorous marketing. Please give them a call to welcome them and share experiences.
One of the hallmarks of a great certification program is the requirement for continuing education - but why? Because being certified not only means you showed gained mastery over a job, but that you are maintaining that mastery through ongoing education. As a small organization with a relatively new certification program, we know we can’t provide enough educational opportunities ourselves, so we are always on the lookout for other events.
The New York City Sanitation Department (DSNY) and WeCare Organics joined the Composting Council Research and Education Foundation (CCREF) for the national kickoff of International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) in Bay Ridge Brooklyn, N.Y.
 
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Almost every day, Garbage to Garden hauls away 21 tons of food scraps that end up as compost in local farms, like Benson Farms in Gorham, and back in the hands of customers, but the business didn't always see such enormous amounts. The company had humble beginnings, and a mission that started six years ago, to change composting culture in Maine.
Food manufacturers take commodities harvested on millions of acres around the world and put them into the products they sell. Now, a growing number of companies are looking to give back to the land through regenerative agriculture in an effort to meet consumer demand for more environmentally friendly practices.
The 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report gets to the point: We must reduce emissions by 45% by 2030, followed by a 2050 goal of net-zero emissions, for the people on this planet to avoid devastation. NPQ has kept an eye on the Green New Deal, considering such points as nationalizing fossil fuel companies and the technology necessary to achieve zero emissions.
Just as International Compost Awareness Week is nearing an end, the National Arts Centre (NAC) announced its new composting program which will replace plastic food and drinking containers with compostable, plant-based alternatives on May 9. An estimated 500,000 wine and beer cups, utensils, straws and plates used by visitors at the NAC annually will be diverted from landfills due to the new project, which is set to officially roll out later this summer.
Dowling Elementary is one of many schools in the U.S. implementing new recycling policies through collaboration with its janitorial staff. Composting is one part of the effort to reduce food waste; existing policies like giving students enough time to eat, scheduling recess before lunch and expanding student meal choice can make a big difference in reducing the amount of food waste produced in the first place.
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The USCC Young Professionals Committee is accepting applicants for the upcoming mentor/mentee season (July 1 2019-January 31, 2020). We are especially in need of mentors! We have a large number of mentee applications coming in! Click here to apply.
For the seventh straight year, Cedar Grove will offer four college scholarships, in the amount of $2500 each, to graduating seniors from four area high schools. Each scholarship will be awarded to a student who has demonstrated interest, action and achievement in issues surrounding sustainability and the environment (i.e. Green Team membership, Eagle Scout project involving building a garden, supporting school’s recycling and composting efforts, environmental courses, camps, etc.).
Thank you to our Young Professionals Webinar Committee and speakers for a truly informative series that kicked off International Compost Awareness Week. The series, titled "The New Composter," was designed and organized by the Young Professionals Webinar Committee; listen to both by clicking here.
Hannah Miller, USCC’s summer marketing intern, is a rising senior at Mount St. Mary’s University currently majoring in business with a concentration in marketing. She has been active in agriculture her whole life. Hannah grew up on a farm and has always been interested in plants and animals. She plans on becoming a marketing manager or international marketing executive, preferably in an agricultural company. She is excited for this summer’s internship to learn more about bringing compost programs to universities.
Composters are faced with turning increasing quantities of feedstocks into valuable compost, and then quickly moving that product into end users’ hands. Partnerships and marketing tools are important to moving product, as A1 Organics’ experience shows. With more than 44 years of experience with recycling organic materials, A1 Organics is a leader in organics recycling within Colorado.
Cedar Grove was recognized by Seattle Business magazine as a Company of the Year in the Large Manufacturer category. The company creates a high-quality organic compost, highly sought after by government agencies, landscape architects, landscapers and homeowners.
Joe Jenkins, longtime member, winner of the USCC’s H.Clark Gregory Award and author of The Humanure Handbook, has just published the fourth edition of his book, subtitled “Shit in a Nutshell” with updates and new information. USCC will be carrying the book in our store next month!
Our newest chapter has taken off running! The Nebraska Recycling Council celebrated International Compost Awareness Week with three exciting activities.
Welcome to all our new members for April!
NatureWorks in Minnetonka, Minn., seeks a circular economy specialist. This position will report to and assist the senior circular economy manager with the development and coordination of projects, as well as liaise and collaborate with the industry association.
USCC is a proud partner of the #Pac12TeamGreen Sustainability Conference, June 25-26 at the University of Washington. Consistent with its reputation as the Conference of Champions, the Pac-12 is the first collegiate sports conference to convene a high level symposium focused entirely on integrating sustainability into college athletics and across college campuses.
Through the 2019 Recycling Market Development Grant Program, the DEQ will provide grants to for-profit and non-profit businesses and organizations, cities, villages, townships, charter townships, counties, tribal governments, municipal solid waste authorities, resource recovery authorities, schools, health departments, colleges/universities, regional planning agencies and any other business or organization located in Michigan to fund recycling market development projects.
We are looking for speakers and workshops on a variety of topics for our conference January 28-31, 2020 in Charleston, S.C. Proposed presentations should include information that is relevant to compost manufacturing and related professions. Apply here!
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Jun 2019
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June 10-12, 2019; Indianapolis, IN
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Jun 2019
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June 11, 2019; Baltimore, MD
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17
Jun 2019
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June 17-19, 2019; Bonita Springs, FL
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18
Jun 2019
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June 18, 2019; Asheboro, NC
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19
Jun 2019
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June 19-20, 2019; Philadelphia, PA
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21
Jun 2019
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June 21, 2019; Iowa City, IA
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25
Jun 2019
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June 25-26, 2019; University of Washington, Seattle, WA
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30
Jun 2019
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June 30-July 3, 2019; Fort Collins, CO
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5
Aug 2019
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Aug. 5-9, 2019; Ithaca, NY
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11
Aug 2019
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August 11-14, 2019; Rancho Mirage, CA
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26
Aug 2019
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August 26-28, 2019; New Orleans, LA
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Sep 2019
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September 9-13, 2019; Raleigh, NC
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Sep 2019
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September 23-27, 2019; Monterey, CA
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26
Oct 2019
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October 26-27, 2019; Raleigh, NC
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11
Nov 2019
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November 11-15, 2019; Denton, TX
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28
Jan 2020
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January 28-31, 2020; Charleston, SC
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From the Top of the Pile
