Compost Files February 4, 2010
Since the January 15 meeting things have speeded up. First I collected the notes and got them out to all of the attendees and interested parties. Then I started convening the committees. Policy and pilots have been the most active, so the pilot committee, as well as the completely intertwined ( mission overlap and membership overlap) committees related to Current conditions and Feasibility are being convened Policy has received quite a bit of information relating to rules and putrescibles so I can delay them a bit. The three committees (Pilots, Current Conditions, Feasibility) will meet together and separately on February 24. While I was at it I have been trying to instigate a few pilots including URI and Aquidneck Island. The Aquidneck Island effort seems to be gathering a bit of steam, so several of us are convening a meeting on February 25 in Newport to judge interest. I am getting some very interesting and productive introductions and hope to include the restaurant industry in the effort as well as farmers, recyclers, town officials, and interested activists.
The strategy continues to be talk to people and see where it leads, while trying to figure out how to start pilots with no money. That is going to take putting the right partners together, so I continue to probe for opportunities and people who have already been demonstrating interest who may be positioned to help make something happen.
Other work includes talking to Converted Organics in more depth to understand their project better, seeing a demonstration of RISD’s new desk top Naturemill composter, talking to Brown students about putting together Carbon Budgets, working to develop something in Providence, and beginning to think about funding. I am not applying for congressional earmarks this year. The deadlines are too soon and i really do not have enough substance to make the right presentation yet. With only a week to the deadline I have begun to familiarize myself with the process and opportunity but it seems that ripening a bit more might be useful there. If next year it will be a more fruitful choice, I can focus on that in 10 months. But it is time to do something substantive about funding.