This event is part of the NYC Food Waste Fair 2021. To see all NYC Food Waste Fair events, visit www.foodwastefair.com
About this event
Compost isn’t just good for the planet -- it’s good for business. Learn from fellow business owners about how you can turn your waste stream into a revenue stream through composting and other operational changes.
Moderator: Susan Thoman (she/her), Principal and Managing Director, Composting Manufacturing Alliance
Susan Thoman is a thirty-year veteran in the solid and hazardous waste, recycling and alternative raw materials management field. She is the founder of the Compost Manufacturing Alliance, a private industry group that certifies compostable products to recognized lab and field standards. Susan spent twelve years on the senior leadership team at Cedar Grove Composting in Seattle serving as marketing director and vice president of corporate development.
Speakers include:
Ceci Pineda (they/them), Executive Director, BK ROT
Ceci is a queer gender non-conforming organizer, earth steward, musician, and facilitator learning how to live in right relationship with the land. They are dedicated to climate justice through community-based land regeneration and queer and trans* people of color liberation through cultivating reconnection with earth work. Ceci is the Executive Director of BK ROT, a youth-powered composting project.
Sashti Balasundaram (he/him), Founder, WeRadiate
Sashti is an educator developing novel approaches for technology and digital tools to mitigate climate impact and enhance soil health. He is a certified Master Composter receiving accreditation from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the founder of WeRadiate which uses smart-sensor digital technology to enhance efficiencies with farms and compost facilities. He is a graduate and holds a Public Health degree from Columbia University, New York.
Brian Fleury (he/him), General Manager, Facilities, WeCare Denali
Brian Fleury is the General Manager of Facilities at WeCare Denali, LLC. Mr. Fleury has been employed by WeCare for over 20 years in various roles within the organization. Since 2018, he has been leading the Facilities Group, currently operating at 24 sites throughout the USA. He is the 2021 President of the United States Composting Council and has been on the Board of Directors for 8+ years. He lives in Orange Co., NY.
Rhonda Sherman (she/her), Extension Solid Waste Specialist, North Carolina State University
Rhonda Sherman is the Director of the Compost Learning Lab at NC State University where she has been teaching vermicomposting and composting for 28 years. Rhonda gives 50 presentations annually and has authored over 65 publications. Her latest book is The Worm Farmer’s Handbook by Chelsea Green Publishing.