BioCycle October 2010, Vol. 51, No. 10, p. 4
Nora Goldstein

If it’s any solace, today’s environmental and economic challenges are not unique to any particular country in the world. Whether developed or developing, all nations face the repercussions of climate change and global recession. And all will benefit from sustainable resource management strategies.
That reality – and the opportunities it creates – is the core theme of BioCycle Global 2011, our International Conference on Composting, Organics Recycling and Renewable Energy, April 11-14, 2011 in San Diego, California. This October 2010 issue of BioCycle serves as the official launch for conference outreach and planning, for we truly want to make this a global event that as many countries and communities as possible can be part of – hopefully by attending, but at a minimum, having their innovative solutions shared via presentations, articles and news reports.
The Call for Papers for BioCycle Global 2011 is open until December 15, 2010. Key themes of the Conference include: Integrated materials and organics recycling to maximize diversion and capture/reuse of resources; Composting and compost utilization; Anaerobic digestion of municipal, agricultural and industrial organic waste streams; Biogas conditioning and markets; Facility management, including odor and emissions control, product quality, profitability; Local food systems integrated into organics recycling and sustainable agriculture; Green infrastructure; Biosolids recycling and composting; Current research; Public policies and regulations that incentivize composting, organics recycling and renewable energy, stimulate markets and job creation and sustain enterprises and communities; and Models from around the world of cities, town, regions and countries that have successfully integrated durable, permanent sustainability into resource management – reducing climate impacts, conserving water, building productive soils, generating renewable energy and more.
Articles in this issue’s BioCycle Global report – representing five of the seven continents – are a sampling of the topics we plan to include at the April 2011 International Conference. North America isn’t included in the section (it’s represented in other articles in the issue), as our initial outreach was to colleagues in other parts of the world. But at the Conference, and in upcoming BioCycle Global reports, all flags will be flying!
We encourage you to visit our website, www.biocycleglobal.com, to submit an abstract and to track International Conference developments over the next few months. We also are seeking information on projects, programs and communities that are taking steps toward – or have fully implemented – sustainable resource management. Please email the information (brief description and people to contact) to Dan Sullivan, editinfo@jgpress.com.