October 2005 minutes UPDATED: 11/08/2005

Steering Committee

Meeting Minutes

Wednesday October 19th, 2005 12:00 AM

NCSU Weaver Labs Room 101

Western Blvd & Dan Allen Dr

Raleigh, NC

Present: Frank Franciosi, Brian Rosa, Rhonda Sherman, and Tom Christenberry

 

I.                    Treasurer’s Report- Started the month with $11,841.71 in the account. There were two major expenses during the month of October $677.12 for Top 10 Reasons to Compost T shirts and $449.63 Kinko’s Graphics and pictures for the CCC display. This leaves a remaining balance of $10,714.96

II.                 Newsletter – Articles should be forwarded on to Lisa Frase of CRA at lisaf@cra-recycle.org until we can find a replacement for Lynn Lucas.

III.               Webpage – Update – The CCC webpage has been updated by Lynn Lucas. We now have a section on Compost Use in Erosion Control. Lynn is working to complete the Resource Guide and comments should be submitted to Lynn via the webpage email address. Any information regarding the CCC webpage should be sent to Lynn at thegooddirt@yahoo.com . Lynn has decided to resign her Steering Committee position and we will miss her strong dedication to the council. 

IV.              CCC Table Top Display – We have new graphics and pictures for our table top display at a cost of $450.00. The CCC display now has four separate themes:.. General, Vermi-composting, Compost Use and Erosion Control. Digital pictures from members were submitted and printed in various sizes and mounted on laminated foam core backing. We are about 80% completed on this project, but additional graphics still need to be printed. We are also short on backyard composting pictures.

V.                 Charlotte BioCycle Conference Update –

Pub Crawl – Brian Rosa and Ann Gill are working on the Pub Crawl Agenda.

Display- The General CCC Table Top will be on display.

Literature- We will display CCC Membership brochures.

Shirt Sales – The CCC will be selling polo shirts and Top 10 reason’s to compost T shirts.

VI.              Update EPA Grant – Craig Coker reports that he has no official word yet, and is wondering if funding got disrupted by Hurricane Katrina.  Apparently, CRA was able to resolve its issues with Region 4 about indirect cost percentages

VII.            Erosion Control Projects NC - NCSU Erosion & Sedimentation Workshop Oct 18th was a success. Atlantic Mulch & Erosion Control demonstrated a compost blanket, berm, and sock on a new construction site at the Lake Wheeler Lab. There were approximately 100 attendees from engineering firms, NCDOT, municipalities, and academia. The compost blanket protected the applied slope from a 2 inch plus rain event with no sediment runoff.

VIII.         USCC Report – Craig Coker was not able to attend the board meeting in Austin, TX on 9/28, but from reports he received, the meeting was entirely dedicated to the relocation of the annual conference to Albuquerque..  There's been some talk of setting another board meeting for the BioCycle conference in Charlotte next month.  Nominees for the Board have been selected and ballots issued to the membership for voting by Dec. 12.

IX.              NC Wooden Pallet Ban – Bill 1465 has passed both houses and was signed by the Governor. The law will be in effect in 2007.

X.                 CCC Compost School – We began discussion on the CCC Compost School. Rhonda Sherman has agreed to have NCSU Lake Wheeler Waste Management as the class site and lab location. We will need to work out a specific date when the room will be available. This is a new facility close to the Compost Training Facility that Rhonda is working on. The broad course curriculum is as follows.

a.      Compost Microbiology

b.      The Composting Process

c.       Feedstock Characterization

d.      Process Monitoring & Control

e.      Composting Systems & Technologies

f.        Facility Design Issues

g.      Recipe Building – Virtual & Lab

h.      Compost Quality

i.        Compost Use

j.        Facility Tours

XI.              New Business

a.       Strategic Planning for 2006-ICAW/Earth Day – Brian Rosa will contact USCC to find out the timing of ICAW 2006. Brian suggested that we launch this information at the CRA Conference in March and state wide in conjunction with Earth Day Celebrations.

b.      Collaboration opportunities – We discussed opportunities to collaborate with Carolina Farm Stewardship Association and other like groups to develop synergy for organics. Rhonda will contact CFSA to see if there’s an interest. Frank and Brian will begin comprising a list of other organizations that would have similar interest.

c.       Mystic Farms – Brian put forth a request to fund $500.00 for Compost Tea Testing at Mystic Farms. The request was not put forth to vote. Discussion followed that the information gained would be anecdotal and funding such a project would open CCC to requests for monies from other commercial groups and outside projects.

d.      CRA Conference – Brian Rosa will be presenting an abstract on Food Waste Diversion in NC and Rhonda has offered to do a presentation on Key Components of Successful Backyard Composting Programs. The Novozymes Nature’s GREEN-RELEAF Compost and Mulch Production Facility will be on the CRA Conference site tours. 

XII.           Next meeting – November BioCycle Conference TBA