2024 ReFED Food Waste Solutions Summit
June 11-13, 2024 | Baltimore, MD
Baltimore Convention Center
Brenda Platt
Director, Composting for Community Initiative
Institute for Local Self-Reliance
Bio:
Brenda Platt directs the Composting for Community Initiative at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, where she has worked 35+ years. Her current focus is advancing distributed composting that encompasses composting at homes, community gardens, farms, and other venues. Brenda has authored numerous reports including Stop Trashing the Climate, Growing Local Fertility: A Guide to Community Composting, and A Growing Movement: 2022 Community Composter Census, and has worked on local, state, and federal policy. She also developed a unique hierarchy for reducing wasted food that considers issues of size and local circularity. In 2017, the US Composting Council (USCC) awarded her its H. Clark Gregory Award for outstanding service to the composting industry through grassroots efforts. Brenda has a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from The George Washington University. She is a former chair and current member of USCC's Legislative & Environmental Affairs Committee.
Schedule
Thursday, June 13
10:30am - 11:30am
Digging Deeper: Bridging Infrastructural Needs, Collaboration, and Community Initiatives for Sustainable Food Waste Solutions
Breakout Session 3
How can we achieve circularity with our food and food scraps? Nearly 70% of surplus food is wasted, but composting offers a vital solution. Explore the economic opportunities of composting, including cost savings and job creation. We'll analyze policy frameworks and the power of cross-sector collaboration for systemic change. You’ll discover innovations in food waste tracking and composting technologies and learn about the role of community engagement in driving sustainability. Together we’ll dig into the value of composting and bring to the surface the infrastructure needs that will advance these efforts.