On Tuesday, March 11, nearly 250 wasted food generators, composters, food recovery organizations, regulators, legislators, and many others came together to network, trade ideas, and learn more about compost and the wasted food ecosystem at the 2025 RI Compost Conference & Tradeshow. This was the largest attendance ever!
After a welcome from RIFPC and co-host Rhode Island College and opening remarks by Michelle Carnevale from headline sponsor 11th Hour Racing, Domingo Morales, a NY Times featured compost advocate and the founder and CEO of Compost Power gave the keynote address.
Attendees participated in morning and afternoon breakout sessions across four tracks: Business, Food Recovery, Municipalities, and Schools.
Later in the day, RIFPC’s Isaac Bearg shared about the organization’s EPA Community Change Grant and facilitated a session of table discussions centered on equitable composting systems.
David McLaughlin and Allyson Brunelli from the RI Department of Environmental Management closed out the day by sharing about the exciting future of the state’s Solid Waste Management Plan, followed by an ice cream social.
AVAILABLE PRESENTATIONS:
Learning Grounds: Reducing Food Waste and Hunger in Schools
Chef Tim Brown, Johnson & Wales University
Chef Jamie Finkelstein, Westerly Schools
Katie Kirakosian, Chariho Schools
Bella Quiroa, Youth Composting Initiative
Designing a Community Food Waste Program
Tyson Bottenus, Harvest Cycle
Laura Briggs, Rhode Island School of Design
Carla Doughty, Zero Waste Providence
Zero Waste Events, Programs, and the Business Community
Tess Feigenbaum, Epic Renewal
Dana Goodman, NEC Solar
Samantha Salvatore, CET
Food Recovery for Rhode Island – Alumni Panel
Dara Benno, Food Recovery for RI
Derek Bowman, Food Recovery for RI
Bruce Thompson, Sankofa Initiative (West Elmwood Housing Development)
Schools in Action: Elevating and Sustaining School Wide Programs
Patricia Cawley, North Kingstown School District
Kelly DeAngelis & Warren Heyman, RI School Recycling Project
Katherine Ginder & Caitlin Mandel, RI Department of Education
Municipal and Community Programs in Practice
Amy Donovan, Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
Rebecca Ferguson, MassDEP Municipal Programs
Kevin Proft, City of Providence
Compost Business and Technology
Andrew Brosseau, Black Earth Compost
Sam Dixon, US Composting Council
Hannah Morini, Green Development
Food Gleaning and Rescue
Johanna Corcoran, FeedRI
Shannon Hickey & Breanne Penkala, Farm Fresh RI/Hope’s Harvest RI
Robert Lee, Rescuing Leftover Cuisine
Special thanks to our exhibitors and sponsors!
11th Hour Racing • 15 Minute Field Trips • Ben’s Bins/Rich Earth Institute • Black Earth Compost • CET • Eco-Products • ecoRI News • Ecotone Renewables • Epic Renewal • Green Mountain Technology • Groundwork RI/Harvest Cycle • Remix Organics • RI School Recycling Project • RI Association of Conservation Districts • RI Department of Environmental Management • RI Resource Recovery • USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service • WasteNaut Consulting • Zero Waste Providence