CRRA 2023 Conference and Trade Show

Director of Operations

Leo Beckerman serves as the Director of Operations for Zero Foodprint. He oversees strategy and day to day management of Zero Foodprint’s programs including Compost Connector in California and the Restore Grants, available to farms and ranches implementing Climate Smart Agricultural practices in California, Colorado, Georgia, and New York.  Leo has a background in public health, education, and non-profit management, and has built and managed teams on four continents.

Optimizing 1383 Procurement for Agricultural Climate Solutions

Zero Foodprint is on a mission to change the way food is grown to combat climate change. In response to SB 1383, Zero Foodprint created Compost Connector to help jurisdictions reach their targets for ROWPs by matching them with farms and ranches using compost. Zero Foodprint facilitates the purchase of qualifying compost or mulch products, and delivery to a participating farmer or rancher that can apply the product on their land to promote healthy soil and carbon sequestration. As a non-profit, Zero Foodprint also has a cost-sharing model that splits the costs three ways between the parties.

Senior Management Analyst

Michele Young has worked in agriculture and solid waste industries for over 30 years, and currently works for the County of Santa Clara.   She has applied her BS in Agricultural Business, and a Master’s in Environmental Science to diverse programs including large scale organics collection and composting; home composting and sustainable landscaping; energy from organics; recycled water; and storm water management.   Implementation of SB 1383 has allowed Michele to revisit and re-apply past efforts to enhance new regional programs that support compost production and utilization.

Leveraging Climate Smart Agriculture to Support SB 1383 Procurement

Santa Clara County is leveraging their Agriculture Resiliency Incentive (ARI) Program, and Zero Food Print, to support climate smart farms in the County that apply for funding through the ARI grant program, as well as providing local projects that County cites can invest in to meet their SB 1383 Procurement targets.   Attendees will learn how the County is linking general fund, grant, and partner city funding to increase climate smart practices in the County, generate the needed contracts and records for SB 1383, and expand the use of compost and mulch in the agriculture sector. 

Sustainable Agriculture Specialist

Raised in Redwood City and living in San Jose, Colleen is proud to call the Bay Area her home and is deeply committed to the preservation and community-led stewardship of our regional open spaces, public parks, and agricultural lands. Colleen is a farmer with almost 10 years of experience working on small and mid-scale organic farms, as well as multiple years of experience coordinating educational and community engagement programming related to agriculture. At the ACRCD, Colleen manages the Sunol AgPark and works on urban farming initiatives, as well as supporting carbon farming and healthy soils programs. Colleen is a dynamic and driven manager with a passion for mentorship, accountability, and mutual growth, and she is a farmer deeply committed to sustainability and the stewardship of our regional agricultural heritage.

Carbon Farming: Building Partnerships to Scale Soil Amendments in Agriculture

California’s Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs) work on public and private lands to advance the conservation and enhancement of natural resources, including supporting farmers and ranchers to implement climate smart agricultural practices. The Alameda County Resource Conservation District (ACRCD) works with farms and ranches throughout Alameda County, as well as public agency partners to guide soil-beneficial management practices within its Carbon Farming, Urban Agriculture and Healthy Soils Technical Assistance programs. Carbon Farm Planning is the synthesis of holistic planning and technical assistance, and the quantification of carbon sequestration benefits and avoided greenhouse gas emissions. Soil health tools include the use of amendments—compost and mulch—materials important to meeting organic recycling targets under SB 1383.

ACRCD is collaborating with Alameda County and StopWaste to develop a compost procurement program that advances compliance with CalRecycle-mandated organics targets while benefitting agricultural producers. ACRCD is leveraging existing programs, access to landowners and funding opportunities, and technical expertise to augment the procurement program—and to scale it for additional municipal partner participation.

CEO

Bill Camarillo is CEO of Agromin, the largest organics recyclers in California. He remains passionate about organics recycling and regenerative soil science after 25 years in the industry. As the CEO of Agromin, he plays a key role in pioneering sustainability through organics conversion.

Bill spent 10 years in the U.S. Marine Corps. While in the Marine Corps, he finished two Associates Degrees from College of the Desert, a Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration from the University of Redlands and a Master’s of Science in Business Administration from the University of Redlands.

Partnerships with Purpose: Direct Service Provider Solutions for Agricultural Lands

Jurisdictions are beginning to develop strategies to meet SB 1383 recycled organics procurement requirements. Composters are in a unique position to play a big role in helping jurisdictions properly comply in a way that will enhance local landscapes, save water and ultimately reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

When it comes to complying, jurisdictions face a number of challenges. Primarily, 1) they lack systems to track organic procurement, 2) they are unsure of where to purchase qualifying compost and mulch and 3) they don’t have the capacity to coordinate product delivery.

Composters can be the solution. This presentation will show how compost companies can help jurisdictions meet the demands of SB 1383 recycled organics procurement–from turning locally sourced green waste into compost, to end-product delivery, to proper tracking and government reporting.

The talk will also discuss the types of compost that comply with SB 1383 requirements and a quick overview of how the use of compost reduces greenhouse gas emissions while improving the soil for healthy plant growth and retaining water–especially important during the current drought.

It will include examples of how some jurisdictions are already implementing SB 1383 by converting its green waste to compost and distributing it onto public and private lands.

Consultant