[OKC] EPA Webinar on Converting Food Waste to Energy, August 17

[Miles, Karen]

EPA Webinar on Converting Food Waste to Energy, August 17
On Wednesday, August 17, 2011, from 12-1 pm (CDT), the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Partnership will host a
webinar examining the anaerobic digestion of food waste to generate
renewable energy.
 
Food waste is one of the most important materials to divert from
landfills: as food decomposes it creates methane, a potent greenhouse
gas that contributes to climate change. In 2009, food waste was the
largest category of municipal solid waste disposed, with more than 33
million tons of food waste sent to landfills. If half of the food waste
generated each year were anaerobically digested, the amount of
electricity generated could power more than 2.8 million average American
homes for a year. 
 
Anaerobic digestion can be performed at wastewater treatment plants,
dairy digesters, or dedicated digesters for the organic portion of
municipal solid waste. Anaerobic digestion produces two main products:
biogas and a soil amendment. Biogas can be used for electricity
generation, as a substitute for natural gas, or for vehicle fueling. 
 
This webinar will explore how food scraps can be diverted from landfills
and used to generate renewable energy. The webinar will review the
environmental impacts associated with food waste disposal, the anaerobic
digestion process, food waste collection programs, the use of biogas for
energy, available EPA resources and tools, and the opportunities and
hurdles associated with expanding the anaerobic digestion of food
scraps. It will also highlight a unique partnership between the City of
West Lafayette, Indiana and Purdue University whereby food scraps from
the university's cafeteria are sent to the city's wastewater treatment
plant to be used as an energy source. 
 
Speakers include:
*	Blaine Collison, Program Director, U.S. EPA's Green Power
Partnership
*	Laura Moreno, Environmental Scientist, U.S. EPA, Pacific
Southwest Region 
*	David Henderson, Utility Director, West Lafayette, Indiana
Register for this webinar at
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/450657026
<https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/450657026> 
 
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