Go Green: ‘Dive’ into waste symposium during Earth Week

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay’s Environmental Management and Business Institute (EMBI) is hosting “Green Innovations 2011,” an annual symposium during Earth Week, Wednesday, April 20 and Thursday, April 21.

The two-day event for businesses and organizations looking to improve profit and reduce waste will be held at the University Union on the UW-Green Bay campus, 2420 Nicolet Drive. This year’s symposium theme is “Waste or Wasted Opportunity.”

In conjunction, the Wisconsin premiere of the award-winning documentary, DIVE! Living Off America’s Waste, is scheduled for 7 p.m. on April 20. The viewing, free and open to the public, explores America’s grocery waste and contends that “every year in America, 96 billion pounds of food is thrown away” while many Americans go without proper access to nutritious food. A post-documentary panel forum will follow and be led by the film’s director, Jeremy Seifert, and will include representatives from Paul’s Pantry.

Much of the symposium is dedicated to businesses and organizations looking to increase efficiency by cutting waste.

Important topics include:

• Sessions on agricultural, industrial, and municipal/institutional waste.

Speakers: Agricultural – Gary Radloff, UW Madison; John Welsh, Dane County; Industrial – Jeff Guenther, Marquis Yachts; Dan Roddan, Waste Management; Municipal/Institutional – Chuck Larscheid, Brown County; Tom Sigmund, Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District; Nadeem Afghan, Bioferm.

• How to start a waste transformation business.

Panelists: Mike Krysiak, ENCAP; Neil Peters-Michaud, Cascade Asset Management; and Ted Hansen, Greenwood Fuels.

• Interns: How they can help businesses deal with waste issues.

Case studies at Aurora BayCare, Skipper Buds and Tosca Ltd.

• Emerging waste issues and tools for business and industry.

Prof. John Katers, UW-Green Bay; Jonathon Rivin, Solid and Hazardous Waste Education Center.

• Lunch presentation.

Presenter: Aaron Popkey, assistant director of public relations and corporate communications, Green Bay Packers.

Events will begin at 8:45 a.m. Wednesday, April 20 and will continue on the morning of Thursday, April 21. The cost to attend the event is $99.

EMBI helps support one of UW-Green Bay’s founding principles — establishing itself as a leader in the promotion of environmental awareness and ecologically prudent initiatives. The establishment of EMBI is a step in the evolution of UW-Green Bay’s historic mission of studying environmental issues and developing solutions to problems by recognizing the critical interconnections between science, policy and business, and their social contexts. Partnering with public and private sector interests throughout the New North region, EMBI is working to make Northeastern Wisconsin synonymous with sustainability and environmental leadership.

For more information and links to register go to www.uwgb.edu/embi.