Board Meeting

Thursday, February 17, 2000

Scott Adams Insite Design/Division of Planning

Joshua Alter, Insite Design/Division of Planning

Dana Bobinchek, NY League of Conservation Voters

Jean Brun, Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo

Jay Burney, Greenwatch

John Cinquino, HSBC

Drew Eszak, Erie County

Al Festaiuti, Organic Horticulture Ass’n.

Charley Fisher III, Common Councilmember

Stuart Franklin, Nature’s Lawn & Garden Inc.

Betty Jean Grant, Common Councilmember

Phil Haberstro, Wellness Institute

Margaret Hammersly, Buffalo. News

Bruce Kohrn, SBK Environmental Research

Randi Mail, Green Gold Intern

Marta Martinez, Green Team

Dave Miller, Clean Air Technologies

Paul Morrow, Waste Stream Technologies

Mark Moser, Lake Front Recycling

James Nawojski, BION Environmental Tech

Bill Nowak, Council Staff

James Pitts, Council President

Gary Robinson, URS Greiner Woodward Clyde

Darlene Vogel, URP of Buffalo

Len Wrona, Hatch Associates Consultants

The upcoming Green Gold conference, originally planned in conjunction with the Environmental Business Association, has had a change in plan. Prospective locations, keynote speakers and workshop leaders were not available for the tentative date, April 14^th-15^th. However, Bill Nowak has been in contact with Paul Reitan, a Geology Professor from SUNY AB. Paul and colleagues are planning a Global Sustainability Conference to occur within the next few months. Plans include inviting a speaker from the World Health Organization.

Green Gold will seek to join with this conference effort. Mr. Pitts stressed the importance of including a trade show as part of the conference. With the university at the center fo planning efforts, students will be more involved. All interested businesses are encouraged to begin thinking about exhibits for the trade show. To those conference email survey participants: thank you, it was a success in helping us gather initial feedback for the conference. Special thanks to Kristy Tocknell and Randi Mail for following up on the survey and compiling the results.

Jim Nawojski, a regional sales manager for BionTech delivered an informative presentation on his company’s system of converting animal manure into organic soil. Their product can be used as a straight soil or an amendment. BionTech, developed in 1989 has been in the soil business for the past 2-3 years. Their system costs roughly $100,000 more than a conventional manure lagoon system but eliminates odor and avoids groundwater contamination. A typical system covers 4 acres. Their #1 focus is agriculture, specifically dairy farms.

BionTech offers organic solutions, which do not offer an overnight fix, but establish a healthy long-term system. Mr. Nawojski explained that with the BionTech system, root depth is 4"-5" which drowns out most weeds thriving at the surface. Studies undertaken at several universities across the country show that BionSoil use resulted in improved soil health and plant growth performance. With increasing regulations imposed by the Department of Environmental Conservation on pesticide use and animal rearing, converting manure to soil is becoming an attractive solution for farmers that face up to $100,000 daily fines for groundwater pollution.

Located in Amherst, BionTech hopes to feed an expanding market in NY but also plans to be instrumental in North Carolina where hog farm waste is an incredible problem, especially after the recent hurricane. BionTech’s organic product has been tested to find no traces of salmonella and E. Coli. No methane problems exist because of their unique combination of anaerobic, aerobic, and facultative bacteria. With BionTech, a year’s worth of cow manure can produce 10 cubic yards of soil.

Dana Bobinchek shared the latest plans for Buffalo’s Earth Day festivities. In conjunction with Earth Day 2000, this Earth Day will have a sustainable energy theme. The event will take place in the student union at Buffalo State College on April 22. Keynote invites include Hillary Clinton, Ralph Nadar and Comptroller Carl McCall along with several local officials. There will be a trade show/environmental fair where green businesses are invited to put together a display.

The event will be family-oriented with an emphasis on adult education. Planners are looking to provide opportunities to purchase discounted tickets for the Buffalo Science Museum, Albright-Knox Gallery, and the Buffalo Zoo. Locals including the Blue Moon Café and the Lexington Co-op will donate food. Ceremonies to award students involved in the IJC and Green Gold high school essay contest will be coordinated. Dana mentioned that an environmental calendar is being assembled for April and welcomes all planned events for submission.

Bill Nowak reminded those present that UB’s Environment and Society Institute and Buffalo’s Green Gold Development Corporation have arranged two interesting lectures offered by Professor Joseph DeSimone from the University of North Carolina’s Department of Chemistry. On March 1^st at 3:30pm in 330 Student Union on UB’s North Campus, the topic will be The Carbon Dioxide Technology Platform: From Polymer Synthesis to Processing of Microelectronics. Refreshments will be provided at 3:00pm.

O

n March 2^nd at 10:00am in 1417 City Hall, the topic will be The Opportunity for CO₂ to Create a New Standard of Living: Environmentally Friendly Dry Cleaners. All are welcome to come and learn.

To maintain Green Gold’s momentum and potential influence, Mr. Pitts expressed the need for participation in developing a Green Gold workplan. Interested parties are encouraged to help out in the development of a Green Gold video for public outreach purposes along with a survey to introduce the Green Gold strategy to local businesses that may not realize their environmental potential. The conference planning committee also welcomes input and participation.

Dave Miller from Clean Air Technologies discussed his company’s unwavering interest in setting up in a restored building in downtown Buffalo. Dave predicts that Clean Air Technologies will be able to contribute to the revitalization of the local economy and will offer new, technical jobs to the community. Mr. Pitts suggested taking a tour in order to select a building to really get things rolling. Clean Air Technologies might very well be the catalyst for Green Gold’s Eco-industrial Park. S. Bruce Kohrn, Bill Nowak, Gary Robinson, Drew Eszak, Josh Alter and Scott Adams joined Mr. Pitts in volunteering to work on this project.