May 2022 – Innovation Approaches to Organic Waste Management

Tune in to watch the video recording of our past May 11th’s Perkins Coie Breakfast Series event on “Innovative Approaches to Organic Waste Management.”

Speakers explored the emerging opportunities to reduce carbon emissions and operating costs, as well as revenue through diverse co-products. From clean transportation fuels to recovered nutrients, new approaches to organic waste management are being implemented on farms and in cities throughout Washington State.

Speakers:

Peter Moultonformer Energy Policy Section Manager/Bioenergy CoordinatorWashington State Department of Commerce

Peter served as the state’s bioenergy policy coordinator for 14 years before retiring last November from the State Energy Office at the Washington Department of Commerce. He also managed the policy section in the Energy Office, coordinated rulemaking for public sector procurement of alternative fuels and vehicles, and chaired interagency work groups on anaerobic digestion, wood energy, and biofuels policies and project development. 

In 2018, Peter co-authored a techno-economic assessment of renewable natural gas opportunities in the state, and subsequently managed grants for, and participated in development of, reports detailing food waste management and waste reduction strategies, and opportunities for industrial waste reuse. He also coordinated Commerce’s distribution of federal ARRA funding, and state Clean Energy Fund and Forest Products Financial Assistance Program awards, related to bioenergy. 

Dan EvansCo-Founder and PresidentPromus Energy

Dan has been involved in energy projects, policy, and permitting for more than 30 years. He served 20 years as a senior advisor to members of the Washington Congressional delegation, seven years with a NW law firm, and as an independent consultant on energy, water, and other resource initiatives. Dan has a legal, policy, and sciences background, which he has used to mediate and resolve contentious regional resource issues, navigate complex regulatory and legislative processes, and develop conceptual project plans. 

Examples include efforts to develop renewable energy resources (wind, wave, hydro, methane fuels – CNG, LNG, RNG), reform resource mitigation programs, and mediate community disputes. Dan was co-lead investigator of a 2012 federal and state funded study of the feasibility of converting dairy digester operations from the production of power to RNG. 

He earned degrees in environmental sciences from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a law degree from George Washington University.  He is co-founder, with Gary Coppedge, and President of Promus.

Brian NovakVice President of Engineering and Operations, Ecoremedy

Brian Novak serves as Vice President of Engineering and Operations for Ecoremedy®. Brian is a global expert on thermal biosolids processes and has over 35 years of experience developing, managing, designing, constructing, and commissioning large-scale water and wastewater treatment, beneficial reuse, and industrial projects. Brian’s career of lessons learned in the field and in the boardroom are of great benefit to Ecoremedy. His expertise in the direct and indirect heat drying pelletization processes has been applied in numerous projects world-wide.

Brian has developed and implemented training programs for operators and marketers of biosolids and heat drying systems. His talents are often in demand for troubleshooting and process adaptation, performing system analysis, due diligence and new technology integration and implementation. In addition, Brian is a licensed Master Electrician and electrical systems designer

National and international governments, as well as private industry, seek Brian’s consultation to develop and implement biosolids management programs. Brian has served as a technical expert for heat drying at symposia world-wide for the purpose of promoting beneficial reuse of biosolids. Brian has consulted with various R&D entities to study the efficacy of combining multiple organic waste products into a reusable product as well as heat recovery, CHP and alternative fuels.

For fun and relaxation, Brian enjoys creating stained glass art and has created in excess of 100 pieces for friends and family as well as local auctions. Earlier in Brian’s career he was an avid pilot; flying from project to project as well as family vacations.

Pamela RandolphWWTP ManagerCity of Edmonds, WA Public Works

Pamela Randolph is the Manager of the Edmonds WWTP and is a Certified Group 4 Operator with 38 years of experience.  Her team has recently been recognized for their work in energy savings and applying innovative solutions to help the City meet its goals. 

Moderator:

Virginia EmeryCEO and Founder, Beta Hatch

Virginia Emery is founder and CEO of Beta Hatch, a pioneering insect farming company that is industrializing insects for agriculture. Beta Hatch is fueled by a passion to see insects reach their true potential in our food systems. The company has grown to be internationally recognized for its scientific approach to scaling insect production, earning $4.6M in research contracts through the National Science Foundation and other agencies. The flagship Beta Hatch bug farm is located in Cashmere, WA and includes novel air handling systems to recapture waste heat from a neighboring data center to fuel the growth of its insects.

Virginia is the country’s most innovative insect entrepreneur, recognized as a Visionary Grist 50 Fixer working to solve climate challenges. Virginia has a PhD in entomology from the University of California, Berkeley, has been awarded over 20 grants and honors, and has published on subjects ranging from chemical communication to genetics to insect behavior. Her life’s mission is to breed a bug that tastes like bacon.


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Sponsoring the CleanTech Lunch series is a great way to get your brand noticed or connect your organization to a clean tech topic. Contact Rachelle@CleanTechAlliance.org for more info, or check out our infographic here.

Upcoming Series for 2023:

Every second Wednesday of the month

  • April 12 – C-Suite Roundtable on Developing a Skilled, Inclusive Workforce – Register Here
  • September 13 – District Energy, Deep Lake Water Cooling, and Salmon Habitat Restoration in the Lake Washington Lake Canal
  • October 11 (During Fusion Week) – Fusion Energy: Policy, Regulations, and Siting

Past Lunch Series Speakers:

2023 Lunch Speakers

  • March 2023 – Wastewater Heat Recovery
  • February 2023 – Future-Proofing Buildings: Sustainable, Efficient Design for Energy Retrofits
  • January 2023 – The BUILT Cluster: Working Together for Infrastructure Decarbonization

2022 Lunch Speakers

  • October 2022 – The Future of Fusion Regulations and the Need for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
  • September 2022 – The Inflation Reduction Act’s Impact on the Clean Energy Industry
  • May 2022 – Innovative Approaches to Organic Waste Management (Hybrid)
  • April 2022 – Ocean Energy, Marine Fuels & the Blue Economy
  • March 2022 – Trends in the CleanTech Funding Landscape
  • February 2022– Salmon Conservation
  • January 2022 – Hydrogen Technologies

2020-2021 Breakfast/Lunch Series Speakers

2019-2020 Breakfast Series Speakers

2018-2019 Breakfast Series Speakers

2017-2018 Breakfast Series Speakers

2016-2017 Breakfast Series Speakers