This January 2019 issue of BioCycle is Volume. 60, Number. 1. The Volume Number tracks how many years a magazine or journal has been published. With VOL. 60, BioCycle celebrates its 60th year of publishing! A 60th Anniversary Commemorative issue is in the works for July.
The beginning of a New Year is always a time for reflection, looking back at what was achieved the previous year, and looking forward to what lies ahead. When the New Year also includes a milestone like a 60th Anniversary, reflections can turn into realizations — some positive and others, well, not so much. Among the positives, composting and compost are familiar to most people, e.g., they participate in a program or compost at home, source separate organics when instructed at various establishments, and use compost themselves. Another positive is the number of fundamental facts about the benefits of composting, AD, compost and biogas use. These practices and products fall in the plus column on tools to mitigate GHG emissions and climate impacts, improve soil health and water quality, reduce pesticide use … and the list goes on.
The “not so much” realization is that while we’ve proven our worth in terms of the value and beneficial impacts of organics recycling practices and products, it is still an uphill battle to achieve “business as usual” status. Subsidized disposal is a factor. So, too are the chemicals and heavy metals used in product manufacturing that make their way to the end of the pipe, complicating beneficial use of organics …. and the list goes on. The upside is that these sorts of realities have been in the BioCycle universe for most, if not all, of our 60 years. And that hasn’t stopped us, nor will it going forward.
We also have several updates:
• BioCycle Editorial Advisory Board: With this issue, we welcome new members to the Editorial Advisory Board: Ron Alexander, R. Alexander Associates, Inc.; Stephanie Lansing, University of Maryland; Daryl McCartney, University of Alberta; and Tanja Vujic, Duke University. They join current Board Members: Angel Arroyo-Rodriguez, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency; Sally Brown, University of Washington; Carla Castagnero, AgRecycle; and Brenda Platt, Institute for Local Self-Reliance.
Leaving the Board are long-time members, Luis Diaz, Cal Recovery, and Frederick Michel, the Ohio State University. BioCycle extends its deepest gratitude to Luis and Fred for their many years of service.
• Publication frequency, BioCycle.net content: Starting in January 2019, BioCycle will publish 8 issues — January, February, March/April, May/June, July, August, September/October, and November/December. Concurrently, BioCycle is increasing its online features that include curated editorial archives, virtual facility tours, live interviews, frequent updates of critical news, policies and research, moderated dialogs about hot topics and more. Opportunities to interact frequently will be abundant!
We wish all of our readers a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year.