The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) and Rust Belt Riders, in collaboration with Case Western Reserve University, are holding the 2024 Cultivating Community Composting Forum (CCC24), October 17-19, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. The original Cultivating Community Composting Forum in 2013, organized by BioCycle and ILSR, also was in Ohio. This year’s forum does not include panels and presentations. Instead, it is designed to connect a network of community composters and allies for knowledge-sharing, collective visioning, and building the community composting movement. “Much of our forum programming will be participant-driven, where attendees can host or attend conversations on topics of their choice,” explains Clarissa Libertelli, ILSR’s Community Composter Coalition Coordinator. “Attendees will be invited to problem solve around the challenges and opportunities they are facing but will be particularly encouraged to engage in bigger picture conversations that can’t be held over email — meaning less talking about how to wash buckets and more on how to navigate competition, public-private partnerships, advocacy and fundraising strategies, and more.”

The three-day event starts on October 17 with discussions about “Building a Shared Landscape.” Tours are on October 18, as well as a workshop on worker-owned cooperatives led by Rust Belt Riders. Day three goes back to discussion mode, with a focus on “Growing the Movement.” Registration is limited to community composters and movement allies; send an email to this address if you are interested in attending. A CCC24 Scholarship Fund has been created to help get more community composters to the forum, especially those from underserved areas and chronically disenfranchised. Contributing any amount is welcome. In 2023, 83 of the 189 Forum attendees received scholarships to enable their participation.