Regarding your posting about value-added agricultural products:
A valuable resource is The New Uses Council, a 501(c)3 non-profit
membership organization dedicated to the development and
commercialization of new uses of renewable agricultural products made
from both traditional commodities and new crops. "New Uses" are promoted
as environmentally friendly altenatives to current non-sustainable
practices. New uses already reduce the importation and use of petroleum
in applications where non-polluting alternatives such as bioplastics,
ethanol and biodiesel are readily available. Other new uses, such as
kenaf paper and soymeal or rice-straw or wheat-straw composite building
materials, already reduce the wasting of our forest resources.
For information about the New Uses Council, to read the NUC
newsletter and to order NUC publications including the Bioproducts
Directory, please visit the NUC Web page at:
http://ag.arizona.edu/OALS/NUC/NUCHome.html
Or contact the New Uses Council Chairman, Dr. Kennith Foster, at the
University of Arizona:
kfoster@ag.arizona.edu
Another resource will be the NUC annual conference, featuring such new
uses products as tree-free, acid-free, chlorine-free kenaf paper, a
range of fully biodegradable plastics made from vegetable oils and
non-toxic, biodegradable soybean-based printing inks, fuels, solvents
and specialty chemicals. Here's the conference agenda:
New Uses Council Conference Agenda
November 6-9, 1996 - Tulare, California
21st Century Solutions
New Industrial Uses + New Crops = New Environmental Benefits
The 1996 New Uses Council Annual Meeting, including Biomass Facility
tour, BioProducts Exhibition and meetings of the USDA AARC (Alternative
Agricultural Research & Commercialization) Corporation board & the
Biobased Expo international steering committee
CONTACT For Registration Packet: Kathy Boyd, Southern California
Edison, Phone 209-685-3789 or 800-77-AgTAC, Fax 209-685-3788, E-mail
boydkl@sce.com
SPONSORS: New Uses Council, California Dept. of Food & Agriculture,
UC-CIFAR (California Institute for Food & Agricultural Research),
Southern California Edison, USDA AARC Corp., MBI International
FEES: Conference registration, with two lunches - $50 ($75 after Sept.
16) Optional dinner - $25
Exhibitor booth - $250 ($300 after Sept. 16)
==== "If no one's thought of it yet - go for it!" ====
Jon Harsch, jharsch@rof.net