BDDC-OMAFRA-KTT-UofG Bioeconomy Seminar – 04 October 2012
Bioproducts Discovery and Development Centre (BDDC) has organized a bioeconomy seminar as part of BDDC-OMAFRA-KTT-UofG program on October 4th, 2012 at OVC Lifetime Learning Centre, University of Guelph. Three world renowned speakers have given lectures on the key area of sustainable bioeconomy, challenges in marketing bioplastics, and sustainability of agriculture in Canada.
The seminar was hosted by Prof. Amar Mohanty, Director of Bioproducts Discovery and Development Centre. It started at 2 p.m. after a short introduction about the speakers by Prof. Mohanty and finished at 7 p.m. after a networking reception.
The first speaker was Prof. David B. Layzell, Executive Director of Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment & Economy (ISEEE) from the University of Calgary. His presentation described how the fossil fuel greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are forcing climate change and how biological systems could provide a 'green' energy alternative. He also gave an overview of the Canadian energy system, including how it has changed over the past 30 years and where it is heading, presenting the challenges and opportunities for the transformation to a 'made-in-Canada' sustainable bioeconomy.
The second speaker was Mr. Steve Mojo, Executive Director of Biodegradable Products Institute, New York, USA. In his talk he discussed the increasing popularity of bioplastics over the last 10 years, giving simple demonstrations on the making of bioplastics, the growth of polylactic acid and the advent of biopolyethylene. His presentation covered the key issues and questions facing bioplastics manufacturers and users as they develop and introduce applications of these new bioplastics.
The third speaker Mr. Don O'Connor, President of S&T Squared Consultants, Delta, British Columbia, Canada, presented the sustainability of agriculture around the world. He discussed the interest in agriculture driven by government regulations, increased trade (especially in biofuels and biofuel feedstocks), consumer interest and the concerns about food vs. fuel. He also discussed whether the indirect land use change is real or exaggerated, the current debate for bio-chemicals and bio-materials, and how the Canadian practices stack up with producers from around the world.
About 70 participants from various fields; students, professors, industrialists and staff from OMAFRA participated in the seminar. The participants had the opportunity to interact with the speakers and ask for clarifications during the presentations. The seminar attendees obtained a unique advantage of interacting personally with speakers and their colleagues during the networking reception organized after the seminar. The participants were very appreciative and thankful for this bioeconomy seminar offered as part of the BDDC-OMAFRA-UofG-KTT program, with free parking arrangement and the networking lunch after the seminar. The webinar arranged for the presentations also helped others take part in the seminar indirectly.
