The International Peat Society is happy to announce its annual meeting which this year will be held at MARUM Centre for Marine Environmental Sciences in Bremen, Germany in partnership with IPS’ German National Committee (DGMT).
The three-day event will focus on growing media, but also other peat(land) topics will be discussed. Tickets are available for €35 – 80, and accommodation amounts to €70 – 100/night. The conference offers excellent networking opportunities.
For more reasons to come to Bremen, see the programme below. Detailed abstracts and speaker bios are available at www.ips2019.com Are you interested? Register latest by 31 March.
Programme
Monday 13 May
- IPS Executive Board meeting (members only)
- National Committee Roundtable
- Revision of the Strategy for Responsible Peatland Management
- IPS Annual Assembly (open to all)
- Ice Breaking Party
Tuesday 14 May
Registration (check-in)
Welcome speeches:
- Dr. Andreas Bauerochse, Chair DGMT
- Gerald Schmilewski, President IPS
- Dr. Joachim Blankenburg, Vice Chair DGMT
- Professor Dr. Michael Schulz, CEO MARUM
Growing media yesterday and today
Dipl.-Ing. agr. Silke Kumar, Chair DGMT Section II and Quality manager MoKuRa, Scharrel, Germany
Present situation and development of the peat industry in China
Professor Dr. Meng Xianmin, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China and Chair of the IPS National Committee of China
Canadian peatlands: Horticulture use in growing media and responsible management of ecosystem services
Paul Short, President of the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA), Canada
Long-term responsibility in managing Baltic peatlands
MSc. Erki Niitlaan, Chair of the Estonian Peat Association, Estonia
Coffee talks
Growing media volumetric potentials for meeting developments in the period 2020-2050
Ir. Chris Blok, Researcher at WUR (Wageningen University and Research), the Netherlands
International, regional and national peat policies – challenges for peat industry?
Professor Dr. Jack Rieley, IPS Executive Board member and Coordinator of the IPS Expert Group Conventions and International Affairs, United Kingdom
Kekkilä-BVB – sustainable growing solutions for international markets
Juha Mäkinen, CEO Kekkilä-BvB Oy, Finland
Peat uses in Europe – results of an IPS survey
MSc. Hannu Salo, Coordinator of the IPS Expert Group Growing Media and Energy Peat, Finland
Lunch
Growing media – soilless culture as a challenge for the future
Msc. Stefaan Vandaele, Chair of Growing Media Europe AISL, Brussels, Belgium
German + English afternoon:
Alternatives to peat in growing media in the context of international markets
Dr. Jan Köbbing, Head of Sustainability Management, Klasmann-Deilmann GmbH, Geeste, Germany
The Peat Reduction Strategy of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
Dr. Thomas Schmidt, Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft (BMEL), Berlin
Growing media in Germany – an industry fit for the future?
Dr. Arne Hückstädt, Coordinator of the Department Growing media, potting soils, constituents in the Industrieverband Garten, Düsseldorf, Germany
Coffee talks
Approaches using sustainable raw materials for growing media
Professor Dr. Elke Meinken, University of Applied Sciences Weihenstephan-Triesdorf, Germany
National and global challenges for the peat industry
Dipl.-Geograph Bernd Hofer, Chair of IPS Commission Peatlands and Environment and
Business Manager Hofer & Pautz GbR, Altenberge, Germany
Discussion Session: Economy Meets Environment and Society
- Peat Certification
- Availability and Quality of Growing Media Constituents
- Do we still need Peat?
- Symposium Wrap Up
Introduction to the International Symposium on Growing Media and Quality of Life
in Qingdao, China, September 16-21, 2019
Professor Dr. Xianmin Meng, Institute for peat and mire research, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China
Introduction to the Excursions on 15 May
Silke Kumar and Gabriele Gramann
Delicious on-board-Dinner (BBQ) on the ‚Alexander von Humboldt‘
Wednesday 15 May
Excursion 1
Teaching and Experimental Institute Bad Zwischenahn
Commercial grower LÜSKE
Excursion 2
Gramoflor (growing media production/rewetting after extraction)
Commercial grower MELLE
Also invite your colleagues, suppliers and partners!
For updates in the programme, speaker bios, a description of the excursions, accommodation & venue information and to register, click here or visit www.ips2019.com
