Peat News 8/2013

PEAT NEWS
Newsletter for members and friends of the International Peat Society No 8/2013, 2 September 2013
The IPS is an organisation of corporate and individual members dedicated to the responsible management and Wise Use of peatlands and peat. It promotes the gathering, exchange and communication of knowledge and experience. The Society serves all those interested in peat and peatlands including the scientific, industrial and commercial, and regulatory communities. It respects the economic, social and environmental values of the peatland resource. Currently the IPS has more than 1,400 individual and institutional members from 42 countries.

Come to the Baltic Peat Producers Forum in Vilnius
The Annual International Baltic States Forum for Peat Producers is taking place this week in Vilnius, Lithuania on 4 - 6 September 2013. The aim of the forum is to show that peat production and related business is a very important branch of industry, for the growing media and energy sectors, which is able to remain stable and visible even in the background of an economic crisis, and to exchange information which is needed even more during these busy times. As in previous years, the organisers expect guests from all over the world, not only peat producers, but also traders of peat products, environmentalists, and representatives of related services. A simultaneous translation into English will ensure the wide spread and understanding of the shared information and valuable knowledge. In addition to the 15 speakers there will be 57 Lithuanian, 35 Latvian and 40 Estonian participants and many guests from Germany, the Netherlands, Belarus, Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Poland, Russia, and the United Kingdom. More than 30 companies with 60 attendees from 9 countries gladly support and sponsor the Forum, giving altogether 272 participants. The programme can be seen at www.asocdurpes.lt/forum2013/program_en.html. As a participant you will meet old friends and be able to share experiences with colleagues. It is a fantastic opportunity to introduce your business and to find new business partners. The Lithuanian Association of Peat Companies “Lietuviskos durpes” is looking forward to your arrival and hope that you will gladly contribute to our common works. For more information, please see www.asocdurpes.lt/forum2013 or write an email to the organising committee at info (at) asocdurpes.lt.

IPS Executive Board and Industry Meeting in October
IPS will hold its next regular Executive Board meeting during 28 - 29 and possibly 30 October in Tallinn, Estonia on the invitation of the Estonian Peat Association. The meeting is set to deal with the IPS strategic projects and their finance, with the survey, improvement and practical utilisation of the Strategy for Responsible Peatland Management (SRPM) and, of course, to prepare the budget and action plan of the Society for 2014. The Board will also have the first look on the potential hosts for the 2020 International Peat Congress based on their bidding material. In connection with the EB meeting, IPS will invite its major industrial partners for an afternoon round table to evaluate and develop the Society’s work in view on techniques, policies and other practical aspects of peat production, trade and use for horticulture and energy purposes. The Board will also evaluate the preparation of the major “International Peat Technology Symposium” which is planned for Riga, Latvia next year, 25 - 29 August 2014.

Organisational Changes at the IPS Secretariat
IPS will be looking for a new Secretary General as Jaakko Silpola steps back from the position at his own wish at the end of September and heads for new challenges. Jaakko has been working as IPS Secretary General since 2004 and at the same time Managing Director of the Association of Finnish Peat Industries for 2004-2012. We wish him well in his future endeavours and thank him for all the years he has brought drive and enthusiasm to IPS’s work! Until new arrangements are in place, IPS Communications Manager Susann Warnecke will be the main contact person at the IPS Secretariat for administrative matters, IPS publications and membership services, assisted by the IPS interns we introduced earlier and in this Peat News. Further information will be available later this autumn.

Sign up for the IPS Commissions!
Dear IPS members, participation and cooperation in the 9 topical IPS Commissions and the Standing Committee on Climate Change is open to all IPS members interested in the subject. Therefore we would like to ask you to mark those Commissions and their working fields that interest you the most. We will add you to the Commissions’ mailing lists
International Peat Society Kauppakatu 19 D 31, FIN-40100 Jyväskylä www.peatsociety.org ips (at) peatsociety.org susann.warnecke (at) peatsociety.org jaakko.silpola (at) peatsociety.org www.facebook.com/peatsociety mobile: [phone] mobile: [phone] linkd.in/peatsociety