BioCycle, which describes itself as “the organics recycling authority,” announced a generational leadership change on Tuesday.
Nora Goldstein, the publication’s longtime editor, is stepping into a new role as editorial chairperson and consulting principal. Paula Luu has been named managing director of BioCycle Media and BioCycle Consulting.
“This transition carries great personal meaning,” said Goldstein in a statement. “My father, Jerome Goldstein, created BioCycle to advance ideas, elevate solutions, and strengthen the community working to build systems that restore rather than deplete our planet. Stewarding that mission in partnership with my family has been one of the greatest honors of my life. As we prepare for the future, I could not imagine a more capable or inspiring leader than Paula to carry that vision forward.”
Luu previously worked as a senior project director for the Composting Consortium at the Closed Loop Partners Center for the Circular Economy. The consortium, founded in 2021, seeks to advance research and investment in the space by partnering with composters, municipalities, packaging companies and food and retails brands, among others.
Goldstein and Luu came to know each other in recent years, including collaborations between the consortium and BioCycle on research. Goldstein said Luu will be focused on “strengthening our editorial mission while expanding our consulting work with organizations committed to building robust organics recycling infrastructure and systems.”
BioCycle traces its roots back to 1960 when the late Jerome Goldstein, then working at Rodale Press, started a publication called Compost Science. He later acquired the rights to the publication and founded a new company, Pennsylvania-based JG Press, in 1978. Nora joined the company at this time, along with her sister, Rill, and mother, Ina. The publication was renamed BioCycle in 1981.
Over the years it expanded to include conferences, detailed waste generation studies known as “the state of garbage in America,” research about organics recycling infrastructure and more. BioCycle transitioned to a digital-only format in 2020, with a newsletter called BioCycle Connect and an online archive dating back to 2003.
Nora eventually took on leadership roles as executive editor and then publisher of the company. Over the years the company’s work evolved to include more consulting, often providing insight to key policymakers and groups in the organics recycling space.
“Building on the foundation Nora and her family created is an extraordinary privilege. BioCycle has long been the industry’s compass — the go-to authority for insight, rigor, and accountability,” said Luu in a statement. “As we enter our next chapter, we will continue to inform and connect this community while expanding our work with organizations ready to build robust circular systems. The challenges ahead are complex, but the opportunities are immense – and BioCycle is prepared to help catalyze the next wave of solutions.”
Going forward, Goldstein plans to stay involved with editorial support and select consulting arrangements.
Under Luu’s direction, BioCycle Media will continue publishing research and articles about “the best practices in operating and marketing that advance collection, composting, anaerobic digestion, recycled organics utilization, and circular infrastructure.” BioCycle Consulting will advise “corporations, municipalities, nonprofits, and innovators seeking to design, implement, and scale,” with plans to expand its work in “hands-on strategy, implementation, and systems design support.”
