Wes Adell's work in solid waste management began in 1991 when he was given the opportunity to develop and manage the Lindsborg recycling and composting projects. At that time, Mayor Don Anderson reminded Wes that the rich Swedish heritage of Lindsborg included special care for the environment. That message resonated deeply with Wes and he enthusiastically encouraged the people of Lindsborg to participate in the City's new programs. With the help of Marty Hardy, former editor and general manager of the Lindsborg News-Record, Wes stimulated community progress and propelled Lindsborg's projects forward to where they became models for small Kansas communities.

After several years of independent progress in Lindsborg, Wes came to Topeka in 1995 and met with members of the Bureau of Waste Management of the Kansas Department of Health & Environment to discuss statewide needs regarding solid waste public education and technical training needs. Wes prompted KDHE to plan and sponsor the first Composting WORKS! conference held at Bethany College in March, 1995. Wes helped plan, promote, and coordinate the first conference as well as the next five conferences all held in Lindsborg.

Wes played a special role in stimulating composting in Kansas with his high energy level and enthusiasm. At six consecutive Works! Conferences, he encouraged city and county officials to implement programs. An important aspect of that encouragement was the impressive composting and wood grinding equipment demonstrations arranged by Wes at each conference. This special time of watching equipment in action may have done more to stimulate the spread of composting than any other factor.

Wes made composting a high visibility activity in Kansas by garnering media attention from local and regional newspapers and even from CNN which was intrigued by this man from the middle of Kansas whose passion for composting and tree growing in Lindsborg had won him and his City a United Nations award as one of the "Top 25 innovative and problem solving projects in America.

Wes expanded his Kansas beginnings to the international scene with a presentation on the Lindsborg model facility at the international Habitat II UN conference in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1996 and then at The World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2002. In the meantime, CNN had produced a special story on Wes and the Lindsborg project which they repeatedly showed around the world. Consequently, worldwide interest in what Wes was doing grew and visitors from Mexico, Ecuador, Argentina, El Salvador, Australia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Senegal, Russia, Suriname, Ghana, Nigeria and China, came to Lindsborg to learn. Wes also began traveling to several of these nations to provide consulting on composting and sustainable development.

Wes remained active in the WORKS! Conference even after it left Lindsborg in 2001 to 2003. He also assisted KDHE in the development of new regulations for composting facilities by serving on a special task force.

Wes credits many other people and God for his success and looks forward to working together with Kansans and his international colleagues to improve our environment by converting waste to compost to enrich the soil and enhance food production.