International Phytotechnology Society Bylaws

Purpose of Society:

The purpose of the Society is to foster the appropriate development of technologies using plants to deal with environmental problems, and to aid in the dissemination of knowledge about these technologies.

The Society is a non-profit organization whose goal is the development of knowledge and application of the described technologies.

Goals of the Society:

To promote the study of all forms of phytotechnologies that aid in environmental stewardship.

To foster the collaborative efforts of researchers and practitioners by offering a forum for them to communicate.

To develop and maintain a Scholarship to fund graduate students studying in any of these areas.

To organize and run international conferences to promote Phytotechnologies and to bring together researchers, regulators, and practitioners to share information.

To promote the International Journal of Phytoremediation and to encourage members to publish data that would be useful not only to research but also the application of the technologies.

To maintain a web presence that will help people interested in Phytotechnologies to find:

• the information they need to do research or application of the technologies
• a directory of people and institutions who do research in the subject
• a listing of those who work to apply the technologies in the field
• a bulletin board that will aid in matching employers and job seekers

Membership:

Membership is open to all who are interested in the many uses of plants to solve environmental problems, such as soil, water or air pollution, energy production or any other use of plants to decrease environmental risk or enhance ecological sustainability.

These include, but are not limited to, phytoremediation, phytoextraction, plant-based cover systems, constructed wetlands, ecorestoration of brownfields and waste sites, green roof systems and carbon sequestration.

Members fall into one of four categories:

• Full Member: any member who is studying, teaching, practicing, regulating or is interested in learning more about phytotechnologies. Membership includes access to all areas of the website, a subscription to the International Journal of Phytoremediation, a discounted registration to any conference put on by the Society, and the quarterly newsletter.
• Student Member: any undergraduate or graduate student who is studying to have a career in the field of phytotechnology. Membership includes access to all areas of the website, a subscription to the International Journal of Phytoremediation, a student registration to any conference put on by the Society, and the quarterly newsletter.
• Emeritus Member: any member judged by the Advisory Board to have retired from the field of phytotechnology, but whose knowledge and experience are valuable to the development and deployment of phytotechnologies. Membership includes access to all areas of the website, a subscription to the International Journal of Phytoremediation, a discounted registration to conferences put on by the Society, and the quarterly newsletter.
• Limited Member: any member who is judged by the Board of Directors to be in a situation where the cost of the membership would be prohibitive. This member would be entitled to access the restricted areas of the web site (should any exist), receive the quarterly newsletter, and be eligible for a discount for conference registration, but would not receive the International Journal of Phytoremediation.

Membership can be denied to any person who is judged by the elected Officers and Advisory Board to be disruptive to the Society. Before any person can be denied membership, the Officers and Advisory Board need to meet with the person and discuss the problems, and work to find a resolution to the problems. Only if there is no meaningful resolution would membership be denied.

Membership Fees:

• Full Membership: $150
• Student Membership: $50. Student members are also eligible to apply for free lodging at conferences.
• Emeritus Membership: $75 includes IJP and reduced rate at conferences
• Limited Membership: $75 includes reduced rate at conferences

Membership fees are due by the first day of March each year.

If a member in good standing should become unable to pay his or her membership fees due to illness, unemployment or other good reason, they may request from the Advisory Board to retain their membership status, minus receipt of the Journal, for up to one year. This is totally at the discretion of the Advisory Board.

Elected Officers:

President – leads the daily operations of the Society with input from other officers and the Board of Directors, and organizes elections.

Immediate Past President – this is a position occupied by the previous President, and is held to allow continuity in the running of the Society, and to offer the newly elected President a resource for information and protocols of the Society. This position is not elected.

Senior Vice President – assists the President as needed, and is willing and able to step in and assume the duties of the President if required.

Vice President(s)– assists the President and Senior Vice President as needed, and is willing and able to step in and assume the duties of the Senior Vice President if required

Secretary – handles the correspondence of the Society, and maintains the records of the Society.

Treasurer – handles the financial dealings of the Society, with the oversight of the other officers and the Board of Directors.

Officers are elected to two-year terms, and can be re-elected to hold any position for two consecutive terms before needing to step down from that position for at least two years. If an officer needs to step down from a position for any reason, he or she cannot run again for an office for at least two years.

Conflict of Interest: All Officers must have read and agreed to a Conflict of Interest Policy. The policy can be acquired by contacting the Society President. 

Advisory Board of Directors:

The Board as a whole oversees the membership of the Society, recommends changes to the structure of the Society or the bylaws, has final decision as to the appointment of Emeritus members, can take membership disciplinary action as needed, and assesses whether the Society is achieving its stated purpose and goals.

The nine Board Members are elected to serve on the Board and to Chair one of the nine Committees that are outlined in the bylaws.

The Committee Chairs are elected for two-year terms, and can be re-elected for up to three consecutive terms before having to step down for at least two years.

A quorum of the Board of Directors shall be 60% of the current members. Decisions will be by consensus whenever possible and by simple majority prevailing if consensus cannot be reached.

Business Meetings:

Meetings will be held on an annual basis in person at either the Phytotechnologies Conference, or another venue that is decided on by the Board of Directors. The meeting will be announced at least two months in advance, and may be held in two parts. One part will be open to all Society members, to give all members the opportunity to have input into the running of the Society. A second part may be held with only the Elected Officers and Board of Directors present. The minutes of both meetings will be available to all Society members after review and approval by the Board members.

Committees:

Committees will be set up and run to handle the daily operations and upkeep of various aspects of the Society. Committees will include, but are not limited to:

• Fundraising
• Scholarships
• Conferences
• Membership
• Website
• Newsletter
• Research Funding Opportunities
• New Research Articles
• Election

Committee chairs will be elected as described above. Chairs will recruit committee members at their own discretion.

Funds:

The Society operates as a non-profit society, with funds raised either through the conferences, membership fees, grants, donations or awards. The funds will be held in a bank account with access requiring the signatures of the Treasurer and one other Officer.

Funds will be used for:

• Organizing and running the conferences
• Conference hotel rooms for students
• Travel for foreign speakers as available
• Travel for US speakers, Elected Officers and Advisory Board members as needed
• Scholarships

Elections:

Four months prior to elections, those Society members wishing to run or nominate a candidate for either an Elected Office or the Advisory Board must submit to the Election Committee a 350-word biography and a 350-word statement wherein they state why they are nominating themselves or someone else for election to a given position and what they would hope to do in that position to better the Society and to promote the Goals of the Society.

Three months before elections, the Election Committee will send out to all active members the information about the candidates. The Election Committee with work with the Website Committee to have all information posted on the web, and to set up an on-line voting page. Election votes need to be cast within one month.

The results of the election will be formally announced at the Annual Meeting.

Amendments

These bylaws may be amended by a 2/3 majority of voting members. Amendments may be suggested by any member, and placed on a ballot at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

Dissolution

In the event the organization ceases to operate, all assets will be donated to another 501c3 non-profit organization, or sold with the proceeds donated to another 501c3 non-profit or religious organization. 

Student Chapters:

At a University or College where there is an active program engaging students in the pursuit of knowledge about phytotechnologies, students may elect to form a Student Chapter to further those goals. Student Chapters may set up their own dues for the operations of the Chapter, and to either invite speakers in the area of Phytotechnologies, or to aid in student travel to the Society Conference. Students wishing to form a Chapter must apply to the Elected Officers and the Advisory Board for permission to form a Chapter, and a decision will be made within three months of the students submitting all information requested by the Elected Officers and Advisory Board. Members of the Student Chapter must be members of the Society in good standing. The Faculty Advisor for the Student Chapter must be a member of the Society in good standing.