International Biochar Initiative
While biochar cannot be categorized as a technology, it plays a major role in progressive agriculture and therefore deserves some attention.
About two months ago, one of my great friends, a progressive thinker and environmental enthusiast named Robert, called me on his way home from a fungi research conference (he works alongside scientists at the University of Delaware studying fungi and possible applications). He was extremely excited about building some sort of contraption that would produce what he was calling "awesome fertilizer" or something to that effect. He asked me to assist him, and even though I wasn't sure what he was talking about, I happily agreed.
That weekend Bob and I enjoyed a borderline carbon-negative meal as the contraption, which is a top-lit updraft kiln (TLUD), produced biochar.
The meal was carbon-negative because the TLUD emits 75% less CO and CO2 than a campfire while burning and our fuel (wood pellets) were used to richen the soil in Bob's garden. And there's the money shot--the wood pellets, which were used to cook food, became biochar, which was then used to grow food.
So what exactly is biochar? Can it be used on a global scale? Hopefully you're asking these questions, and I'd rather not get into that in this post, but if you're interested in learning more, the link at the top will explain everything much better than I can. And provided below is a link to a video of Bob and I constructing and implementing our TLUD as well as a link to a site that can explain how you can make a TLUD.
TLUD Video
Greater Democracy
