Donnelly

Seattle Biochar Working Group / Urban Plot Testing Program
Art Donnelly, www.seachar.org , December 22, 2008

seacharfirstfire

Greetings,

As this dramatically historic year winds to an end, I am sending out this update of the Seattle Biochar Working Group's immediate plans. We have recently organized as a registered 501c3 non-profit corporation. Our mission is to gain widespread acceptance for the Biochar strategy for long term sequestration of atmospheric Co2. I realize that the large group of people, to whom I am sending this short note, have a range of familiarity with this topic. I also realize that this overview is very light on specifics. A more detailed proposal will be forth coming soon after the beginning of the New Year. I believe each of you can make a critical contribution to the success of this important work. I would like to follow up with each of you individually and continue a more specific conversation with you.

Let me very briefly outline the SeaChar.org's planned urban plot testing program in the metropolitan Seattle area:
• We are doing biochar educational outreach, in an effort to raise awareness and build a partnership network.
• We are recruiting existing urban and sub-urban landholding organizations to participate in an IBI www.biochar-international.org designed plot testing program (using a standardized char, which we would supply)
• We plan to use the Chardb online project developed by Terra Carbona. www.terracarbona.org to upload the results to an international plot testing data base.
• By the end of February we hope to have a network of partners committed to participating in this coming years growing season. We have a goal of a minimum of an acre (aggregated)
• Currently we can make limited "batch" amounts of char at one of our members shops, this will not give us a sufficient supply. We are currently looking for a source.
• We are planning on working with one of our plot testing partners to set up a small "CLEAN" biochar production, demonstration site. In the city. Where we can hold workshops and give char to gardeners willing to participate in a supported, home plot/pot testing program.
• In addition we hope to design and manage a calender of related garden tours, speakers and "stove" building classes
• During this period we will continue to design and develop a larger pilot municipal program: using "clean green" waste as our input and co-producing carbon negative bioenergy and biochar. This project will explore the potential to sequester Co2 in soils,performance landscape (swales, green roofs,etc.) and built infrastructure.
• Developing an understanding of: how biochar performs in our local soil types. Our educational outreach and plot testing program will lend our proposal the credibility of community support and real world experience.
I both hope and expect that you will all have questions. I look forward to discussing this further with you.

my best wishes,

Art Donnelly
Seattle Biochar Working Group
206-612-3018
www.seachar.org

"it's time to get positive about negative thinking"