How long has it been? A day? A week? A month? Yesterday, on June 26th, I said, “I can’t believe it’s already June!” as if we had just tipped over from May. Yikes.
Like everyone, I’ve lived one of about three different days on repeat since lockdown in March. I hope yours are good days, and though not all of mine are good, I’ve had the tremendous luxury of interesting work.
So, what work?
Albert Wenger and Susan Danziger, NYC-based investors, have started Wally Farms on 500 acres outside of Hudson, NY as a place to test ways of climate resilience, adaptation, and carbon sequestration. I’ve been working with them since March to understand how we might be able to use natural carbon sequestration to generate significant negative emissions. Plants have been processing CO2 into oxygen and wood (and delicious, and non-delicious plants) since time immemorial, so given our predicament — how to get CO2 out of the air — perhaps we can use their work.
How to do that? Well there is a lot to figure out, since the goal is to not just figure out workable solutions, but help others adopt, adapt, and improve what we’re working on. So, I’ve put up a website called The Burning Question that covers the focus of my work: biochar. What’s biochar? Check out the information page on the website. For a more comprehensive understanding:
Check out the pictures from when they planted willow at Wally Farms in early June, to turn into biochar in three years time.
And, here is a write up I put together on why willow coppices might (might!) save the planet.
Like Twitter threads? I’m a master weaver:
Want more info? Here is the website, newsletter, Twitter, and Instagram links. I’ve been doing interviews, and since I’m new at this, forgive some (but not all) of my awkwardness. All my gaffes are up on Instagram.
What about Carbon Fiber?
I’m still going to write here, as I work my way up the learning curve, so please don’t abandon ship. In the meantime, I’d love your feedback - on projects new and old.
Towards a brighter future,
Peter
(Shout out to all parents with younger kids - you guys are doing great. Special thanks to Tamar and to Louis’s grandmother, for giving me the time to pursue this.) ❤️