[Terrapreta] New Zealanders on the list!

[naomi luckett]

Dear Michael,
We did meet at the IBI conference I think?, I am sorry I do not have a
better memory of faces and names...something I am working on!!!
The kit is something quite new that we havent actually been able to launch
until about a month ago, so I expect the project you speak of in Australia
might be something different. However, the biochar "Charcoalab Project" that
Robert Flanagan and Christoph Steiner developed has finally got off the
ground, due in large part to the development of a website by Christelle
Braun (thanks Christelle!).
As soon as the website was up and running, Robert sent out rice hull char
from China, prebagged for 1 litre pots.
As a local teacher I have plenty of contacts in the area and just a few
phone calls later I had received a barage of requests from schools asking me
to come and present to the kids, what the biochar project is all about and
run the 'trial'. I have been to nearly all the local schools (over 20 now!)
and delivered a powerpoint presentation on, first, how plants work, the
carbon cycle, greenhouse effect, climate change and global warming...then I
launch into biochar and how it can amend the soil, and potentially sequster
carbon, the trials that have been carried out around the world, Terra
Preta and then the kit/project/experiment...what I want the class to do etc
and how they are a part of an experiment all the local schools are
doing...they love to see pics form the other schools and try and
compete!!!!...
For the moment I have been personally visiting the schools delivering the
kit, as I am seeking photos for the website and trying to get a bigger
picture of how we can best present information to classes (students and
teachers)...as the academic content of the website is minimal (at
best...something else we intend to develop) and we havent got a target age
group/curriculum area in mind.
I have been working in primary, intermediate (middle) and secondary schools,
and to be frank the kit works for all ages, and covers such a vast amount of
curriculum areas that it suits all, however the kit seems to work best if
there is a visiting 'scientist' delivering!!!! and this obviously motivates
teachers...as they are far too preoccupied to investigate and research, let
alone develop classroom material...plus they are bound by curriculum
documents and there seems to be minimal scope to introduce new and
innovative projects. The kit is fairly quick to set up and the presentation
is fun and lively, it also means teachers have little to nothing to
prepare...although most seem to be thoroughly fascinated following the
presentation and many have come back to me seeking more info!
However, this is not sustainable in the long term, without funding (though I
am doing my best!) and I would like to progress to the point where schools
around the world can order a kit and be provided with all the teaching
material. I am also, pretty fired up about the government's (in New Zealand)
acknowledgment of the potential in Biochar and hope that this might open the
door for further funding to make this something I could personally pursue in
NZ !
The feedback has been great, the kids are all having a blast and the
teachers are fully seeing the value in the presentation. I have had other
schools approach me, having heard about my venture and it's success!
HOWEVER, the important thing to note is that this has been gratis! (so
far!). I am doing this in my own time and with my own money, Robert has
funded the char and I have local companies who have donated the pots and
seeds.
The next stages are a bit of an unknown, I would like to get funding to roll
this out nationally, perhaps through a private entity, the ministry of
education/agriculture and forestry??? or educational charitable trusts? who
knows...I would like to push this internationally too, and so far people are
able to purchase a kit online (though we havent had any takers YET!)
I am going to register the project as a not for profit/educational/
charitable trust, thereby opening the door for donations and enabling me to
source funding, hopefully next week...and then I am open to suggestions,
particularly from New Zealanders (are there any more of us on the list????)
But I can say, that it is going great!, I have 100 schools already lined up
for next term and have had requests from Queensland!!! (the other end of the
country!!!!)

Teach the world and save the planet...
Education is the cradle of revolution and I am certain that we can do great
things from the roots up!!! (excuse the pun!)


On 10/25/07, Michael Bailes <michaelangelica at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Naomi.
> >
> > As an aside, I now have 20 schools in my local area, participating in
> > biochar 'research' via the kids kit ( http://bionecho.org/charcoalab) ,
> > that is almost 10,000 kids aged between 8 and 18!
> > And plan to have 100 schools finished by February...almost 50,000
> > kids!!!!
> >
> >
> >
> > Thanks for the up-date and 'insider' info Naomi
>
> Can you please write something about the schools project?
> Your experiences how you got it going etc?
>
> I don't think it got off the ground in Oz and I thought it was over
>
>
> --
> Michael the Archangel
>
> "You can fix all the world's problems in a garden. . . .
> Most people don't know that"
> FROM
> http://www.blog.thesietch.org/wp-content/permaculture.swf
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