[Terrapreta] "A Terra Preta Nova Development Plan"

[Sean K. Barry]

Hi Lou,

A name for that network?

"Terra Preta Nova: A Clean Carbon and Abundant Soil Campaign"

Regards,

SKB
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: lou gold<mailto:lou.gold at gmail.com> 
  To: Sean K. Barry<mailto:sean.barry at juno.com> 
  Cc: Terra Preta<mailto:terrapreta at bioenergylists.org> ; Ron Larson<mailto:rongretlarson at comcast.net> ; Tom Miles<mailto:tmiles at trmiles.com> 
  Sent: Monday, April 14, 2008 4:02 PM
  Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] "A Terra Preta Nova Development Plan"


  Sean, 

  I love your enthusiasm. 

  It's time to organize.

  And I love Mary Lehmann's ideas. 

  What is needed now is something like a network. 
  Biochar Fund is a model for a network of poor rural farmers in Africa. 
  I think you could find a group of progressive medium size cities in the US and make a network. Or a group of garden clubs and make a network. Or a group of organic farms and make a network.

  I'm not so sure about the name Terra Preta Nova. It's sexy in the exotic sense. I like the lead back to the Amazon from using Portuguese. I'm not sure that it will capture the English-speaking audience. Something like the Clean Carbon and Abundant Soil Campaign might work better. Just an idea.

  So here's a proposal to this list. I would like to invite anyone who is interested enough to be following along to think about it and submit your ideas for the name of a network and a campaign. Let's share our ideas here.

  hugs and blessings,

  lou




  On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 5:18 PM, Sean K. Barry <sean.barry at juno.com<mailto:sean.barry at juno.com>> wrote:

    Hi Tom,

    I agree with you.  I think the promise of this very potential with Terra Preta is one of the most compelling elements of the whole concept.  Soil restoration + char-in-soil-carbon sequestration, formation of Terra Preta soils, is clearly a mechanism that I think can work (IMHO) and it has vast potential to improve BOTH climate issues and issues of population growth, food production, and overall livability on the planet, for us and future generations.  Most other plans can't boast this.  For me to see the agronomic value of TP is evident in the archaeology.  I understand charcoal-from-biomass production for charcoal-in-soil as the potential workable carbon sequestration mechanism.  Added to this, for me, currently, is the production of a raw material needed for charcoal-in-soil agronomic research.

    We need to keep working together on a common "Terra Preta Nova Development Plan" and quit arguing over the details or motives:

        1) Learn how to make charcoal cleanly, inexpensively, and in vast quantities.
        2) Learn how to apply charcoal into soil and realize the fertile qualities observed in of Terra Preta de Indio soils.
        3) Apply this to as many hectares of land all over the world, with as many tons of charcoal as we can.
        4) Do ALL of this simultaneously as soon as we possibly can.

    Nothing short of this will work to stem the tide of the rising GHG concentrations.  This is true even if we quit burning all fossil fuels today.  We need to REMOVE at least 30 ppm of CO2 from the atmosphere before this century is out AND we need to cut worldwide CO2 emissions by 85% NOW!  We need to increase food production by over 50-70% if population estimates hold.
    Show me another plan (other than the Terra Preta Nova Development Plan) that has the premise to support improvements in either of these problems (rising GHGs and consequent GW/GCC and world food production) substantially more, let alone to potentially address and redress BOTH?

    I agree with you.  Let's keep planning and making this happen.  Would it surprise you if I said I thought the questions of economic viability and of realized agricultural benefits need to be dragged along, unanswered for now, until they become realities?

    Dr. James Hansen makes emotional appeals to the public, points out the scope of the problem and a call for extreme expedience of ACTION.  He requests nearly a similar scope of widespread public reaction (a moving CALL TO ACTION).  I can only wish I sounded like I say no less.

    Regards,

    SKB
      ----- Original Message ----- 
      From: Tom Miles<mailto:tmiles at trmiles.com> 
      To: 'Sean K. Barry'<mailto:sean.barry at juno.com> ; 'Terra Preta'<mailto:terrapreta at bioenergylists.org> ; 'lou gold'<mailto:lou.gold at gmail.com> ; 'Ron Larson'<mailto:rongretlarson at comcast.net> 
      Sent: Sunday, April 13, 2008 11:37 PM
      Subject: RE: [Terrapreta] A reward system for eliminating and/or offsetting fossil carbon usage


      Sean,



      The most important statement in Ron's list is:

        9.  … We on this list need to provide proof (more than statements) that biochar will sufficiently increase soil productivity that we can address hunger as well as climate issues.  There need not be the hard choice of this news article, but we need more proof if we are to help Hansen - who I now view as likely to be our most effective spokesperson.




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