[Terrapreta] First Hello & General Background

[Laepple]

Hi Every One,
Very interesting conversation, would someone have the time to start a "Biochar" yahoo group, so we can save files, post news, announce events, arrange meetings and follow a more formal agenda?
With your help and input, I can see the opportunity of adding a bio char pre feasibility study project to our ( already established and growing) Renewable Energy Co-operative's agenda. Currently we are working on ( and have received some funding for) Community Wind and Co-operative Biogas.

Linda Laepple
Chair
Local Initiative for Future Energy Coop Inc.
Petersburg Ontario
N0B 2H0
Tel: 519 634 1033
www.lifecoop.ca


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Lloyd Helferty 
  To: 'Gary Barei' 
  Cc: terrapreta at bioenergylists.org ; jnasr at ryerson.ca ; doug at douglasprest.com ; 'Laepple' ; 'Bruce Darrell' ; 'Dennis Morrison' ; 'Edward Someus' ; 'Erik Van Lennep' ; 'Jp Warren' ; 'Natalie Helferty' ; rspiegal at pathcom.com ; 'Xavier de Lamo' 
  Sent: Sunday, June 08, 2008 9:10 PM
  Subject: RE: [Terrapreta] First Hello & General Background


  Gary,

    Thank you for the post.  I am also in Ontario and have been discussing with others here in Ontario (and elsewhere) how we can move ahead with field trials of biochar.  The lead people on this 'project' have been Linda Lapelle, an organic farmer who lives south of Guelph (in Petersburg, Ontario), and Douglas Prest, a socially responsible entrepreneur who lives in Dundas Ontario.  We have many other people involved in discussions as well.  Linda has even mentioned doing trials on (a small part of) her 250 acre organic farm and maybe even a neighbouring (conventional) farm.  Both Linda and Doug have talked to OMAFRA about doing trials, but with little coming out of it at this time. (I think that if others were to mention it, this might help them realize that there is a real broad-based interest -- especially if it comes from the farming community.)
    We've also been talking about using Biochar on Rooftop Gardens with a gentleman in Toronto by the name of Dennis Morrison as well, and have had discussions and met with folks from as far away as Ireland and the US and SE Queensland, Australia.  We had even met up recently (in Montreal) with a gentleman who lives in Budapest, Hungary who has a system that creates a biochar soil enhancement product from biowaste that he claims is one of the most innovative and environmentally friendly systems to date, and he would like to market, sell, install and support a new business based around his systems in North America. (We are looking at the possibility of creating somewhat decentralized regional biochar processors through farming co-ops or 'socially responsible' businesses rather than profit-only driven businesses.)
    I would suggest you contact Doug and Linda as they are also interested in "research and use of biochar from a gardening soil enhancement level" and perhaps also "to the multi-product strategies of corporate players".  I'm thinking that a 'critical mass' may have been reached here in Ontario to start our own separate e-mail discussion list centering around Biochar and the testing / application thereof.
  Get back to us on what you think.

      Lloyd Helferty, Engineering Technologist
      Product Development and Support Specialist
      Thornhill, ON




----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    From: terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org [mailto:terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of Gary Barei
    Sent: May 28, 2008 5:29 PM
    To: terrapreta at bioenergylists.org
    Subject: [Terrapreta] First Hello & General Background


    Hello List Members!

    I've been reading archived terrapreta list posts for some time now and have enjoyed following links, photos and discussions that you have all provided.  Thank you.  

    I live in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, (for about a year now), which has a fine agricultural/veterinary tradition and University.  I am looking for honest/fun/interesting opportunities in a sector that I can honestly contribute to in a positive way.  The kids are gone to college, one in architecture and one into computers.  Me? I'm an old "biotech" guy - B.Sc. in Microbiology and Immunology, then some M.Sc. studies related to T-cell development, lots of time in laboratories.  Then I got into the sales & marketing / management end of things, mostly providing a huge array of biotechnology products to private, commercial, hospital and government labs across the country.  This allowed me to wear a tie and travel a lot, but still keep current with my love for science, new technologies and opportunities. Along the way, I've developed a pretty eclectic array of interests - Hydrogen storage and biomass usage technologies among them.  It was always fun providing the basic research reagents and tools to such a broad base of scientific labs across the country - lots of people doing lots of cool stuff ... and of course, some not so cool.

    I've been a senior manager at companies like Amersham BioSciences, Sigma-Aldrich and Fisher Scientific, among others.

    I'm particularly interested in this list's discussions into research and use of biochar from a gardening soil enhancement level to the multi-product strategies of corporate players like Eprida, Best and Dynamotive.  Perhaps my experience bringing lots of new technologies to markets in the biotech sector can serve well in the renewable biomass and carbon sequestration world!

    In any event, I hope I haven't started off with a "too irrelevant" post and I hope to be able to make a small contribution to your discussions.  Questions & comments are OK by me!

    Kindest Regards,

    Gary Barei
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