Our guest speaker On November 10, 2012 was Kathleen Draper who gave a fascinating
overview of the history and current research related to bio char. She recently
completed her Masters in Sustainability where her thesis focused on the
creation of a small scale, replicable bio char model.
Bio char is a carbon negative soil conditioner that boosts
plant growth while reducing the need for fertilizer and watering. Baking
organic waste turns lots of the CO2 absorbed during the plant’s life into a
stable form of carbon. When the char is planted in dirt, it ditches the carbon
cycle and snuggles up with plant roots; the result is lots of beneficial
micro-organisms, a safe place to roost, and it holds water.
This filtration medium and soil conditioner is what bio char
is all about. Over 2000 years ago, Native Americans in the Amazon were actively
improving the soils in rain forests. Pre-Columbians created what’s known as
terra preta, “black earth.”
Kathleen has launched Finger Lakes Bio Char and has been
working closely with several area vineyards to help them reduce phosphorous and
nitrogen leaching into ground water and Lakes.
Kathleen can be contacted at www.flbiochar.com
Respectfully submitted, Peggy Kane