Start an LCN
If you are inspired by the LCN idea but are in a different region than the Bay Area in California or the Umbria region in Italy, you may consider starting an LCN in your area. We can provide you with SkyCarbon Biochar in bulk or even the equipment to make your own biochar locally.
Below are the four groups you will need to put in place within a 10 mile radius to make the project viable. Each of the actors will receive a benefit from participating.
A waste wood source
Speak to your local forestry departments and/or municipalities for urban green waste. Do you know of there are any invasive tree species that need to be kept trimmed down? Are you in a fire hazard area? Are your local trees dying because of disease? You will want untreated wood. If you are in a river area ask around if the lumber in the rivers ever requires pruning. Go to your local nut processing plants, for walnut, palm nut or macadamia nut shells. Approach local lumber mills or large furniture manufacturers. Go to your local organic farmers who have fruit or olive trees.
The benefit for the waste wood source is getting rid of their waste wood for free as often it is just an expense or a bother for them.
A place to put the conversion hub
You will need to find a place that has a building or awning to put the equipment as well as a need for the electricity, heating and/or cooling. For example this could be a supermarket with a large parking lot, a food processing or packaging place, a greenhouse, a hydroponic grower, an animal breeder, a sports center, SPA or school. This site ideally should be able to provide some compostables also such as food waste, grass cuttings or manure for the next step.
The benefit for the conversion hub would be a reduction in electricity or heating costs and a better carbon footprint.
Composting operations, farms or community gardens
You will need one or more places where compost can be made and applied to the ground to grow food. The biochar that comes out from the conversion hub will be sent here.
The community gardens should reach out to local restaurants and farms for manure, hay and veggie scraps.
The community gardens and farms would benefit by obtaining premium quality compost. Produce will increase with less water and fertilisers.
Climate Funds
Once the first 3 partners have been found you can meet and have a brainstorming session for the funding.You are welcome to contact us also as we are sometimes able to help with financing. Grants, sponsors, crowdfunding, loans, awards and donations are all viable financing methods.
For each method you will have a different process. For example, if you are looking for donations you may want to involve a non profit, if you are looking for sponsors you may want to involve a local celebrity, if you are looking for grants on climate impact you may want to involve a professional grant writer and if in your midst you have large mailing lists you may want to opt for crowdfunding.
Managers of Climate Funds would benefit via a financial ROI, social benefit, climate impact and/or increased reputation capital.
Start an LCN “Pico Project”
It could be that you would like to start small and in that case all you need to do is put together a group of 10 people who start the subscription, with or without tumblers, in the same neighbourhood at the same time.
Establish where the delivery address is and we will send you a bulk order of biochar monthly for you to distribute among the subscribers. We will also send you a package of free biochar for your local school or community garden and some teaching materials so you can teach them about biochar co-composting.
You and all your subscribers will be added to our Localcarbon Facebook group to share your stories and ask for advice.
A Pico Project can be a great way to do local proving before starting a full LCN project with equipment on the ground.