Give

I was listening to Ted Talks, as I do from time to time and came across one from Rhua Benjamin, regarding UStopias. This was recorded long before our former President had the "insightful" epiphany that USA, has the word "us" in it. In any case there were some things I have known and integrated in my life, my experience, world view; things I often say or tell people about, which is the concept of thriving. It is, in many ways, like the Basque region's Mondragon systems of ownership and co-operativism. These co-operatively owned ventures benefit everyone and everyone matters enough to be supported and provided safety and sustenance. Ustopias can be formed at many levels and reflect the same underlying understanding which is we are each valid, valuable and as human beings, deserve enough. Enough to thrive!

UStopias we create together willfully wide awake, that allows each and every one to thrive. We enter into this co-operative behavior cycle that gives to every member of our family, home, business, life the full measure that their needs dictate, enough. This line of reason was cross pollinated with knowledge that arrived a couple weeks ago that I was not sure how to integrate, but now makes perfect sense.

People of a certain age may remember the Polaroid Land Camera,which at the time was revolutionary in that photos could be made and developed in your hand within a few minutes! Anyway, the Land fellow the camera got it's name from was tasked by NASA to research geniuses, because they knew that they would need a lot for the space program. What Land and his fellow researchers found is that among 1600 children between four and five years old, 98% are considered geniuses, because as they defined it, they used their creative imaginations to solve problems. By Grade School, that number had dropped to 30% in High School, the number dropped to12% and as adults, only 2% retain this ability. To be Genius. IMHO, we always have a choice, unless we were one of the dullard children to start.

Unlearning the constraints of sport and all forms of competition seems to be impossible, but humans are made to cooperate and be geniuses, so what stops us from utilizing our inherent ability to utilize our creative imagination to problem solve? In F-1 for instance, the difference between first on the starting grid and last was 2.5 seconds. Typically a lap would last more than a minute, perhaps as much as a minute and a half. The difference is nearly imperceptible between these elite competitors. Certainly not enough to make a difference if they were, in virtually any field other than auto Racing or perhaps at Mission Control at NASA.

When we stop policing the limits of our imagination, we find opportunity for work that does not push us into an early grave. That genius potential lies within all of us, the results of everyone thriving is worth whatever it "costs". There are rising calls for redistribution of wealth, co-operative ownership of not only housing, transportation infrastructure and banking/finance, but the educational needs for future generations can only benefit from less focus on competition for scarce resources and abundance through cooperative effort.

In my charmaking, the material would be useless when it is first made, only through investment of time, energy and consideration for all the organisms I coax to thrive in the char, once they thrive, they create their own thing, soil and that renews and replenishes itself in ways that benefit future generations as well as ours. I believe we are the macrocosm of the soil microbes that exist under our feet. We can live integrated into something much more rewarding for all of us, perfecting the give away is not something we have been trained to do well, yet; however when we find our way to do better, things will get better.

What Our Co-op Will Accomplish

Our property is just under two acres but we will sequester ate least two tons of carbon on site and we include biochar soil enhancement in all of our bedding plants. We are creating a gathering space and refuge for rest, relaxation and recovery from daily stressors. Our time signature of life is determined by what needs to be done when and as we develop more and more site specific ecotours, we also adapt them to be on-site specific as much as possible. We have been helping to teach about nature in ways that exhibit qualities that are worth mimicking. The inevitable principles that keep nature stable that can assist humans in becoming more resilient, more attuned to natures cycles so that our members can guests can thrive. In addition to sharing produce and insight, members and guests will also be invited to events through the seasons and benefit from the abundance of our land. To find out more or join, contact biocharmaster@gmail.com

Building Char Reserves

Carbon sequestered may have more and more value over time because it has the possibility of replacing the carbon we have so zealously burned and released into the atmosphere. In my humble opinion, Mamma Earth is trying to sequester carbon herself, the only way she can, massive charred forests. We have had them in the U.S. as well but the black ash is a gold mine for soil formation. Nature will reclaim charred logs in hundreds to thousands of years, which leads to the reclaimed forest soils. I teach how to transform lifeless and sterile char into the best emulation of soil for your location. The process is not unlike making beer or saurkraut. to be brief, it requires a host of soil precursors and enough mpoisture so that biology can literally take root in th esoil emulating pores of the biochar.
Many use the term biochar to stand in for any charred woody biomass. I dosagree. That, I call char, as in charcoal. You wouldn't want to put it in your garden, that's for sure, unless you wanted to make paths of it, intentionally. However, when you spend about six weeks, enriching and adding many and varied foods for soil life, it completely transforms the char, enlivening it, creating colonies of healthy microbial community that can be spread over a large area. A 1% concentration in soil doubles crop production, reduces irrigation needs by half, makes nutrients available in soil twice as long, and increases CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity) which helps feed pllants more appropriately. Doubling of plant biomass is a huge pay off, but the healing that is done to the soil itself will pay incalculable benefits, for generations if we treat it well. To research further, check out Gabe Brown's work restoring cabon to his soil. Armoring the soil is essential. Guarding the surface from direct Sun exposure, raindrops and wind helps the biology of the soil to stabilize and diversify. The more broad and prolific the microbiome becomes, the more stable it is as well. In this time of climate destabilization, having any soil that is resistant to both flood and drought, which again, the 1% concentration of quality biochar can achieve. Not tilling, a gentle opening of the soil with a braodfork, insertaed and leaned back on ten or fifteen degrees, just a bit to get air into tight soils, can be helpful, but keeping the majority of large and small structures in the soil intact is essential to soil health. That is why you armor as well, to protect the "little ones" in the soil profile who make it possible for both air and water to get in! When you till, the first thing to go is the large structures, and their carbon reserve in the soil gets lost. Next to go with continued tilling are the small structures and then, you just have dirt.
Just as I feel strongly about keeping the word char for sterile charcoal distinct from biochar which is alive and emulates healthy native soils. If you have ever seen dirt and know what soil is, you could not argue that those two words apply to different materials as well. I have been so dirty that I had soil on me, but the vast majority of it we prefer to leave in the garden beds. We have a preliminary hand wash prior to going in the house and that water gets used on plants often. Keeping your biochar at home becomes essential when you know how transformative it can be. Keeping living roots in the soil because they are the large structures that also help get air, moisture and sugars, when they are healthy; into the soil to feed microbes.
Fostering diversity also helps to stabilize both microclimate and helps feed a thriving soil microbiome. If you apply these five principles, your soil will revive and you can do all of this with virtually no inputs. I have and I can guide anyone through the process.

Traitors at the Helm

I have taken the long view for over half a Century. I detest ever having to say I told you so. Now we know that the Hippies were right! I've written this before, but we now have a transgression so vile that it deserves repeating. The five Supreme Court Justices, who allowed landowners to fill and grade over wetlands, the same ones that protect from flood and contamination of the aquifer, upon which we all depend. That is a serious erosion of both the Clean Water Act and fifty years of law. Chief Justice, John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Grosuch and Amy Coney Barrett have in one decision cast over half of all wetlands as developable, (to the wolves) leaving each of the fifty states, free to develop their own rules, or not; a vacant, unscientific, ignorant of physics, "let er rip." message to millions of private landowners who want to "develop" in wetland. What it means though, is put impermeable surfaces out there. One of the most repugnant and sad features about the case that the desision was made upon, is that the landowners were told, before they did any work, by consultants they hired, that wetlands existed there, they just ignored the professional, hauled in tons of gravel, graded it flat and began to build. Anything without a "permanent connection" to a flowing stream is now exempt from the intent and words of the Clean Water Act. If that is not treason, I'm not sure what is!class="separator" style="clear: both;">

Waxing 2-D

It seems that humanity is a bit like every other species. We cycle through time, corkscrewing through space and time, emulating phases of the moon. We seem to come into the light of awareness and retreat to dark ages and ignorance, sometimes for centuries at a time. I spent a little time this week digging around a bit to find information about a type of textile whose origins are well-documented although the process to make it was never written down. Humanity lost this luxurious type of muslin to the mists of time. The fabric is called Dhaka muslin for the city in which it was made and was so light weight that the wearer felt nude. Clothing made from it left virtually nothing to the imagination but today, not one person on the planet remebers how it was made. Simlilarly, the rediscovery of how to make biochar or terra preta, the soil enhancing material that ancient people used to double their crop production and hold nutrients for long periods of time was lost as well. Researchers noticed a single ingredient amongst those that were required to make it work and then nearly fifty years went by before someone rediscovered the findings and began their own experiments designed to learn more about this ancient black gold. It has taken decades more to find out what made this substance useful. You see, the carbon that is the substrate upon which biochar is based is the only form of carbon that is pure enough to be stable. Once vitrified, it lasts for extremely long periods in the soil, unlike most carbon that we know and understand from our daily lives, the organic kind that represents a component part of all living things. All that carbon is not elemental, stable or pure, it is the underlying catalyst for life, part of an amalgam of chemicals and can be nearly infinitely transformed into tissues of plants, food for soil microbes, birds, bees, bats, humans or trees. We have explored organic (carbon-containing) chemistry to the point of inventing about 400 new chemicals from it each and every year based primarily on the carbon atom. We have gone full bore into the unknown, often releasing these compounds into the air, water and our bodies, before they have been adequately health and safety tested and/or studied to any extent at all. It can take twenty years of research to understand a chemical and it would not be possible to test 400 such compounds every year. If one of the 400 works for our desired purpose or economic benefit, it is deemed a viable option, until, sometimes many years later, the legacy of another txoic, carcinogenic or mutagenic compound has already been released into mass production, the environment and our bodies. When we delve into the complexities of any discipline, we can be lost in a forest by ignoring the trees. In real ways, our understanding of the texture of the world, it's lumps and bumps, the vagaries of what is possible can frequently negate our understanding about whether it makes sense to even try changing things or inventing perviously unknown systems or materials. When we weigh heavily the idea of making life easier (which has been known to be a myth for over a century) or advancing the species in one specific way, say healthier for instance, by definition we sacrifice our attention to other factors. That is why so many drugs have unavoidable side effects. We have valued the outcome more highly than how we will get there. Just as when we travel, picking whether to go by foot, bicycle, train, car or plane, once the choice is made, there is no attending to the possibility of any of the other options. So too our decisions to look to future luxury and forego whatever it takes to get there cuts us off from other possible options or experiences. When choosing the title of this post, we were looking at art that was sculptural, but then, if you added energy, it would transform into something fragile and frail, until the energy stopped going in. Then, it would become a soild sculptural form again. So too, our mind has this quality, as does the collective mind of our community. We frequently charge ahead, putting energy in to whatever our persuits are and pay little attention to the wake we leave behind. Many people have been lulled into the false belief that none of that matters. A very two-dimensional view of reality. In fact, the propensity of modern thinkers to believe in duality is a good place to see 2-D thinking on display. You can't get more two-dimensional than, "Two sides to every story". It validates the experience of bullies and fools, criminals and charlatans. If every story has two sides, does that make life easier to understand? As we continue waxing into two dimensional thought, perhaps someone should be ringing alarm bells for us to wake back up!

One Year Ago

Today is the one year anniversary of our first walk through at our new property. At first look, the work required was daunting, to say the least. There were unhealthy smells coming from around two hideous bathrooms, the floors throughout were nasty and most needed total replacement. First floor windows were functionable and good for 1951, but had voids and to be best, would have needed total reglazing, paint and some new panes of glass just to get them up to 71 year old specs. The plumbing was a little sketch to say the least and it looked like it had been through at least a couple decades of not being cleaned. Our financial "resource base" was a little over 50K to invest, and the work looked like we could "afford" it if all the sweat equity was provided by our Directors and Volunteers. By the time April Fourth rolls around, the date we signed the mortgage, the home repairs should be complete and we can switch our focus to the greenhouses! ECO-Tours of Wisconsin Inc. now has a site at which we will continue to teach classes, plant and restore the land, build healthy soil. Continuing to provide the same program we were going to do in th eremote Northwoods of Wisconsin, right on th eScenic Shortcut that millions take to Door County. Tourism is up 13% over pre pandemic levels and shows little sign of levelling off.
Our initial plan was to buy a large acreage, where nearly half was lowlying natural buffer to development. The parcel we found best suited to our goals (after two years of searching mind you) was taken off the market before we could complete an offer to purchase. In fact, we had not even gotten to walk the land, although from photographs and Google Earth, we could see how a physical plant could organically develop on the high ground, far from th ebeaten path. It was expensive for what we would have gotten but that also would present an unforseen negative, long travel times for our guests to get to the site! The site we have secured can do all of the things we needed for approximately the same amount of money. We are actually able to start out several years ahead of where we would be having bought blank land and building from scratch and because we spent frugally, getting a large amount of the physical plant pre-built, we don't have to do constant fund-raising! We are ready to host our first biochar class now, we just need to plan for a time that the most people can come.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/1111+Clark+St,+Algoma,+WI+54201/@44.6076943,-87.4478729,3a,75y,347.5h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s0xA4GafyFFcwp3oBrtk5DQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0x881d36ba58830fd1:0xd518aea10fdbec2!8m2!3d44.6080375!4d-87.4479921 Intead of having to cast a broad net over the landscape to get within reach of a million people, it would have required drives of three to five hours for many of our guests. Where we settled, we are less than an hour drive from over a million people and many millions more go by on their way to vacation!The carbon footprint of our guests will be virtually non-existent compared to what it would have been being so far out in the boonies and we can also offer fishing tour recommendations for fishing expeditions on Lake Michigan for our guests. If guests forgot anything, stores are a short walk away and the roads here may never be impassable. Up in the woods, we would have had to drive for miles on a sand road, or traverse the fields a half mile from the closest paved road just to get in or out. Settling on an existing place in the City of Algoma will serve everyone who comes and the planet far better than developing another place in the woods. We went from being virtually inassessible for many without transportation options to available to a million people within a one-day bike ride.

Ides of December

We had our preliminary winter rain with a dash of snow at the end. If it had snowed, just ten days before Solstice, and we got all that rain as snow, it would have been impressive. Instead, we got torrential rain that eventually turned into a sleety ice mix, and in the overnight, it finally got near 32F (0C) and some snow fell. The ground, not yet being frozen was soaking up as much as it could, but eventually, the ground was saturated and the slush started building up on top. Late in the day, much had melted into the grass and more than half the lawns were clear. The cold is supposed to come this week, but for now, the ground is wet and thawed, at least on top. Six weeks and ten days from now, temperatures should begin warming, but for now, at least in the Northern Hemisphere, this will begin story time and long winter's nights by the fire. So much has been written and researched regarding soil carbon and so little is being done to heal the soil and re-establish a viable water cycle in our agricultural lands that time is running out to adapt and change our behavior before we turn the great "bread baskets" of the world to desert.
In these times, we must rebuild our soils. Many recent advances have led to multi-species cover cropping and interplantings that build soil rather than deplete it. We have the skills needed to increase carbon in soil, increase biological activity and reduce the effects of both drought and flood and those who know how to do it are anxious to teach others. The biochar classes we teach at ECO-Tours of Wisconsin are designed specifically for you, your soils, your resources, your intended use of the land, all of these things dictate the type of biochar that best suits your desired use. Someone wanting chicken odor reduction as their primary use for biochar would get a very different product than someone who wanted to add it to asparagus beds, for instance.
The primary thing to remember is that once char has been heated to a glow, but kept from air, it is transformed, like fired pottery, the sherds can last virtually forever. Research into the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World modern archaeology has not yet "found", leads some to believe that ultralight soils may have been biochar-based and fed from newly discovered canals/aqueducts near and leading to Nineveh, near Mosul, Iraq. Ancient ancestors from over 4,000 years ago had worked out the details of using fire to turn clay to stone and it seems a tiny step for them to also realize that the black ash made in virtually every fire, was transformed in a similar fashion, and has benefits for soil building and drought resistance.

Our current lack of understanding regarding soils leads many to not even understand the difference between soil and dirt. So much of our agricultural landscape has been assaulted, de-carbonized, tilled to death and saturated with chemicals that finding intact soils with well-developed structure are getting harder and harder to find. Our biochar classes are designed to convey knowledge, skills and attitudes that lead to healthier soils, healthier plants and doubling of crop production without the use of harsh or persistent chemicals and to facilitate the establishment of a viable soil microbial communjity. This in turn leads to an increase in marcro-organisms and beneficial insects that also store carbon and cycle water, nutrients and carbon, allowing it to stay in soils longer and to provide resources for other trophic levels in the soil. The current system of agriculture needs to be revised for so many reasons, our classes teach literally from the ground up, why change is necessary, how to create positive change in the soil and all the specifics regarding the six steps required to make top quality biochar that will transform the soil for thousands of years. If you are interested in taking our classes, we can do them in-person or online. We have also had a few opportunities to consult with people using the phone, so whatever your needs are, don't hesitate to ask. This information is too important to not share. Just remember, we have bills, overhead and taxes to pay. Spending a reasonable amount for the information is crucial to allow us to continue to exist and it helps you value the years of effort we have put in to help re-discover this ancient blend of art and science. The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance.
As another year slowly fades into history, it is well to remeber that we are the drivers of change. The greedy, self-serving, ignorant and rediculous people who have all the money don't care about us and do not understand that they need us far more than we need them. We don't need to close ranks around them, dehumanize or demoralize them, but to step away, teach by example and invite reciprocation. According to abundance theory, when everyone does better, everyone does better.
Contact us by mail at: ECO-Tours of Wisconsin, Inc. 1111 Clark street Algoma, WI 54201,
e-mail: biocharmaster "at" gmail.com or call/txt: nine twenty, double eight four-triple two four.