This larger regional organization will encourage small-scale, local renewable energy projects that will also sequester carbon, thus ielding us carbon negative energy. To do this, several projects have been started already, including a regional gathering of biochar experts at a Biochar Symposium at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst on November 13, 2009.

The first such project is at the Cooley-Dickenson Hospital in Northampton, MA. This test will demonstrate the following:
1) long term carbon sequestration
2) local clean energy production, continued use of wood chips for heat & power
3) generate high-value feed stocks for other uses
4) improved local yield from biochar-treated soils (up to 300%)
5) improved soil structure from incorporated carbon
6) reduced fertilizer need (up to 75%) reducing cost to produce food
7) reduce nutrient loss from developed land due to carbon's affinity for pollutants
8) improved energy efficiency by control of generation timing and local use of heat
9) development profit niches for small farms and community agriculture
10) address urgent climate and soil remediation with simple technology

Other projects will:
• Use renewable agricultural sources (unmerchantable wood, grasses, etc.) to remove CO₂ from the air by photosynthesis.
• Enable 50-80% of the energy in the feed stock to be used to generate power. About 30% by weight will be converted to “biochar”, an inert form of carbon which is not returned to the atmosphere.
• Mix this biochar with microbial inoculants and fertilizer to be added to soil where it has been shown to benefit agriculture and sequester carbon for thousands of years.
• Test effects of biochar on crop yields in local farm soils.

Distributed carbon negative energy production, removes CO₂ from the air, converts biomass to an inert form of solid carbon, which has been shown to remain in the soil for up to 6000 years in very adverse environments.

This is the only responsible means of co-generation of power and local energy. There should be a benefit to the environment, an aid to agriculture, and a benefit to the Massachusetts economy with no great “up front” cost.

The Pioneer Valley Regional Biochar Initiative is a joint effort to expand this effort in Western Massachusetts as a local implementation of the International Biochar Initiative. Significant support is needed to facilitate this regional effort–details on request.

CONTACTS
Dr. Alan Page Step It Up Belchertown stepitupbelchertown@verizon.net Green Diamond Systems 125 Blue Meadow Road Belchertown, MA 01007 413-323-4401	Richard S. Stein Step It Up Belchertown stein@ecs.umass.edu Goessmann Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA 413-549-0245