We have an opportunity to prototype a hands-on carbon removal project, this summer, 2022. A group of volunteers will harvest at least 125 tons of dead wood and put it away for thousands of years, and in the process, prevent 229 tons of CO2 from entering the air. Huzzah!
This project will serve as foundation for thousands of similar projects over coming years, across western North America. Our goal will be to massively and steadily scale these projects, So that within 5 years, we will remove a gigaton each year.
The details aren’t nailed down, and I am not certain it will actually happen, but our “Radical Openness” policy requires that I share our progress. Can’t do anything about it, just followin’ policy (which policy, in a remarkable feat of circular logic, I unilaterally established. Just sayin’). This project is an example of sales 101: You need a pipeline of opportunities, of which some will come to fruition. Hopefully this is one that does!
Remediation projects are one half of the LOT mission, helping people achieve personal and household carbon positivity. The other half is to help them reduce their carbon footprint. We are well under way towards building a carbon account mvp (“minimum viable product” for all you product managers out there). Our hope is to have a solid carbon account available to the public before this summer project begins. That way, participants can lay claim to the reputational carbon offsets they generate. We also hope (but are not banking on) getting certified with carbon offset providers so that we can sell the economic carbon offsets, which we hope will subsidize our operations. Put these all together and LOT begins to have a story to tell!
Many things need to come together quickly for this to actually work, and I’ll describe them below. Holes in any of them could spoil our plans, so I’m not crossing my fingers for this particular project. I AM hoping, however, that everything we learn here will apply to all sorts of future projects, and that we can quickly transfer most of this learning to our future prospects.
In a way, what follows is an invitation for others to work with me to bring this project to fruition. They could take the lead on any of these components, or support me as I take the lead. Love to have you play a part! So here goes:
The Property is privately held and lies between Park City Utah and the Uintah National Forest to the East. We need to assemble a clear and specific plan and bring it before the property board of directors for approval. Their primary concern is to reduce the risk of fire by removing the dead wood that has built up around the buildings on the property, though they also support the carbon remediation goal. There is more work on the property to be done than we could possibly do during this project, which means we may have opportunity to expand in the future.
The sequestration process will likely follow two distinct paths, both scientifically sound and executed over recent years. We need to work with two partner organizations that have pioneered these processes, and make sure that our sequestration plans align with the most advanced scientific thinking. We are conscious that such thinking will evolve and advance in the coming decade, so flexibility in our sequestration plans is also necessary.
Professionals will be necessary for this project. Professionals will wield chainsaws and operate heavy equipment when necessary. We’ll need to engage professionals willing to align with LOT and property owner priorities.
The Volunteers in the future are regular people, motivated to slow down climate change, reduce the risk of uncontrolled forest fires, earn carbon credits, and any number of other things motivating them individually. However, for this project, we think the volunteers will be LOT enthusiasts and leaders, or “people we know” in the Salt Lake City metro area. We would need to recruit the volunteers for this project to be onsite over the course of three hours. Volunteers for future projects will find out about us through the LOT website and sign up for particular time slots, and particular operations around the West.
The Volunteer Experience needs to be managed carefully, because we want to learn as much as possible about how to make this a positive part of volunteers’ lives. We also want to make sure this particular experience is extensible to many other future experiences in coming years. This planning should include division and rotation of roles among volunteers, safe and enjoyable practices while on the job, sign up and set up processes, transportation to and from the site, information sharing before/during/after the event, availability of the right equipment and resources onsite.
The Funds will need to be raised for a combination of equipment purchases, equipment rentals, professional services, insurance, and materials. I envision enumerating needs and posting a gofundme or kickstarter for this specific project.
Get involved! Many hands, light work!
