Carbon reduction action group aka CRAG

The Idea

A Carbon Reduction Action Group is a takeoff of the carbon rationing action groups that have been happening in the UK since 2006 demonstrating, not just protesting or talking about, Carbon Equity. The purpose of this project is to bring people together to reduce their individual and collective carbon footprints and reach a higher level of domestic sustainability. After an annual emissions target is set as agreed on by the group; emissions over the year are kept track by keeping a record of household energy use and private car and plane travel. Any carbon debt built up after a year will be assessed @ $100 t of CO2. This carbon credit money with go to develop local community-scale biochar systems producing a carbon-negative soil amendment from biomass residue/waste. The biochar will be "charged" by a community compost operation pioneered by Berkeley (in the 60s). The $1000 will advertise for 100 participants to model the low-carbon diet, and organizational, and promotional outreach

Northeast Kingdom of rural Vermont.

One month after receiving the funds - duration one year once the 100 membership/participation has been recruited.

Check out the real carbon reduction results from the UK CRAG groups. Less talk, more real action.

Is your project a new idea, or was it initiated after November 2011?: Original idea.

Discussion

Good One Proffessor Kellogg. I have voted Charmaster Dolph

by biocharproject.australia

11 months ago | Reply

I like the idea of funding a true carbon-negative strategy - local biochar production - with the unmet goals of the carbon reduction assessment.. A review of participatory economics might be in order here for venture capitalists and 'central planners' who would turn a buck off laborers and call themselves social entrepreneurs . And incidentally, the European economists and risk avoidance insurance folks value the cost of atmospheric carbon to be $100 ton - so that number is spot-on. I envision a Whitfield/Gill combined heat and char (CHC) reactor system replacing an oil or LP gas furnace in a municipal building. Also, reviewing the UK analysis of their gov version of CRAG I notice they don't mention that air travel is 3X more greenhouse gas producing than land travel. So the US isn't the only one who subsidizes polluting airlines. As a gardener, I could use locally produced biochar to build my soil, permanently sequester carbon and maybe even filter water ....and resource yard wastes and crop residues as feedstock. This plan skips the government politics and demonstrates how we can walk our talk.