Environmental Progress News
January, 2018
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” ~ Socrates
New Year’s Resolutions
What were your New Year’s Resolutions, if any? Some people pledge to themselves to quit smoking, eat less, lose weight, exercise more, spend more time with family, work less, the list can go on depending on your personal life choices.
Perhaps the key is not to try to “stop doing something”, but rather to focus on what you want to see happen in 2018. As Socrates said “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”
Get involved. Climate change is already happening, but it is not too late to contribute to the solution. On whatever level you can. Join a local organizations efforts to make a difference. If you have more money than time make a donation to an organization that is working on your behalf to find solutions for climate change.
A resolution to reduce your carbon footprint in 2018 is also a great way to get involved and take action against climate change. Your carbon footprint relates to the amount of greenhouse gases you produce on a daily basis when you use objects that rely on fossil fuels, such as electricity or modes of transportation. Not sure how to reduce your footprint? Here are five easy ways to get started:
1. Cut down on carbon emissions by opting to walk, ride a bike, carpool or take public transportation.
2. Reduce the amount of meat you eat. Livestock, especially cattle, emit large quantities of harmful greenhouse gases, and clearing land for livestock to graze on often involves deforestation.
3. Eat local. Eating locally grown foods can reduce the amount of fuel needed to transport food long distances. Try to find alternatives to fruits and vegetables that are not in season where you live.
4. Wash your clothes in cold water and line dry them.
5. Unplug your electronics. Electronic chargers and appliances consume electricity even when not in use, so be sure to unplug them when you can.
Interested in calculating your own footprint? Use this free Carbon Calculator.
Make 2018 a year where you “do something”!
Planning for the Future
The world has taken notice, something is definitely going on. Some people think we have hit the tipping point already, others believe we can still change our behavior to slow down and reverse Global Warming. Reducing our collective carbon imprint is vital. We can continue to build a greener world, but what if that is not enough? See what scientists are currently researching to find a last ditch solution.
Warm Heart’s “Stop the Smoke” Campaign 2018
Save Your Life – Save Someone Else’s, Too!
In 2017, you helped us remove 4.5 tons of smoke from the air over Chiang Mai.
In 2018, we are aiming for 45 tons of smoke. For the same price.
Good deal, right?
No idea what 45 tons of smoke is?
# One kilogram of smoke is equivalent to the smoke from 71,429 cigarettes.
# There are 45,000 kilograms in 45 tons.
# 45 tons of smoke equals the smoke from 3,214,305,000 cigarettes.
Makes you want to stop breathing, doesn’t it?
Please, don’t!
Stop the Smoke instead!
We need your help, because only you can Stop the Smoke. And believe me, you can. You did it in 2017 and in 2018 you can do ten times as much for the same amount!
How can I Stop the Smoke?
Buy pure carbon biochar, literally “solid smoke,” from the air
Suggested donation: US$500 (17,500 THB) Buy 313 kg (689 lbs.) of smoke – equivalent of the smoke from 23,357,277 cigarettes
Suggested donation: US$150 (5,000 THB) Buy 89 kg. (196 lbs.) of smoke – the equivalent of the smoke from 6,357,181cigarettes
What will you do with my money?
Warm Heart, the fiscal agent for Stop the Smoke, will ensure that
- 100% of your donation will go to farmers to purchase biochar, literally solid smoke.
- Biochar purchased with your donation will be turned into fertilizer that will be sold to raise funds to buy still more biochar.
- As fertilizer, all of the biochar will end up in the ground where it will remain forever, sequestering CO2 and improving the soil.
What is Stop the Smoke?
Stop the Smoke is a five year campaign organized by the Warm Heart Foundation to reduce Chiang Mai’s Burning Season smoke by 50%. 2018 is the Stop the Smoke’s second year.
Why Stop the Smoke?
Smoke is actually tiny particles (PM2.5) so small that they pass through the walls of the lungs into the blood stream. PM2.5 is the fifth biggest killer in the world, killing far more people every year than AIDS, dengue, malaria and TB combined.
The annual Chiang Mai Burning Season kills thousands of people and leads to the hospitalization of tens of thousands. Stop the Smoke aims to end this needless health disaster.
How does Stop the Smoke work?
The smoke that plagues North Thailand comes from two sources – from forest fires and increasingly from crop wastes burned by farmers. Eliminating forest fires requires government action.
Eliminating crop waste fires requires giving farmers a better, alternative way to clear their fields. Stop the Smoke does this by teaching farmers to convert crop waste into biochar and establishing a biochar market.
Biochar is super charcoal made by heating biomass – for example, crop waste – without oxygen. Converting crop waste to biochar eliminates all smoke particles. It also sequesters 3 tons of CO2 for every ton of biochar produced and averts the emission of huge amounts of greenhouse gases and smog precursors.
Biochar itself is valuable. Used in the degraded soils of North Thailand, biochar reduces acidity, increases fertility and soil life, and improves water retention. Biochar is also a great animal feed, reducing disease and improving weight gain, and is a powerful soil and water decontaminant.
When does Stop the Smoke happen?
Stop the Smoke started with the 2017 Burning Season. The first Stop the Smoke campaign raised 1,000,000 baht and removed 4.5 tonnes of smoke from our air (equivalent to the smoke of 321,430,500 cigarettes). Warm Heart converted the biochar produced with funds from the 2017 Stop the Smoke campaign into organic fertilizer that is now in farmers’ fields. The 2018 Stop the Smoke biochar production campaign – tenfold larger than the 2017 campaign – begins January 31.
Who is Stop the Smoke?
Stop the Smoke is organized by the Warm Heart Foundation. Warm Heart is a registered Thai foundation (NGO/nonprofit, CM273) and the partner of Warm Heart Worldwide, Inc., an American, tax-exempt nonprofit (EIN 26-2059241).
Warm Heart is a community development organization serving North Thailand by partnering with communities to build sustainable futures. Stop the Smoke is part of Warm Heart’s sustainable agriculture and public health programs. All funds raised for Stop the Smoke are spent on Stop the Smoke activities. Accounts are available on request.
Where is Stop the Smoke located?
Stop the Smoke’s primary focus in 2017-18 is A.Mae Chaem to the west of Chiang Mai. A.Mae Chaem produces 95,000 tonnes of corn waste annually, and traditionally has burned 100% of it. In 2017, Stop the Smoke showed that small farmers would convert crop waste into biochar instead of burning it.
In 2018, we plan to increase biochar production tenfold. Beyond biochar, Stop the Smoke is partnering with the local governor to reduce the amount of land devoted to corn by 50%. Warm Heart is also launching a small-scale version of its Mae Chaem operation that it hopes to replicate across Thailand in 2018 .
Can I visit Stop the Smoke?
Absolutely. Please contact the Warm Heart Foundation to arrange a tour. info@dev.warmheartworldwide.org.
Can I purchase Stop the Smoke biochar fertilizer products?
Please do! We have pure biochar, SuperDirt and SuperDirt + Micronutrients biochar-based fertilizers in stock right now.
We will soon have available a new biochar spray for your flowers and vegetables and specially formulated supplements for your chickens, cows and pigs. Contact us on Line: BiocharSuperDirt or at biochar@warmheartonline.org.
Will my donation be tax deductible?
If you are an American citizen, your donation is fully tax deductible. If you are a German citizen, donate through www.betterplace.org/p58944 to get a tax deduction.
Mae Chaem 2017 Pilot Project
• Biochar produced: 150 tons
• Tons of CO2 sequestered: 450 tons
• Tons of CH4, NOx and eCO2 averted: 3.5 tons, 1.9 tons, 654 tons• Tons of smoke averted: 3.8 tons
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