Cutting Carbon Kick-off week in Sicily

An overview of the biochar workshops and the Bronte’s biochar conference:

Biochar production: This pyrolysis workshop, led by Gino Montagno (Giacche Verdi Bronte), took place in bad weather and could not be held in the field as planned, serving as a practical example of tree pruning waste utilisation in a soil ‘Kontiki’. We limited ourselves to using our mini pyrolysis kiln, on which the process and the principles to be observed were explained. In addition to our guests from the Balkans, representatives from the agricultural sector and the Cooperativa Sociale Iride took part, the latter accompanied by refugees under their care who are undergoing training as agricultural assistants.

Participating farmer Marco Meli invited us to visit his organic pistachio grove, where he plans to produce and apply biochar in future.

Green roof construction using biochar: The building contractor Maurizio Minissale, who had consulted with us in the run-up to this project the Catania University’s green roof and had trialled the construction of the first biochar green roofs on private land, guided the guests from the Balkans through the process of building one themselves. The result was a clear, illustrative model roof featuring various biochar substrates, located at Giacche Verdi’s starting point for environmental education excursions.

Urban tree planting with biochar: With the assistance of the “Corpo Forestale Bronte” (forest department), an Ilex aquifolium was planted in front of their headquarters using biochar. A sign explains how biochar works, it`s climate effect and the benefits of urban greenery.

Bronte’s biochar conference at the Pinacoteca Sciavarello, attended by the mayor Senator Pino Firarello, was aimed at around 100 guests from the political, institutional and agricultural sectors, as well as 60 surveying and engineering students. Andrea Aidala from Giacche Verdi and the moderator Giggi Saitta from the “Terre della Biosfera” association provided information about the EUKI project. Giuseppe Gagliano, an engineer from ICHAR (the Italian Biochar Association), gave a comprehensive description of the properties and effectiveness of biochar in mitigating climate change and as a soil improver. Prof. Paolo Guarnaccia from the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Catania and Stefanie Hermsen from the Manfred Hermsen Foundation made a case for regenerative agriculture and the need to avoid the use of pesticides when applying biochar. The structural engineer Massimo Longhitano raised the question of whether biochar-based green roofs could be combined with solar panels. The key addressee was the MP and member of the Agriculture Committee in the Italian Parliament, On. Giuseppe Castiglione, who in his speech recognised biochar as an innovation and outlined a vision for a region of excellence in Bronte – pistachio cultivation using biochar. This idea was also taken up by our German guest, Dr Eick von Ruschkowski, Director of the Alfred Töpfer Institute, who brought our long-standing project for a biosphere reserve in the Etna area to the fore.

Here a video impression: