Project 166

Last weekend was special. I joined the Silk Laundry team for a camping night at Project 166, in Oman Ama, Queensland, Australia.

Project 166 — https://www.project166.com/ — is a carbon sequestration and land restoration site in rural Queensland. Previously, this was an old sheep shed and now it acts as a base where people share meals, watch environmental films and sit by the fire.

You can see the promo video of the project here:

And follow its Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/project.166/

Importantly, we watched “Kiss the Ground”, a documentary film about awakening people to the possibilities of soil regeneration: https://linktr.ee/kisstheground

That was enough for the evening. After consuming a healthy meal by the fire, the temperature quickly dropped to minus, and we all resorted to our tents for the night.

The morning after, a slightly frost ground gave us the good morning. The night camping was cosy and warm, and breakfast was ready on the table. A mug of black coffee is always the best way to start a day!

And despite some challenged themselves with a dip in the “tin”, nope — that was certainly not for me, surely not in August (which is winter down under…).

So far so good, but the real reason why Project 166 exists is for promoting and supporting a sustainable and regenerative agriculture practice.

Regenerative agriculture

Regenerative agriculture is a holistic land management practice that seeks to rehabilitate and enhance the entire ecosystem of farms. It aims at restoring soil health, improving water management, enhancing biodiversity, and capturing carbon in the soil to mitigate climate change. Regenerative agriculture goes beyond sustainable agriculture by actively working to reverse the damage done to ecosystems and to restore natural processes.

There are various practices associated with regenerative agriculture, which are all explained in the “Kiss the Ground” documentary:

1. No-till farming: This practice avoids disturbing the soil through tillage, which can lead to erosion and loss of soil carbon.
2. Cover cropping: Planting cover crops, like clover or rye, can protect the soil from erosion, improve soil structure, and add organic matter to the soil.
3. Crop rotation and diversification: Rotating and diversifying crops can help reduce pest and disease pressures, improve soil fertility, and reduce the need for synthetic inputs.
4. Agroforestry: Integrating trees and shrubs into agricultural systems can provide multiple benefits, including increased biodiversity, improved water management, and carbon sequestration.
5. Grazing management: Properly managed grazing can help improve soil health, sequester carbon, and promote ecosystem restoration.
6. Composting: Adding compost to the soil can help increase soil organic matter, improve soil structure, and enhance soil microbial activity.
7. Holistic management: This approach to farm management takes into account the whole farm ecosystem and seeks to optimize the health and productivity of all parts of the system.

The benefits of regenerative agriculture include improved soil health, increased farm resilience to climate change, reduced reliance on synthetic inputs, and increased carbon sequestration. It also can contribute to greater biodiversity, improved water quality, and more stable and resilient food systems.

Carbon sequestration

Carbon sequestration is the process by which atmospheric carbon dioxide is absorbed and stored long-term in a carbon sink, such as forests, soils, or the ocean. Natural carbon sequestration occurs naturally through the carbon cycle, which includes various biological, geological, and chemical pathways:

• Photosynthesis: Plants absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere during photosynthesis and convert it into organic carbon compounds like glucose. This carbon is then stored in the plant’s tissues, such as stems, roots, and leaves.
• Soil sequestration: When plants die and decay, the carbon stored in their tissues becomes part of the soil organic matter. Some of this carbon can be stored in the soil for decades or even centuries.
• Ocean sequestration: Oceans are the largest carbon sink on Earth. Phytoplankton, which are microscopic marine plants, absorb CO2 through photosynthesis and convert it into organic matter. When these organisms die, they sink to the ocean floor, taking the carbon with them. Some of this carbon is then stored in deep ocean layers for long periods.

Carbon dioxide is your friend :-)

As you can see, carbon dioxide is your friend, and not your enemy! We need CO2, but we need it in the right place, which is in the soil, and not in the atmosphere.

In our little, Project 166 contributes to offset our carbon footprint by helping CO2 stay where it’s supposed to be, in soil. We accomplish this goal by planting trees in the land. But… how many trees are we expected to plant to offset our carbon footprint?

Project 166 contributes to offset our carbon footprint

According to “Our World in Data”, an average person in Australia produces about 15 tons of carbon dioxide per year <https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions>. Please consider, this number can vary significantly depending on factors such as diet, transportation habits, energy consumption, and waste generation.

The “Arbor Day Foundation” has calculated that a mature hardwood tree can absorb about 21 kilograms of CO2 from the atmosphere in one year, and release oxygen in exchange. This figure, however, is only achieved when the tree is fully grown. Saplings will absorb significantly less than this. This means a single tree could sequester approximately 1 ton of carbon dioxide by the time it reaches 50 years old. It would take over 700 years for a tree to sequester 15 tons of CO2!

Now, let’s put the complex math aside (trees planted in tropical regions tend to sequester more carbon dioxide than those planted in other regions). To make it simpler, it’s been calculated that offsetting that massive volume of emissions would equal out individually to each person in the country planting about 150 — 200 trees (depending upon the species) every year. Pick in the middle, this is the mission of Project 166.

To offset our emissions would take each person planting 166 trees every year.

Thus we did our part. We planted some very baby gumtrees, we reinforced the dry soil around with additional turf with nutrients, and watered all the area around. Aren’t they adorable?

Thanks Project 166 and the team at Silk Laundry for the opportunity to experience the beauty of this country side of Queensland, share stories and memories around a campfire, and, above all, contribute to reduce our carbon footprint.