00:00:25.925 --> 00:00:28.428
The average age of our farmer
today in this part of the state

00:00:28.428 --> 00:00:30.864
is 65, and in the United States
it's close to 57.

00:00:31.731 --> 00:00:33.166
And census by census, that age

00:00:33.166 --> 00:00:35.035
continues
to get older and older.

00:00:35.035 --> 00:00:36.636
And so
unless we change something

00:00:36.636 --> 00:00:38.872
dramatically, we are going
to run out of farmers.

00:00:40.740 --> 00:00:42.776
We also have less and less farms
as farms continue

00:00:42.776 --> 00:00:45.745
to come together and become
larger and larger enterprises.

00:00:45.745 --> 00:00:48.681
And we know that smaller
scale farms have such

00:00:48.681 --> 00:00:51.985
incredible
multi-benificial components,

00:00:51.985 --> 00:00:54.421
both for a community, an economy
and for the environment.

00:00:56.256 --> 00:00:59.692
The Farm Collaborative
is a 5013c nonprofit,

00:00:59.692 --> 00:01:00.960
and we focus on

00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:03.196
turning around
the impacts of climate change

00:01:03.196 --> 00:01:04.798
through local food production,

00:01:04.798 --> 00:01:05.465
as well as through

00:01:05.465 --> 00:01:06.900
connecting children to nature.

00:01:07.534 --> 00:01:10.270
We provide a whole diversity
of programs for children

00:01:10.270 --> 00:01:11.938
and the community at large,

00:01:11.938 --> 00:01:15.909
as well as several opportunities
to remove the obstacles

00:01:15.909 --> 00:01:19.112
so that young people can enter
the field of agriculture.

00:01:20.547 --> 00:01:21.848
I'm Harper Kauffman, and I'm

00:01:21.848 --> 00:01:24.150
the owner of Two Roots
Farm in Basalt, Colorado.

00:01:31.124 --> 00:01:33.626
When I first started
getting into agriculture,

00:01:33.960 --> 00:01:37.397
I used to hear this statistic
that the average age of farmers

00:01:37.397 --> 00:01:39.399
just continues to go up,

00:01:39.399 --> 00:01:41.768
which means
that we're not getting enough

00:01:41.768 --> 00:01:44.938
new young folks into agriculture

00:01:44.938 --> 00:01:50.043
and if we can have more folks
doing what we're doing,

00:01:50.043 --> 00:01:52.779
I really do
believe we can change the way

00:01:52.779 --> 00:01:55.682
we grow food
and have a huge impact on

00:01:55.682 --> 00:02:00.487
not just human health, but
the health of the entire planet.

00:02:01.387 --> 00:02:04.524
The Farm Collaborative
is several organizations

00:02:04.524 --> 00:02:07.460
and programs
and projects under one umbrella.

00:02:08.128 --> 00:02:09.295
Earth Keepers,

00:02:09.295 --> 00:02:11.831
which is the children's program
that was originally started by

00:02:11.831 --> 00:02:12.866
John Denver.

00:02:12.866 --> 00:02:14.868
We have our Earth Keepers Jr,

00:02:14.868 --> 00:02:18.404
and then we also have an
apprenticeship program for older

00:02:18.404 --> 00:02:21.007
teens to support our Earth
Keepers as well.

00:02:21.007 --> 00:02:24.444
So in the end, we have children
as young as toddlers

00:02:24.444 --> 00:02:27.013
all the way up to 20 year olds
that are engaged in the program.

00:02:29.349 --> 00:02:30.683
Unfortunately, in our society

00:02:30.683 --> 00:02:34.454
today, for every 8 hours
that a child is

00:02:34.454 --> 00:02:37.223
in front of a screen
they spend 30 minutes outside

00:02:38.391 --> 00:02:41.194
and that is just having
the most detrimental impact

00:02:41.194 --> 00:02:41.694
on the health

00:02:41.694 --> 00:02:44.564
of our children, on their well
being socially and emotionally

00:02:45.165 --> 00:02:47.700
and on their sense
of connection.

00:02:47.700 --> 00:02:49.702
And so for me it's fundamental

00:02:49.702 --> 00:02:51.504
that we re-instill
that sense of connection

00:02:51.504 --> 00:02:53.373
to the world around our children

00:02:53.373 --> 00:02:56.509
because when we feel connected
to something

00:02:57.076 --> 00:02:58.344
we want to take care of it

00:02:58.344 --> 00:03:00.547
and that sense of connection
is essential

00:03:00.547 --> 00:03:04.817
so that our younger generation
can be reconnected to that

00:03:04.817 --> 00:03:07.120
which nourishes them
and want to take care of it.

00:03:08.488 --> 00:03:10.690
There's few things
that bring me more joy

00:03:10.690 --> 00:03:13.626
than bringing a small child
onto the farm

00:03:14.060 --> 00:03:16.696
and watching them

00:03:16.696 --> 00:03:19.032
connect the dots
between their food

00:03:19.032 --> 00:03:22.902
and the way that it's grown,
and realizing and learning

00:03:22.902 --> 00:03:26.839
how carrots come
out of the ground and onions

00:03:26.839 --> 00:03:30.210
are above the soil
and all these magical

00:03:30.210 --> 00:03:33.146
things that are happening
to produce their food.

00:03:34.013 --> 00:03:38.117
It's an amazing thing to watch
kids make those connections.

00:03:38.117 --> 00:03:41.154
It's also amazing to watch
adults make those connections.

00:03:41.154 --> 00:03:42.956
I just wish
it happened sooner for them.

00:03:45.792 --> 00:03:47.760
There was a survey
that was recently conducted

00:03:47.760 --> 00:03:49.395
that found that when millennials

00:03:49.395 --> 00:03:52.732
were asked of their top
ten career trajectories,

00:03:52.732 --> 00:03:54.667
agriculture
actually made the cut

00:03:54.667 --> 00:03:58.037
and that's surprising because
we see very few new farmers.

00:03:58.037 --> 00:04:00.773
However, agriculture
makes the cut because

00:04:00.773 --> 00:04:03.076
that connection to the Earth
and that connection to

00:04:03.076 --> 00:04:06.112
where our food comes from
and physical work

00:04:06.112 --> 00:04:07.880
and skills and lifestyle
that is involved in

00:04:07.880 --> 00:04:10.183
agriculture is very attractive
to young people today.

00:04:10.883 --> 00:04:13.253
So much of our programs
are built

00:04:13.253 --> 00:04:15.655
around incubating
the next generation of farmers.

00:04:16.422 --> 00:04:19.392
And so we as an organization
are focused

00:04:19.392 --> 00:04:22.395
on removing the obstacles
so that young people can enter

00:04:22.395 --> 00:04:25.698
a field of agriculture
and be successful.

00:04:25.698 --> 00:04:28.801
We've identified
five major obstacles

00:04:28.801 --> 00:04:30.837
that are getting
in the way of young people

00:04:30.837 --> 00:04:32.405
that are interested
in becoming farmers

00:04:32.405 --> 00:04:34.407
and actually becoming farmers.

00:04:34.407 --> 00:04:37.010
And those five things are access
to land,

00:04:37.010 --> 00:04:40.546
access
to finance, access to equipment,

00:04:40.546 --> 00:04:43.216
access to training,
and then access to market

00:04:43.850 --> 00:04:46.352
and so we have programs built
around each of those areas,

00:04:46.352 --> 00:04:49.555
and we work on our farm
here, incubating farmers

00:04:49.555 --> 00:04:52.659
while supplying the support
for those five areas.

00:04:53.593 --> 00:04:56.529
A lot of young farmers
that are starting out today

00:04:56.529 --> 00:05:00.667
did not grow up on farms,
are not going to inherit land,

00:05:00.667 --> 00:05:05.438
and it's very hard to pay
for a good piece of land

00:05:05.438 --> 00:05:08.474
that has good water
and all the things you need.

00:05:09.175 --> 00:05:13.513
We provide access to land on day
one.  Out in our farm, under

00:05:13.513 --> 00:05:15.715
the supervision of our educators
that are also farmers,

00:05:16.549 --> 00:05:18.551
we also provide access
to our equipment,

00:05:19.152 --> 00:05:21.154
often pieces of equipment
that are essential

00:05:21.154 --> 00:05:22.355
for growing a farm,

00:05:22.355 --> 00:05:25.325
much more quickly, but that are
only needed a few days a year.

00:05:26.159 --> 00:05:27.927
And so we bought
all these pieces of equipment,

00:05:27.927 --> 00:05:29.762
and then we have an equipment
library

00:05:29.762 --> 00:05:31.364
that makes it available
to our whole community

00:05:31.364 --> 00:05:33.199
of farmers in the region.

00:05:33.199 --> 00:05:34.701
Then they have access
to our market booth

00:05:34.701 --> 00:05:36.936
at the Aspen Saturday markets,
where they can sell their goods

00:05:36.936 --> 00:05:39.605
and test their market
and build their concepts.

00:05:39.605 --> 00:05:43.810
So our farmers have access
to land on site, access

00:05:43.810 --> 00:05:45.044
to training,

00:05:45.044 --> 00:05:47.980
access to equipment, access
to greenhouse space

00:05:47.980 --> 00:05:50.416
and infrastructure
and access to marketplace.

00:05:51.351 --> 00:05:53.386
Once they're set
and established,

00:05:53.386 --> 00:05:56.989
we will gently be
encouraging them off the site

00:05:56.989 --> 00:05:59.125
to work with our partners,

00:05:59.125 --> 00:06:02.662
landowners
and land trusts in the area

00:06:02.662 --> 00:06:05.298
that can provide
longer term leases

00:06:05.298 --> 00:06:08.267
or a more long term relationship
where they can build

00:06:08.267 --> 00:06:09.702
their business.

00:06:09.702 --> 00:06:14.073
This county has a very exciting
program, which I'm a part of,

00:06:14.073 --> 00:06:18.411
and that is Pitkin County Open
Space and Trails is leasing

00:06:18.411 --> 00:06:22.148
their open space
to young farmers like myself

00:06:22.949 --> 00:06:24.817
at affordable rates

00:06:24.817 --> 00:06:27.820
and with long term leases,
which is critical.

00:06:28.554 --> 00:06:31.624
A farmer can lease land,
but only if there's enough

00:06:31.624 --> 00:06:33.192
security in that lease

00:06:33.192 --> 00:06:36.763
to confidently
put in the blood, sweat,

00:06:36.763 --> 00:06:40.466
tears and money that it takes
to make a good farm.

00:06:40.466 --> 00:06:42.168
We're
putting all that into the soil.

00:06:42.168 --> 00:06:44.170
It's not something
you can walk away with.

00:06:44.604 --> 00:06:45.972
And I wouldn't be able to run

00:06:45.972 --> 00:06:49.575
a successful, profitable farm
if I were also trying to pay

00:06:50.343 --> 00:06:54.380
for a mortgage on this
amount of land in this market.

00:06:54.847 --> 00:06:57.650
So it's very important
to the success of my farm

00:06:57.650 --> 00:06:59.685
that I have this affordable
land lease.

00:07:00.086 --> 00:07:01.187
We recently merged

00:07:01.187 --> 00:07:03.890
with another nonprofit
that's called the Two Forks Club

00:07:03.890 --> 00:07:06.426
that does 0% interest loans to
farmers and food entrepreneurs.

00:07:06.993 --> 00:07:08.995
The Two Forks Club,
which is now part of the Farm

00:07:08.995 --> 00:07:12.131
Collaborative, it's
organized in a orientation

00:07:12.131 --> 00:07:14.467
that I've coined regenerative
philanthropy.

00:07:14.467 --> 00:07:17.570
As people make gifts
to the club, as club members,

00:07:18.104 --> 00:07:20.740
those gifts are pooled
and turned into loans

00:07:20.740 --> 00:07:21.874
those loans are paid back.

00:07:21.874 --> 00:07:25.945
Our payback rate is actually
99.2%, which from last

00:07:25.945 --> 00:07:28.548
I checked, is higher than most
banks get from payback.

00:07:28.548 --> 00:07:30.817
And these are would be
considered high risk loans.

00:07:30.817 --> 00:07:32.218
They're all character based.

00:07:32.218 --> 00:07:33.653
We've made close
to three quarters

00:07:33.653 --> 00:07:36.589
of a million dollars
in loans to about 30 farms.

00:07:36.956 --> 00:07:39.625
And almost every single
one of those farmers

00:07:40.059 --> 00:07:43.196
is doing exceptionally well.
And is doing so well, in fact,

00:07:43.596 --> 00:07:47.033
that over 60% of everyone
that we've given a loan to

00:07:47.533 --> 00:07:49.435
is now
a member of the Two Forks Club.

00:07:49.435 --> 00:07:53.105
Which means that they're
actively donating money every year

00:07:53.105 --> 00:07:55.274
so that we can continue
to build our loan fund

00:07:55.274 --> 00:07:57.443
and make more regenerative
philanthropy

00:07:57.443 --> 00:07:59.612
based
loans to our community at large.

00:07:59.612 --> 00:08:04.617
It really is a regenerative way
of financing.

00:08:04.617 --> 00:08:08.721
The money that goes from one
loan goes into a farm,

00:08:09.489 --> 00:08:12.191
does work for them,
gets paid back to the group,

00:08:12.191 --> 00:08:14.494
only to be passed on
to another farm

00:08:14.494 --> 00:08:17.864
to give them that
capital infusion that they need

00:08:18.264 --> 00:08:19.932
to get their dreams done.

00:08:19.932 --> 00:08:21.267
I have since become a member

00:08:21.267 --> 00:08:24.770
of that club,
contributing a small amount

00:08:25.271 --> 00:08:28.841
to also continue to build
this dream for other farmers.

00:08:29.275 --> 00:08:31.043
That's something
that I don't know

00:08:31.043 --> 00:08:34.914
that many people get to
experience, that sensation of

00:08:36.148 --> 00:08:38.818
honestly feeling like, yeah, I'm
doing the right thing here.

00:08:38.818 --> 00:08:41.721
I'm doing something
that I was meant to be doing.

00:08:46.559 --> 00:08:49.529
Everyone has a role
that they play

00:08:50.062 --> 00:08:51.264
in what our world looks like

00:08:51.264 --> 00:08:53.699
tomorrow with the decisions
they make today.

00:08:53.699 --> 00:08:54.934
And some people will be drawn

00:08:54.934 --> 00:08:57.503
to take really big actions,
start organizations,

00:08:58.070 --> 00:08:59.071
know, rally people

00:08:59.071 --> 00:09:01.440
to get behind a movement, lobby
for legislation,

00:09:02.174 --> 00:09:04.343
and others will be drawn
to make little impacts.

00:09:04.343 --> 00:09:08.214
But every decision that we make
and every dollar that we spend

00:09:08.714 --> 00:09:11.183
is a contribution
to what we believe in.

00:09:11.183 --> 00:09:15.354
And so if we believe in a world
that allows for our children

00:09:15.354 --> 00:09:18.024
to go skiing and snowboarding
and see glaciers

00:09:18.524 --> 00:09:22.194
and allows for our grandchildren
to go snorkeling and see

00:09:22.194 --> 00:09:25.965
coral reefs, systemic change
is also essential,

00:09:26.599 --> 00:09:28.434
and we have to really vote
with our dollars every day.

00:09:29.669 --> 00:09:31.170
I found in my studies that so

00:09:31.170 --> 00:09:35.708
much of environmentalism
was negative and challenging

00:09:35.708 --> 00:09:39.045
and a burden and almost
a sense of helplessness pervaded

00:09:39.045 --> 00:09:40.112
the field.

00:09:40.379 --> 00:09:43.583
And I believe that when we
really focus on the challenges,

00:09:44.083 --> 00:09:47.153
we end up getting a culture
that can be apathetic.

00:09:47.553 --> 00:09:49.088
And I think apathy
is our biggest challenge

00:09:49.088 --> 00:09:50.957
to actually solving
our climate change issues.

00:09:50.957 --> 00:09:53.626
And we need a culture
of positivity and solutions

00:09:53.626 --> 00:09:54.660
to get us there.

00:09:54.660 --> 00:09:56.729
When I step into the garden
and I see our team

00:09:56.729 --> 00:09:59.699
and I see the kids in the field,
I am filled with hope

00:10:00.032 --> 00:10:01.834
because these challenges

00:10:01.834 --> 00:10:03.169
are actually addressable
in a way

00:10:03.169 --> 00:10:05.204
that doesn't
always have to be a burden.

00:10:05.204 --> 00:10:05.871
And agriculture

00:10:05.871 --> 00:10:08.274
is such a positive tool
for us to get there.

00:10:08.908 --> 00:10:10.509
You'll find yourself

00:10:11.544 --> 00:10:14.547
just amazed by the magic.

00:10:14.547 --> 00:10:17.750
When you turn a seed
into something to eat and

00:10:18.084 --> 00:10:19.919
watch it grow.

00:10:19.952 --> 00:10:22.254
It ultimately is a very

00:10:22.254 --> 00:10:26.158
spiritual
and emotional endeavor.

00:10:26.158 --> 00:10:28.661
I think it's an important piece
of the human experience.

00:10:28.661 --> 00:10:30.162
Ultimately.

00:10:31.163 --> 00:10:34.333
When we get more
young people engaged in growing

00:10:34.333 --> 00:10:36.602
food in a way that also solves
our climate challenges,

00:10:37.403 --> 00:10:39.972
then we not only build
healthier communities

00:10:39.972 --> 00:10:42.875
with more equity, we also
resolve our climate challenges.

00:10:42.875 --> 00:10:44.443
We don't need
to invent our way out of it.

00:10:44.443 --> 00:10:46.612
We don't need to come up
with a new technology.

00:10:46.612 --> 00:10:51.083
We don't need to have
our politicians drive something.

00:10:51.083 --> 00:10:53.119
All we need is to scale
what's already there

00:10:53.119 --> 00:10:55.621
and what we already know
and has been part of us

00:10:55.621 --> 00:10:58.290
since the earliest days
of human civilization.

00:10:58.290 --> 00:11:01.360
Agriculture, when done
in a slightly different way,

00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:04.664
not only reduces the amount
of carbon that's emitting,

00:11:04.664 --> 00:11:06.866
but actually puts it back
in the ground.

00:11:06.866 --> 00:11:08.901
We're practicing
regenerative agriculture here,

00:11:09.235 --> 00:11:13.039
which is effectively looking
at our agriculture system

00:11:13.039 --> 00:11:15.675
as something that's constantly
improving

00:11:15.675 --> 00:11:17.376
and getting better over time.

00:11:17.376 --> 00:11:21.247
So the term sustainable
by its nature is not enough

00:11:21.247 --> 00:11:22.415
for what we need.

00:11:22.415 --> 00:11:23.783
It's not enough
for us to sustain

00:11:23.783 --> 00:11:24.717
what we're currently doing.

00:11:24.717 --> 00:11:26.786
We actually need agriculture
to be doing better.

00:11:28.421 --> 00:11:30.556
We're reducing carbon emissions

00:11:30.556 --> 00:11:31.524
and we're

00:11:31.524 --> 00:11:35.194
putting carbon back into the
ground and building topsoil

00:11:35.194 --> 00:11:36.162
and all those things

00:11:36.162 --> 00:11:39.932
that on a larger scale can
contribute to climate change.

00:11:39.932 --> 00:11:43.402
But we're also building
community and changing folk's

00:11:43.402 --> 00:11:47.506
habits around food,
and it changes how folks eat.

00:11:47.506 --> 00:11:49.742
It changes
their relationship to food

00:11:49.742 --> 00:11:53.179
and to the ground that grows it
and to the people that grow it.

00:11:53.179 --> 00:11:57.616
And that's a pretty fundamental
change that I think can spread

00:11:57.616 --> 00:12:00.820
and really make
a huge impact on our world.

00:12:01.687 --> 00:12:03.689
Even if climate change
was not an issue,

00:12:04.123 --> 00:12:05.858
it would still be worth
doing this work

00:12:05.858 --> 00:12:07.593
because it's fun
and it's engaging

00:12:07.593 --> 00:12:09.095
and it's built around food.

00:12:09.095 --> 00:12:11.964
Food is our third fundamental
human need after air and water,

00:12:12.264 --> 00:12:14.333
and the first need
for creativity comes in

00:12:14.333 --> 00:12:16.435
and food
binds us and connects us.

00:12:16.435 --> 00:12:18.471
Food is actually the source
of our creative impulse

00:12:18.471 --> 00:12:19.872
that actually brought us
out of the cave

00:12:19.872 --> 00:12:21.040
and together as a society, it's

00:12:21.040 --> 00:12:23.909
kind of the founding
building block of culture.

00:12:27.980 --> 00:12:30.382
Part of
what's most exciting to me

00:12:30.382 --> 00:12:34.920
about this work is that it
is doable on every scale

00:12:35.955 --> 00:12:38.624
it's doable on a small scale
community basis

00:12:38.924 --> 00:12:40.960
like we're seeing
with a lot of our local farms,

00:12:40.960 --> 00:12:42.962
and it's doable
with large farms.

00:12:42.962 --> 00:12:45.798
It is really an inspiring thing
to get behind

00:12:46.398 --> 00:12:49.235
because we can solve
our challenges,

00:12:49.502 --> 00:12:52.138
and all we need is to scale
what we're currently doing,

00:12:52.404 --> 00:12:54.473
not invent our way out of it
or create something new.

00:12:56.275 --> 00:12:59.411
So when I had kids, everything
was really brought into focus

00:12:59.712 --> 00:13:02.081
because I no longer
am living for myself.

00:13:02.648 --> 00:13:06.385
And so for me, what keeps
me going and keeps me dedicated

00:13:06.886 --> 00:13:09.688
is that promise to my children
that I will do everything

00:13:09.688 --> 00:13:13.325
I can to live this world
better than I found it.

00:14:04.653 --> 00:14:06.922
Renewable energy transition
in West Virginia

00:14:06.922 --> 00:14:08.958
is going to be more difficult

00:14:08.958 --> 00:14:11.093
because of our historic reliance

00:14:11.093 --> 00:14:12.862
on fossil fuel extraction.

00:14:13.462 --> 00:14:18.634
West Virginia has been
an energy leader for 100 years.

00:14:18.634 --> 00:14:23.506
Extractive industry has been
the number one job opportunity

00:14:23.506 --> 00:14:27.343
for folks in West Virginia since
coal mining became a thing.

00:14:27.343 --> 00:14:29.979
It's all we've really ever had.

00:14:29.979 --> 00:14:31.614
When I look at the prospects

00:14:31.614 --> 00:14:33.382
for this energy transition in West Virginia,

00:14:33.382 --> 00:14:35.785
we clearly have challenges because of the

00:14:36.419 --> 00:14:39.488
the legacy issues and not
being able to necessarily

00:14:39.488 --> 00:14:41.390
to let go of coal.

00:14:41.390 --> 00:14:43.626
But I think it
definitely can be done.

00:14:44.260 --> 00:14:45.928
I think one of the biggest keys

00:14:45.928 --> 00:14:47.897
to initiating this transition

00:14:47.897 --> 00:14:50.266
is understanding the importance

00:14:50.266 --> 00:14:51.567
of the coal industry.

00:14:52.935 --> 00:14:54.437
We industrialized America on

00:14:54.437 --> 00:14:56.205
the backs of the West
Virginia coal miners.

00:14:56.205 --> 00:14:57.706
During the war effort,

00:14:57.706 --> 00:15:00.576
when we have to manufacture
a lot of steel to build ships

00:15:00.576 --> 00:15:01.877
and tanks
and everything that comes

00:15:01.877 --> 00:15:04.380
from a metallurgical coal
mined in West Virginia.

00:15:05.281 --> 00:15:07.783
The phrase in the state
that's popular is 'Coal

00:15:07.783 --> 00:15:11.520
keeps the lights on.' Coal is
basically king in West Virginia.

00:15:11.520 --> 00:15:14.457
The periods of heightened coal
consumption,

00:15:14.457 --> 00:15:17.593
you see things like skyscrapers
getting built.

00:15:17.593 --> 00:15:20.162
You see rapid expansion
of highway

00:15:20.162 --> 00:15:22.131
transportation systems
in the fifties.

00:15:22.131 --> 00:15:24.033
Coal has kind of been
the backbone

00:15:24.033 --> 00:15:26.402
of our industrial revolution.

00:15:26.769 --> 00:15:29.972
Employment in the coal industry
during the fifties was huge.

00:15:29.972 --> 00:15:31.006
Now, mechanization

00:15:31.006 --> 00:15:32.408
caused the employment of

00:15:32.408 --> 00:15:32.908
coal miners

00:15:32.908 --> 00:15:33.843
to go down,

00:15:33.843 --> 00:15:35.644
but you know
we have that legacy of coal

00:15:35.644 --> 00:15:37.213
being a major driver
of the state.

00:15:37.213 --> 00:15:40.316
And even though now
we're down to fewer than 12,000

00:15:40.316 --> 00:15:44.253
miners, it still has outsized
influence because of the legacy

00:15:44.253 --> 00:15:47.323
and the source of pride.
It's hard to move on.

00:15:48.457 --> 00:15:49.725
There's no question we need

00:15:49.725 --> 00:15:51.560
to make this transition
in the United States.

00:15:51.560 --> 00:15:52.995
The percentage of electricity
generated

00:15:52.995 --> 00:15:56.599
with coal 12 years ago,
that figure was 48%.

00:15:57.066 --> 00:16:00.402
As of 2021,
that figure was 21.8%.

00:16:00.402 --> 00:16:03.906
Natural gas is now the leading
fuel to generate electricity.

00:16:03.906 --> 00:16:05.107
The projections are that

00:16:05.107 --> 00:16:08.744
that coal will make up about 10%
of our electricity supply

00:16:08.744 --> 00:16:09.645
by 2030.

00:16:09.645 --> 00:16:11.247
No new coal
plants are being built.

00:16:11.247 --> 00:16:12.748
It's just a matter
of how long are the existing

00:16:12.748 --> 00:16:14.216
one's are going to keep running.

00:16:14.216 --> 00:16:16.619
And the numbers right now
for the utilities are saying

00:16:16.619 --> 00:16:19.321
we're going to shut them down
in favor of new wind and solar.

00:16:19.321 --> 00:16:23.692
Solar price is down
90?tween 2010 and 2020.

00:16:23.692 --> 00:16:25.661
Wind prices is down 72%.

00:16:25.661 --> 00:16:27.663
The cheaper
you can generate the power,

00:16:27.663 --> 00:16:28.631
the more money you can make.

00:16:28.631 --> 00:16:31.267
And those benefits
flow down to consumers.

00:16:31.267 --> 00:16:33.068
It's overwhelming market forces.

00:16:33.068 --> 00:16:35.538
Once natural gas
took off in 2009,

00:16:35.538 --> 00:16:37.840
the decline of the
coal industry was inevitable.

00:16:39.375 --> 00:16:41.744
The conversation
has to be around

00:16:41.744 --> 00:16:46.081
how do we take care
of those extractive workers

00:16:46.081 --> 00:16:48.384
and at the same time
take care of our planet

00:16:48.384 --> 00:16:50.619
and our people
and our future generations?

00:16:50.619 --> 00:16:52.621
It's all one conversation.

00:16:55.357 --> 00:16:57.860
Does there need to be an energy
transition in West Virginia?

00:16:58.661 --> 00:17:00.629
Why or why not?

00:17:00.629 --> 00:17:02.031
We do, unfortunately.

00:17:02.031 --> 00:17:06.068
You know being a West Virginian,
we're very rooted in coal, but

00:17:07.336 --> 00:17:09.071
the stuffs gonna run out.

00:17:09.071 --> 00:17:12.107
You know, we're gonna dry up and

00:17:12.641 --> 00:17:14.810
we need to start something now.

00:17:14.810 --> 00:17:16.912
Start the transition
now before it runs out.

00:17:17.146 --> 00:17:17.513
Right now,

00:17:17.513 --> 00:17:18.781
there are a lot
of good incentives

00:17:18.781 --> 00:17:19.448
and this is

00:17:19.448 --> 00:17:23.452
the time to start the transition
rather than waiting ten years.

00:17:23.452 --> 00:17:25.187
Transitioning in our energy
system,

00:17:25.187 --> 00:17:26.789
is it going to be more cost
efficient?

00:17:26.789 --> 00:17:28.457
Because that's really
what drives

00:17:28.457 --> 00:17:30.759
actions is
when people can save dollars.

00:17:30.759 --> 00:17:31.894
They don't have to spend
their money

00:17:31.894 --> 00:17:33.495
that they're making on energy.

00:17:33.495 --> 00:17:34.964
They can spend it
somewhere else.

00:17:34.964 --> 00:17:36.031
We need to make sure that we're

00:17:36.031 --> 00:17:38.801
taking like steps
to become more efficient.

00:17:39.201 --> 00:17:40.169
Yeah, we're going to have mining

00:17:40.169 --> 00:17:42.338
in one place or another,
but we're trying

00:17:42.338 --> 00:17:43.906
to take corrective measures.

00:17:45.307 --> 00:17:46.742
I actually worked on a study

00:17:46.742 --> 00:17:48.210
a few years ago
working with the Nature

00:17:48.210 --> 00:17:50.446
Conservancy on identifying
the abandoned mine

00:17:50.446 --> 00:17:52.448
land in West Virginia,
because they're

00:17:52.448 --> 00:17:55.050
they're really good targets
for solar arrays.

00:17:55.050 --> 00:17:56.819
We have plenty of space
in West Virginia

00:17:56.819 --> 00:17:58.254
that can't be used for anything
else.

00:17:58.254 --> 00:18:01.023
There's $11.3 billion
in the infrastructure bill

00:18:01.023 --> 00:18:04.159
towards abandoned mine
land reclamation.

00:18:04.159 --> 00:18:06.195
Those are going to be good jobs
and very necessary

00:18:06.195 --> 00:18:08.030
in West Virginia
for environmental reasons

00:18:08.030 --> 00:18:10.366
and to address climate change.

00:18:13.035 --> 00:18:15.404
We are on an abandoned
strip mine.

00:18:15.404 --> 00:18:19.475
So the property we're on right
now, 15 to 20 years ago

00:18:19.475 --> 00:18:20.709
was surface mined.

00:18:20.709 --> 00:18:21.777
They extract the coal

00:18:21.777 --> 00:18:23.279
by removing the top of the mountain.

00:18:23.279 --> 00:18:26.382
So we started to holistically

00:18:26.382 --> 00:18:29.118
graze this land
roughly a year and a half ago.

00:18:29.418 --> 00:18:31.353
You can see now how green it is up here.

00:18:31.353 --> 00:18:33.589
It's a it's actually a beautiful place.

00:18:33.589 --> 00:18:35.357
And the last time I was here,

00:18:35.357 --> 00:18:37.092
it was nothing
but slate and coal.

00:18:37.092 --> 00:18:39.094
I mean,
there was no green anywhere,

00:18:39.094 --> 00:18:40.729
so it's obviously working.

00:18:40.729 --> 00:18:44.566
So instead of us taking us years
to to till up this ground

00:18:44.566 --> 00:18:47.336
or spending a lot of money
on machinery,

00:18:47.336 --> 00:18:50.072
we're putting animals
in their natural habitat

00:18:50.072 --> 00:18:51.774
that do what they're supposed
to do.

00:18:51.774 --> 00:18:54.943
Through holistic grazing,
they create pasture.

00:18:54.943 --> 00:18:56.879
We're starting to see
the life come back.

00:18:56.879 --> 00:19:00.115
And the soil
that was polluted through mining

00:19:00.115 --> 00:19:01.216
is now being healed

00:19:01.216 --> 00:19:05.120
just by focusing on the
imbalanced ecosystem as a whole.

00:19:05.120 --> 00:19:07.222
And that's the great opportunity
that we have in Appalachia,

00:19:07.222 --> 00:19:10.893
to do regenerative agriculture
on these abandoned mine lands

00:19:11.960 --> 00:19:12.828
at potentially a

00:19:12.828 --> 00:19:14.096
very, very low cost.

00:19:15.898 --> 00:19:18.133
Coalfield Development
is a social enterprise.

00:19:18.133 --> 00:19:20.502
They find people
in in different communities

00:19:20.869 --> 00:19:21.337
that have either

00:19:21.337 --> 00:19:23.038
transitioned out of the mines

00:19:23.038 --> 00:19:25.341
or they're facing
barriers to work

00:19:25.774 --> 00:19:27.276
and they give them
an opportunity.

00:19:27.276 --> 00:19:31.013
On our crew at Highwall,
we have former coal miners

00:19:31.447 --> 00:19:33.749
that were either laid off

00:19:34.216 --> 00:19:36.819
or were in the rotation.

00:19:36.819 --> 00:19:40.356
Before I came here,
I had a background in mining.

00:19:40.356 --> 00:19:44.526
Was a coal miner
for roughly about three years,

00:19:44.526 --> 00:19:45.427
kept getting laid off

00:19:45.427 --> 00:19:46.862
all the time
from the coal industry,

00:19:46.862 --> 00:19:48.697
about lost my house
several times.

00:19:48.697 --> 00:19:49.932
And you know
its a lot of pressure.

00:19:49.932 --> 00:19:51.700
Me and my wife had
just started a family.

00:19:51.700 --> 00:19:54.737
And because the mining industry
was very unstable,

00:19:54.737 --> 00:19:57.439
I worked for about six years underground

00:19:57.439 --> 00:19:59.141
as a roof boat operator.

00:19:59.141 --> 00:20:01.777
I've never had a job as hard
as working in the coal mines.

00:20:01.777 --> 00:20:04.346
It's just pitch black.

00:20:04.346 --> 00:20:06.915
It's really tough work.
It's dirty.

00:20:06.915 --> 00:20:09.284
The money is great,
but you never really have time

00:20:09.284 --> 00:20:11.019
for your family
or time to spend it.

00:20:11.019 --> 00:20:13.722
You've seen the men more
than you've seen your family.

00:20:13.722 --> 00:20:18.794
I mean, six, seven days
a week, ten, 12 hour shifts.

00:20:18.794 --> 00:20:21.063
I transitioned out
mostly because

00:20:21.063 --> 00:20:22.798
the coal mining is unstable.

00:20:22.798 --> 00:20:24.833
You never have job security.

00:20:24.833 --> 00:20:25.667
I was a red hat,

00:20:25.667 --> 00:20:27.102
that's when you first go into the mines.

00:20:27.102 --> 00:20:28.203
You have to be in there six months,

00:20:29.405 --> 00:20:30.472
at least in West Virginia you've got to be in there

00:20:30.472 --> 00:20:32.040
six months before you get your black hat.

00:20:32.040 --> 00:20:33.909
I had five or six years in it.

00:20:33.909 --> 00:20:35.978
I'd get up and go to work
in the dark.

00:20:35.978 --> 00:20:37.746
Come home in the dark.

00:20:39.815 --> 00:20:41.617
I don't think that West Virginia

00:20:41.617 --> 00:20:43.652
Appalachia has been honored
in the way that they deserve.

00:20:43.652 --> 00:20:45.521
We love our history.

00:20:45.521 --> 00:20:47.756
We love the history
of everybody's

00:20:47.756 --> 00:20:49.858
grandfather working in the mine,

00:20:49.858 --> 00:20:51.226
putting in 80 hours a week,

00:20:51.226 --> 00:20:53.729
but still making it to the ball
game.

00:20:53.729 --> 00:20:54.997
That's important to us,

00:20:54.997 --> 00:20:57.299
and it's important
for that story to be told

00:20:57.299 --> 00:21:00.335
of how resourceful that we were
and not let

00:21:00.335 --> 00:21:03.572
that history slip
through the cracks.

00:21:03.572 --> 00:21:07.576
In order to make this transition
into more renewable

00:21:07.576 --> 00:21:11.547
manufacturing, renewable energy,
diversifying job opportunities

00:21:11.547 --> 00:21:12.781
in West Virginia.

00:21:12.781 --> 00:21:15.984
They have to be jobs that folks
in West Virginia want to do.

00:21:15.984 --> 00:21:19.922
Those skilled labor workers
want to do skilled labor.

00:21:19.922 --> 00:21:22.925
We need to find jobs
that actually stick to the West

00:21:22.925 --> 00:21:26.261
Virginia roots of working hard
and doing manual labor.

00:21:26.595 --> 00:21:27.729
For this transition to work,

00:21:27.729 --> 00:21:29.498
you're going to have to find
a job scenario

00:21:29.498 --> 00:21:32.334
that they can
actually transition well into.

00:21:32.334 --> 00:21:36.071
To go from that type of job,
that type of brotherhood,

00:21:36.071 --> 00:21:37.573
and then go to a cubicle.

00:21:37.573 --> 00:21:39.308
I don't think it would matter
what its paying,

00:21:39.308 --> 00:21:41.477
the guys around here
wouldn't want no part of that.

00:21:41.977 --> 00:21:44.646
But with this here, it's
a very fulfilling job

00:21:44.646 --> 00:21:46.915
and I feel like we're giving
back to the community.

00:21:46.915 --> 00:21:49.518
Coalfield gave me
this opportunity to come work

00:21:49.518 --> 00:21:52.087
here, learn a new skill,
and get to go back to college.

00:21:52.654 --> 00:21:56.058
So I get a degree out of it,
and we get to take post strip

00:21:56.058 --> 00:21:58.160
mine land and turn
in some beautiful again.

00:21:58.861 --> 00:22:01.563
Right now, with Coalfield
I am a crew member.

00:22:01.563 --> 00:22:04.399
Yeah I just work on the farm.
I feed and water animals.

00:22:07.035 --> 00:22:09.705
Never thought I would
ever do anything like this.

00:22:10.105 --> 00:22:11.173
And I love it.

00:22:11.173 --> 00:22:12.307
I'm happier

00:22:12.307 --> 00:22:14.910
in a lot of aspects compared to
when I was underground.

00:22:15.444 --> 00:22:19.548
My goal for coming to Coalfield
is to get an IT degree,

00:22:20.315 --> 00:22:21.583
as I think it's a better career

00:22:21.583 --> 00:22:23.519
path, a more stable career path.

00:22:23.519 --> 00:22:24.586
With this job,

00:22:24.586 --> 00:22:27.322
I get a lot more time at home,
a lot more time with family.

00:22:27.656 --> 00:22:30.459
And my family does have a sense
that I'm happier here.

00:22:30.826 --> 00:22:31.426
I really do

00:22:31.426 --> 00:22:34.463
feel a sense of pride
in this work because it's

00:22:34.963 --> 00:22:37.132
moving West Virginia towards
the future a little more.

00:22:38.267 --> 00:22:41.103
The men that that mined were
some of the most

00:22:41.103 --> 00:22:43.205
skilled men in the world
because they didn't give up.

00:22:43.906 --> 00:22:46.108
They ran into a problem
and they didn't say, well,

00:22:46.108 --> 00:22:48.610
we're going to do plan
B. It was, how do we solve this

00:22:48.610 --> 00:22:50.445
in a creative way and get it
done?

00:22:50.445 --> 00:22:52.881
We're gritty
and we're adaptable,

00:22:53.615 --> 00:22:56.685
but we're also very diverse
in problem solving.

00:22:57.219 --> 00:22:59.988
Our community
and our state, we're known

00:22:59.988 --> 00:23:02.624
for not just being hard workers,
but being creative workers

00:23:03.392 --> 00:23:06.094
for solving problems
and for being diligent

00:23:06.094 --> 00:23:07.329
and having integrity.

00:23:07.329 --> 00:23:11.066
It's not just having one option
to transition.

00:23:11.433 --> 00:23:12.467
It's having multiple.

00:23:12.467 --> 00:23:17.272
So moving forward to
to a diverse energy grid.

00:23:17.806 --> 00:23:20.075
I think that we're going
to be very involved.

00:23:20.075 --> 00:23:23.478
West Virginia has succeeded in
the past through difficult odds.

00:23:24.346 --> 00:23:27.983
West Virginians
are willing to work hard

00:23:27.983 --> 00:23:31.186
to solve the problems
that we need to solve

00:23:31.186 --> 00:23:34.923
in order for us to move
in a more sustainable way,

00:23:34.957 --> 00:23:38.160
especially if the result is
a stronger West Virginia.

00:23:38.794 --> 00:23:41.964
We need jobs in West Virginia,
and the job creators

00:23:42.331 --> 00:23:44.933
want renewable energy,
and we need to meet that demand.

00:23:44.933 --> 00:23:46.201
We've got Wal-Mart,

00:23:46.201 --> 00:23:48.136
we've got Proctor and Gamble,
and we've got Toyota.

00:23:48.136 --> 00:23:50.005
All three of those companies

00:23:50.005 --> 00:23:52.274
have pretty aggressive
corporate sustainability goals

00:23:52.274 --> 00:23:55.210
that say, we're going to have
100% renewable electricity.

00:23:55.210 --> 00:23:57.846
You've got to meet that demand
for renewable energy.

00:23:57.846 --> 00:23:59.081
And I think that's starting

00:23:59.081 --> 00:24:00.315
to have an impact
on the legislature,

00:24:00.315 --> 00:24:04.252
which is why I'm encouraged by
this transition that's underway.

00:24:04.586 --> 00:24:08.056
I would like to see something
more stable for West Virginia.

00:24:08.056 --> 00:24:09.925
I would like to see the younger
generations

00:24:09.925 --> 00:24:11.326
come in and have a job
and have a way

00:24:11.326 --> 00:24:13.629
to take care of their families
for years to come.

00:24:13.629 --> 00:24:14.663
I think it's possible,

00:24:14.663 --> 00:24:15.897
but you just got to have

00:24:15.897 --> 00:24:18.266
more things like this,
turning these old strip mines

00:24:18.266 --> 00:24:20.602
into something that they could
put something on.

00:24:20.602 --> 00:24:22.270
It's just really just having
the companies

00:24:22.270 --> 00:24:24.039
come in and step up and do it.

00:24:24.039 --> 00:24:25.040
You have workers here.

00:24:25.040 --> 00:24:26.041
You have people that will work.

00:24:26.041 --> 00:24:27.309
They'll be the

00:24:27.309 --> 00:24:28.777
be the best
workers you've ever had.

00:24:28.777 --> 00:24:30.646
They just need the opportunity.

00:24:30.646 --> 00:24:34.750
As far as renewable energy,
if they can bring good jobs,

00:24:34.750 --> 00:24:37.953
good paying jobs and stable
jobs here, that would be great.

00:24:37.953 --> 00:24:38.854
That's really what we need

00:24:38.854 --> 00:24:40.922
if we just had another industry
that paid

00:24:40.922 --> 00:24:42.190
well that you know

00:24:42.190 --> 00:24:44.326
you could support your family
on, that would be really good.

00:24:44.960 --> 00:24:45.961
People do what they have to do

00:24:45.961 --> 00:24:48.163
at the end of the day
to support their families.

00:24:48.597 --> 00:24:52.267
So I think the biggest key in
this transition is making sure

00:24:52.267 --> 00:24:55.337
that there's job security
for the current coal miners.

00:24:55.337 --> 00:24:57.806
West Virginia needs to take care
of the people

00:24:57.806 --> 00:25:00.275
that have kept the lights on
for the entire country

00:25:00.275 --> 00:25:01.410
for 100 years.

00:25:02.411 --> 00:25:04.846
We talked about this before,
what the Inflation Reduction Act

00:25:04.846 --> 00:25:08.517
has right in terms of the tax
incentives, the apprenticeships,

00:25:09.051 --> 00:25:10.852
and the prevailing wage
and so the idea is

00:25:10.852 --> 00:25:12.788
these need to be good paying
jobs.

00:25:12.788 --> 00:25:14.256
That there needs to be
a certain percentage

00:25:14.256 --> 00:25:15.357
of the workforce thats

00:25:15.357 --> 00:25:16.958
in an apprenticeship program,
so we're training

00:25:16.958 --> 00:25:18.827
that next generation of worker.

00:25:18.827 --> 00:25:21.530
So I think there's some things
in the new federal legislation

00:25:21.530 --> 00:25:25.233
that address that that issue
that this Just Transition

00:25:25.233 --> 00:25:27.302
in terms of making sure
people have good paying jobs.

00:25:27.302 --> 00:25:28.937
You always start with the youth

00:25:28.937 --> 00:25:31.807
I guess are trying to help build
for the next generations.

00:25:31.807 --> 00:25:33.875
And then it also ties
in with education

00:25:33.875 --> 00:25:37.179
and where we go as a state
with educating our youth.

00:25:37.179 --> 00:25:39.347
Maybe
when they're in high school,

00:25:39.347 --> 00:25:41.616
you promote
going to working for HVAC,

00:25:41.616 --> 00:25:43.585
going
to get an electrical degree.

00:25:43.585 --> 00:25:44.920
So they're still

00:25:44.920 --> 00:25:46.555
having that type of skill set

00:25:46.555 --> 00:25:49.091
that might be used
in a mining setting, but

00:25:49.091 --> 00:25:52.627
it's out doing something else
like electrical or HVAC.

00:25:52.627 --> 00:25:54.496
That's a job
that will never go away.

00:25:54.496 --> 00:25:55.630
That's always going to be
needed.

00:25:55.630 --> 00:25:57.165
People have to realize that

00:25:57.165 --> 00:25:59.735
there's not very many jobs
for West Virginians,

00:25:59.735 --> 00:26:03.672
and it's not that
they enjoy the repercussions

00:26:03.672 --> 00:26:04.706
of coal mining or whatnot,

00:26:04.706 --> 00:26:06.708
but it's just that
in southern West Virginia

00:26:06.708 --> 00:26:08.910
and places like that, it's
the only job available.

00:26:09.111 --> 00:26:12.214
It's got to be work
that coal miners can actually

00:26:12.214 --> 00:26:14.216
transition
into. They can't go from

00:26:15.217 --> 00:26:18.720
coal mining, 12 hour
shifts to working desk jobs.

00:26:18.720 --> 00:26:19.921
I think West Virginia

00:26:19.921 --> 00:26:22.657
has a critical role to play
because if they don't

00:26:22.657 --> 00:26:26.261
if we're not paying attention
to how the economy

00:26:26.261 --> 00:26:27.162
is functioning here,

00:26:27.162 --> 00:26:28.930
then we're going
to be extracting

00:26:28.930 --> 00:26:32.000
without actually transitioning
the entire economy and giving

00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:35.837
jobs to people
who are here in the state.

00:26:35.837 --> 00:26:39.541
We have a lot of displaced
fossil fuel workers,

00:26:39.541 --> 00:26:40.942
whether it's coal,
oil or natural gas

00:26:40.942 --> 00:26:43.512
that are going
to need to be retrained.

00:26:43.512 --> 00:26:45.213
The idea is to

00:26:45.213 --> 00:26:47.015
create the local jobs

00:26:47.015 --> 00:26:49.351
so these workers can stay
where they want to stay

00:26:49.351 --> 00:26:51.586
and stay where
they grew up in West Virginia.

00:26:51.586 --> 00:26:52.954
So you don't have to move away

00:26:52.954 --> 00:26:54.856
to some city
for a different job.

00:26:54.856 --> 00:26:56.324
We need to create the jobs here.

00:26:56.324 --> 00:26:58.360
One of the biggest issues
that we're facing as a

00:26:58.360 --> 00:27:02.597
state is a lot of people
my age and younger,

00:27:02.597 --> 00:27:05.033
college
educated are leaving the state

00:27:05.033 --> 00:27:06.802
because there's not
opportunities.

00:27:06.802 --> 00:27:10.272
There's not really any jobs in

00:27:10.272 --> 00:27:13.575
STEM, science, technology,
engineering, mathematics.

00:27:13.809 --> 00:27:17.712
My people have lived in West
Virginia for nine generations.

00:27:18.079 --> 00:27:20.982
Now I have 10th generation sons.

00:27:20.982 --> 00:27:24.386
And I started to realize that
if everyone like me

00:27:25.053 --> 00:27:28.156
left, then what would happen
to West Virginia?

00:27:29.124 --> 00:27:32.794
There's nonprofit organizations
like "The Struggle to Stay"

00:27:32.794 --> 00:27:37.065
based around keeping young West
Virginians in West Virginia.

00:27:37.566 --> 00:27:40.669
There is a lack of hope
in this area for the generation

00:27:40.669 --> 00:27:42.137
cause everyone feels

00:27:42.137 --> 00:27:45.140
they have to leave this area
just to succeed in life now.

00:27:45.140 --> 00:27:48.677
This is a beautiful state
and everybody feels like

00:27:48.677 --> 00:27:50.912
it's either
pick up and leave or suffer.

00:27:51.746 --> 00:27:54.349
And a lot of people,
they'd rather just stay here

00:27:54.349 --> 00:27:57.285
and suffer because it's home.

00:27:57.886 --> 00:28:00.789
In order
for West Virginia to thrive,

00:28:00.789 --> 00:28:03.558
we have got to figure out how
to keep our young people here.

00:28:03.558 --> 00:28:07.362
If we don't focus on job
creation in West Virginia

00:28:07.362 --> 00:28:08.997
and finding new,

00:28:08.997 --> 00:28:12.901
diversified ways to give
our young people opportunities,

00:28:12.901 --> 00:28:14.803
we will continue to have

00:28:14.803 --> 00:28:17.806
this mass exodus
of young West Virginians,

00:28:17.806 --> 00:28:20.709
and we're going to be filled
with old people

00:28:20.709 --> 00:28:23.311
and then no people.

00:28:25.981 --> 00:28:29.684
We need real, tangible jobs
in these rural communities

00:28:29.684 --> 00:28:32.921
so that folks can stay
in the communities

00:28:32.921 --> 00:28:34.556
that they want to stay in.

00:28:34.556 --> 00:28:37.893
West Virginia is full
of farmland, so regenerative

00:28:37.893 --> 00:28:41.496
agriculture, West Virginia
is known for its natural beauty,

00:28:41.496 --> 00:28:45.967
so eco tourism, agritourism,
solar manufacturing,

00:28:45.967 --> 00:28:49.537
solar installation, wind
turbine installation.

00:28:49.537 --> 00:28:52.540
There's such a wide variety
of opportunities.

00:28:52.540 --> 00:28:56.311
There's new opportunities
created by this transition

00:28:56.311 --> 00:28:58.079
in terms of lower carbon
economy.

00:28:58.079 --> 00:29:00.348
For West Virginia in particular
there's a term called

00:29:00.348 --> 00:29:02.450
"energy communities."
So if you have a community

00:29:02.450 --> 00:29:03.518
that's been disproportionately

00:29:03.518 --> 00:29:06.421
impacted by coal mines
shutting down or a coal plant

00:29:06.421 --> 00:29:07.489
shutting down,

00:29:07.489 --> 00:29:08.990
we're going to sweeten
the tax incentive

00:29:08.990 --> 00:29:11.293
because we want to get you
to invest in those communities.

00:29:11.293 --> 00:29:14.095
A lot of workers
are being retrained to install

00:29:14.095 --> 00:29:14.796
solar panels.

00:29:14.796 --> 00:29:18.166
We've got a fairly active solar
company in West Virginia now

00:29:18.166 --> 00:29:21.002
that's retraining coal miners
to be solar panel installers.

00:29:21.403 --> 00:29:23.972
There is a project ongoing now

00:29:23.972 --> 00:29:26.508
that will put solar panels
on a piece of the property

00:29:26.508 --> 00:29:28.476
that the animals could graze
under.

00:29:28.476 --> 00:29:31.246
Introducing different things
like that on this property,

00:29:31.246 --> 00:29:34.549
if that's wind energy,
if that's hydro,

00:29:34.549 --> 00:29:37.285
whatever it is that is
sustainable is an option for us.

00:29:37.686 --> 00:29:41.156
There is a misconception
that extractive

00:29:41.156 --> 00:29:44.159
industry workers
don't want renewable energy.

00:29:44.159 --> 00:29:46.227
The United Mine
Workers of America

00:29:46.227 --> 00:29:49.631
released a statement
asking our senators to vote

00:29:49.631 --> 00:29:53.368
yes on the Inflation Reduction
Act because they knew that

00:29:53.368 --> 00:29:56.471
it had really great things in it
for them.

00:29:56.905 --> 00:29:57.973
We need

00:29:57.973 --> 00:30:01.710
West Virginians in offices,
whether it be local, state

00:30:01.710 --> 00:30:03.078
or federal level,

00:30:03.078 --> 00:30:06.781
that are empathetic
with the people of West Virginia

00:30:06.781 --> 00:30:08.450
and how we can make better

00:30:08.450 --> 00:30:11.586
livelihoods in this transition
by supplying solutions.

00:30:11.953 --> 00:30:14.422
And a lot of that comes through
voting.

00:30:14.422 --> 00:30:16.224
It's not an us against them
fight.

00:30:16.224 --> 00:30:17.525
The only way that we can move

00:30:17.525 --> 00:30:21.496
forward is uniting with all of
the extractive industry workers,

00:30:21.496 --> 00:30:23.431
the environmentalists,
the farmers.

00:30:23.431 --> 00:30:26.868
Everybody has to unite
and move forward

00:30:26.868 --> 00:30:29.704
in order for this
Just Transition to happen.

00:30:31.406 --> 00:30:34.609
We don't
have the policies in place

00:30:34.609 --> 00:30:37.412
that make the transition work
for all the players.

00:30:37.812 --> 00:30:40.515
We have to figure out a way
to transition towards

00:30:40.515 --> 00:30:41.883
a clean energy economy,

00:30:41.883 --> 00:30:45.720
but still providing
for financial health

00:30:45.720 --> 00:30:48.957
for the utilities
as they phase out coal.

00:30:49.557 --> 00:30:50.892
We've got maybe a dozen states

00:30:50.892 --> 00:30:52.594
now that have adopted
a clean energy standard.

00:30:52.594 --> 00:30:54.929
Maryland, is one right
next door to us has adopted

00:30:54.929 --> 00:30:56.264
a very aggressive policy.

00:30:56.264 --> 00:30:56.998
It says we're going

00:30:56.998 --> 00:30:58.867
to have net zero by 2050,

00:30:58.867 --> 00:31:00.301
we're going to phase out

00:31:00.301 --> 00:31:01.936
coal,
going to phase out natural gas.

00:31:01.936 --> 00:31:04.339
It's going to be renewables,
it's going to be nuclear.

00:31:04.339 --> 00:31:06.975
Another big policy move
that would be really helpful

00:31:06.975 --> 00:31:07.942
would be something that's called

00:31:07.942 --> 00:31:10.311
the Energy Efficiency Resource
Standard, where

00:31:10.879 --> 00:31:12.480
utilities are required

00:31:12.480 --> 00:31:14.582
to ramp up
their energy efficiency programs

00:31:14.582 --> 00:31:16.384
to save a certain percentage
of electricity.

00:31:16.384 --> 00:31:20.588
Ramp up energy efficiency,
that's the cheapest way

00:31:20.588 --> 00:31:22.290
to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions,

00:31:22.290 --> 00:31:25.326
but it also gives the ability
to have more comfortable home.

00:31:25.326 --> 00:31:27.595
Your bills are lower.
More money in your pocket.

00:31:28.263 --> 00:31:29.731
The center,
which I direct, the Center

00:31:29.731 --> 00:31:31.366
for Energy and Sustainable
Development, produced

00:31:31.366 --> 00:31:33.535
a report called West
Virginia's Energy Future.

00:31:33.535 --> 00:31:37.038
And we created a scenario called
Ramped Up Renewables,

00:31:37.038 --> 00:31:40.475
where by 2030, we're
pretty much 60% wind and solar,

00:31:40.875 --> 00:31:43.078
coupled with coupled
with battery storage technology.

00:31:43.311 --> 00:31:44.946
And the rates
are largely unchanged,

00:31:44.946 --> 00:31:46.347
but it created a better pathway

00:31:46.347 --> 00:31:48.750
in terms of new clean energy
jobs.

00:31:48.750 --> 00:31:49.217
A clean energy

00:31:49.217 --> 00:31:53.054
standard establishes
the strong institutional signal

00:31:53.054 --> 00:31:54.756
to potential renewable
energy developers

00:31:54.756 --> 00:31:56.691
that we are open
for business in West Virginia.

00:31:58.526 --> 00:31:59.327
The transition

00:31:59.327 --> 00:32:02.030
is any positive movement
towards your goal.

00:32:02.597 --> 00:32:07.068
And while we do want to lessen
our environmental impact,

00:32:07.068 --> 00:32:08.703
we still need those jobs

00:32:08.703 --> 00:32:11.406
while we build up
other industries in the state,

00:32:11.406 --> 00:32:15.677
whether it be wind, solar,
nuclear or hydrogen energy.

00:32:16.478 --> 00:32:18.413
There is so much hope out there.

00:32:18.413 --> 00:32:20.782
And I really think
that realistically

00:32:21.182 --> 00:32:23.718
one day that we can go
in that positive direction.

00:32:24.419 --> 00:32:28.156
I think generally I would say
I'm optimistic at this point

00:32:28.156 --> 00:32:30.658
that I do think we're starting
to turn the corner.

00:32:30.658 --> 00:32:31.860
The political leadership

00:32:31.860 --> 00:32:34.095
is starting
to send the right signals

00:32:34.095 --> 00:32:36.231
that we need to manage
this transition.

00:32:36.231 --> 00:32:38.333
We need to acknowledge
that a transition is underway

00:32:38.333 --> 00:32:41.169
and manage it for the benefit
of all the West Virginians.

00:32:41.769 --> 00:32:43.872
I think this transition
can happen.

00:32:44.606 --> 00:32:47.575
When you're a part of a project
to see that things actually do

00:32:47.575 --> 00:32:50.011
change for the better,
it definitely gives people hope

00:32:50.578 --> 00:32:54.015
that they can achieve you know
whatever they want to do.

00:32:55.049 --> 00:32:56.951
Because we have this pride

00:32:56.951 --> 00:32:59.287
and this sense of place
and community,

00:32:59.287 --> 00:33:01.456
that is going to work
in our favor

00:33:01.456 --> 00:33:04.259
in order for us to move forward
and come together

00:33:04.259 --> 00:33:09.129
as we transition to a
renewable energy economy.

00:34:16.076 --> 00:34:19.379
Bees are probably
the closest thing

00:34:19.379 --> 00:34:23.016
in nature that you can find
to a mythical creature.

00:34:23.016 --> 00:34:25.385
You actually see
the magic happening.

00:34:25.385 --> 00:34:27.620
They are the only insect
in the world

00:34:27.620 --> 00:34:29.656
that produces food
for humans to eat.

00:34:29.656 --> 00:34:30.957
It's magic to me.

00:34:30.957 --> 00:34:33.593
A lot of people think that bees
are just out to get you.

00:34:33.593 --> 00:34:35.428
Oh, my God, it's a big bee.

00:34:35.428 --> 00:34:38.264
And you wave your hands
around the air and you're "Ahhh!

00:34:38.264 --> 00:34:39.933
Its a bee!"

00:34:39.933 --> 00:34:41.301
There's a lot of fear

00:34:41.301 --> 00:34:43.970
around bees because
they have that ability to sting.

00:34:44.404 --> 00:34:47.507
I think that probably has a lot
to do with why a lot of folks

00:34:47.507 --> 00:34:49.843
don't really understand
the importance of

00:34:49.843 --> 00:34:51.144
bees in our ecosystem.

00:34:52.712 --> 00:34:55.415
And when it's a big
bee it's a boy bee, and boy bees

00:34:55.415 --> 00:34:57.951
don't have stingers,
it can't do anything to you

00:34:58.485 --> 00:35:00.987
or it that's a girl bee,
just respect it.

00:35:01.454 --> 00:35:04.190
Give it a tiny bit of space
and it'll be fine.

00:35:04.190 --> 00:35:05.458
You go and you take care of them

00:35:05.458 --> 00:35:09.162
just like, wow,
they really aren't that scary.

00:35:09.162 --> 00:35:10.830
Ultimately,
they just want to work.

00:35:10.830 --> 00:35:12.732
The honeybee
just wants to get its food,

00:35:12.732 --> 00:35:15.435
bring it back to the hive
so that the hive can do better.

00:35:17.537 --> 00:35:18.838
I live in the middle of town.

00:35:18.838 --> 00:35:21.641
I've got just a regular old
backyard with regular neighbors.

00:35:21.975 --> 00:35:24.811
I myself
have a couple of beehives,

00:35:25.678 --> 00:35:28.982
some livestock,
as well as a garden.

00:35:29.716 --> 00:35:31.951
But there's only so much
that you can really do

00:35:32.485 --> 00:35:35.021
on that
small plot of land that I have.

00:35:35.588 --> 00:35:37.624
And so I got to thinking,
I'd love to find

00:35:37.624 --> 00:35:39.759
what a lot of beekeepers
would call an out-yard

00:35:40.160 --> 00:35:42.729
or another place
to put some bees.

00:35:42.729 --> 00:35:46.199
We want bees to pollinate
all of our crops and stuff

00:35:46.199 --> 00:35:47.767
because my mom knew

00:35:47.767 --> 00:35:50.870
how important it was
to have bees in a system,

00:35:51.304 --> 00:35:53.406
and so she was reaching out
to everybody.

00:35:53.673 --> 00:35:57.377
My mom took a survey,
see if we had many pollinators

00:35:57.377 --> 00:36:01.314
and we didn't see any bees
for like the first two years,

00:36:01.314 --> 00:36:02.282
three years.

00:36:02.282 --> 00:36:05.218
And so, reached out to Mike
and he came out here.

00:36:05.218 --> 00:36:07.487
They showed me where the bees
would possibly go.

00:36:07.487 --> 00:36:11.090
When I tested it with the two
hives, it was wildly successful.

00:36:12.158 --> 00:36:13.593
Our flowers, they

00:36:13.593 --> 00:36:16.463
started
blooming better instantly.

00:36:16.796 --> 00:36:19.732
They noticed the value
that pollinators have

00:36:20.166 --> 00:36:22.469
within their ecosystem here.

00:36:23.203 --> 00:36:25.071
The bees were going to help

00:36:25.071 --> 00:36:28.074
further their gardens, produce
some more fruit for them,

00:36:28.875 --> 00:36:29.776
and also they were going

00:36:29.776 --> 00:36:32.111
to get to reap the benefits
of receiving some honey.

00:36:33.913 --> 00:36:36.115
Einstein had a theory

00:36:36.115 --> 00:36:38.885
that should the bee population
be eradicated,

00:36:39.586 --> 00:36:44.657
mankind, humankind would have
four years left to live.

00:36:44.657 --> 00:36:46.125
There is no bees.

00:36:46.125 --> 00:36:49.229
There'd be a lot of food
shortages in a lot of places.

00:36:49.229 --> 00:36:51.297
One out of every four
bites of food

00:36:51.297 --> 00:36:53.466
is because of the work
that bees do.

00:36:53.466 --> 00:36:57.470
80% of the fruits and vegetables
are pollinated by honeybees.

00:36:57.704 --> 00:36:59.639
We've got to figure out a way

00:36:59.639 --> 00:37:02.609
to make this ecosystem
more habitable for the bees

00:37:02.609 --> 00:37:05.245
so that they can thrive
and survive better.

00:37:05.945 --> 00:37:09.215
People don't really understand
why honey bees are so important

00:37:09.916 --> 00:37:13.353
because access to food
has been so easy.

00:37:13.353 --> 00:37:16.155
There's a huge disconnect
between food and people.

00:37:16.489 --> 00:37:18.091
They don't have
the understanding

00:37:18.091 --> 00:37:20.193
that there's a connection
between

00:37:20.193 --> 00:37:23.129
where it was grown and produced
and the work that went into it

00:37:23.763 --> 00:37:25.131
and how it got to the plate.

00:37:26.266 --> 00:37:27.467
There's a symbiotic

00:37:27.467 --> 00:37:30.537
relationship between a bee
and everything around it.

00:37:30.904 --> 00:37:34.774
The bees help so much within
the plants, and the plants

00:37:34.774 --> 00:37:38.912
make more food for our animals
and make more food for us.

00:37:38.912 --> 00:37:41.648
And so then it's like one
big circle.

00:37:42.015 --> 00:37:43.750
The impact
that the bees have had on

00:37:43.750 --> 00:37:45.285
this place has been incredible.

00:37:45.285 --> 00:37:47.420
A lot of their garden
wasn't getting pollinated.

00:37:47.420 --> 00:37:48.855
The first year here
they didn't really have

00:37:48.855 --> 00:37:50.723
any squash or zucchini.

00:37:50.723 --> 00:37:53.626
There wasn't any honeybees
to help pollinate.

00:37:53.626 --> 00:37:55.128
Fast forward to when I come in

00:37:55.128 --> 00:37:57.630
and I start
put my hives out here.

00:37:57.630 --> 00:37:59.666
They're getting more beneficial
native plants.

00:38:00.166 --> 00:38:01.601
Clover being one of 'em.

00:38:01.601 --> 00:38:03.136
Livestock love that stuff.

00:38:03.136 --> 00:38:04.537
They're tearing it up.

00:38:04.537 --> 00:38:06.573
The garden is jamming!

00:38:06.573 --> 00:38:07.440
Doing great.

00:38:07.440 --> 00:38:08.942
Lots of produce.

00:38:10.910 --> 00:38:12.445
If I were to go into a hive.

00:38:12.445 --> 00:38:15.882
If I were to see everything,
I would say it's a community

00:38:15.882 --> 00:38:18.151
because everybody is working
together.

00:38:18.151 --> 00:38:20.587
They all have a task
and they don't complain.

00:38:20.587 --> 00:38:21.754
They all play a part.

00:38:21.754 --> 00:38:23.089
They want to get the task going

00:38:23.089 --> 00:38:24.324
and some go out,
they get honey.

00:38:24.324 --> 00:38:27.327
Some feed the larva,
take care of the queen.

00:38:27.327 --> 00:38:30.196
The queen is everything.
They must protect the queen.

00:38:30.196 --> 00:38:31.431
They feed the queen.

00:38:31.431 --> 00:38:35.234
the queen is like the heart.
They're like one big organism.

00:38:36.069 --> 00:38:37.770
So we're probably going
to need to take out

00:38:37.770 --> 00:38:39.572
a couple of frames of brood,

00:38:39.572 --> 00:38:41.808
and get them in there so that
they can make their own queen.

00:38:41.808 --> 00:38:42.842
I was watching Mike.

00:38:42.842 --> 00:38:44.344
I learned from him,

00:38:44.344 --> 00:38:47.280
taught me all of these really
amazing things about bees.

00:38:47.280 --> 00:38:48.581
And he let me work the hive.

00:38:48.581 --> 00:38:51.718
He let me see how intricate
such a small thing could be.

00:38:52.185 --> 00:38:53.453
We'll get the smoker going,

00:38:54.921 --> 00:38:56.055
and then

00:38:57.857 --> 00:39:00.460
check resources, make sure
everybody's got some food.

00:39:01.127 --> 00:39:03.596
Most exciting thing
about raising bees

00:39:04.097 --> 00:39:07.533
is all of the different things
that you can see

00:39:07.533 --> 00:39:09.402
while taking care of bees.

00:39:09.402 --> 00:39:12.105
There's so many interesting
facts and things

00:39:12.672 --> 00:39:15.241
that you can say
and make other people realize

00:39:15.241 --> 00:39:16.643
how cool bees are.

00:39:16.643 --> 00:39:19.679
It's really fun to raise bees,
because you put on the suit

00:39:19.679 --> 00:39:22.815
and you have your hive tool
and your smoker,

00:39:23.116 --> 00:39:26.019
you open the hive
and you see all these bees

00:39:26.019 --> 00:39:29.856
and you see how honey grows
and how they make honey.

00:39:34.460 --> 00:39:36.596
Here at Two Blocks Away,
they have a summer farm camp,

00:39:37.330 --> 00:39:39.932
and a couple of weeks
out of the summer,

00:39:39.932 --> 00:39:42.035
a group of about 16 kids
come out.

00:39:43.169 --> 00:39:45.705
And I get to talk to them
about the importance of bees,

00:39:46.172 --> 00:39:48.641
how to be a friend to bees.

00:39:49.175 --> 00:39:50.143
They get to try some honey.

00:39:50.143 --> 00:39:51.411
They get to watch me
work, a hive.

00:39:51.411 --> 00:39:54.747
Things that people typically
haven't had any exposure to.

00:39:55.581 --> 00:39:59.385
If you want to, right now,
take action to help the bees.

00:39:59.385 --> 00:40:00.920
There's a couple of things
that you can do.

00:40:00.920 --> 00:40:03.923
Try to avoid spraying plants
with chemicals.

00:40:03.923 --> 00:40:08.461
One of the major killers of bees
is something called

00:40:08.461 --> 00:40:09.495
neonicotinoids.

00:40:09.495 --> 00:40:10.797
You guys say
that three times fast.

00:40:10.797 --> 00:40:12.965
neonicotinoids.
neonicotinoids.

00:40:12.965 --> 00:40:14.100
neonicotinoids.

00:40:14.734 --> 00:40:17.804
The other one I talk to them
about is "plants some flowers."

00:40:18.371 --> 00:40:19.906
Bees like flowers!

00:40:19.906 --> 00:40:22.041
Yeah, wildflowers are the best!

00:40:22.608 --> 00:40:24.844
The nice thing about planting
wildflowers

00:40:25.378 --> 00:40:28.114
is that influences
the taste of the honey.

00:40:28.114 --> 00:40:29.749
Again, magic.

00:40:29.749 --> 00:40:31.117
But I want to take this
knowledge

00:40:31.117 --> 00:40:32.685
and I want to pass it on.

00:40:32.685 --> 00:40:36.022
I feel like on the grassroots
level, coming to these camps,

00:40:36.522 --> 00:40:37.990
teaching my buddy Sullivan,

00:40:37.990 --> 00:40:41.027
I think that's really where
you can make a movement grow.

00:40:41.627 --> 00:40:43.429
And so my hope is that

00:40:43.429 --> 00:40:45.932
maybe I can make
a little bit of an impact.

00:40:45.932 --> 00:40:48.201
Another cool thing about
Sullivan being as young as he is

00:40:48.201 --> 00:40:51.437
and actually being in the hives
and doing stuff independently,

00:40:52.238 --> 00:40:54.307
a lot of the kids
that come here for farm camp,

00:40:54.307 --> 00:40:57.310
they might be eight,
nine, ten years old.

00:40:57.310 --> 00:40:58.444
It makes it relatable.

00:40:58.444 --> 00:41:00.646
It's something that they see
in practice.

00:41:00.646 --> 00:41:01.714
You could do that too.

00:41:01.714 --> 00:41:02.882
Anything's possible

00:41:02.882 --> 00:41:03.683
and to actually maybe

00:41:03.683 --> 00:41:07.487
be beekeepers themselves and
maybe they become entomologists

00:41:07.487 --> 00:41:10.923
and figure out a way
to make the bees more secure

00:41:11.424 --> 00:41:13.726
so that the bees
have a place to thrive.

00:41:14.026 --> 00:41:16.529
You do want to express
that reality that bees are

00:41:16.529 --> 00:41:18.331
super vital in the food chain

00:41:18.331 --> 00:41:19.632
in the way
that food is produced,

00:41:19.632 --> 00:41:21.033
in the way that it's made.

00:41:21.968 --> 00:41:26.005
So if you guys want to
see on this side, this is brood.

00:41:26.506 --> 00:41:27.473
So that's eggs.

00:41:27.473 --> 00:41:30.443
It's larva that's been capped
called capped brood.

00:41:31.344 --> 00:41:32.779
That's what all these are.

00:41:32.779 --> 00:41:37.183
So if I look from the side here
and I use the sun as like

00:41:37.183 --> 00:41:41.154
a flashlight, I'll see like
little grains of rice.

00:41:41.154 --> 00:41:42.688
And that's larva.

00:41:42.688 --> 00:41:45.458
That's uncapped larva. Okay.

00:41:46.526 --> 00:41:49.095
Last year,
that kid worked his tail off.

00:41:49.095 --> 00:41:51.030
He was such a huge help.

00:41:51.030 --> 00:41:53.099
And so at the end of that year,
I made a promise to him

00:41:53.099 --> 00:41:55.268
that he's going to
have his very own hive.

00:41:55.268 --> 00:41:56.402
Makes me feel really,

00:41:56.402 --> 00:41:59.572
really proud
that I've taught him a skill.

00:42:00.273 --> 00:42:02.575
Beekeeping is a skill,
something that he'll be able

00:42:02.575 --> 00:42:06.779
to continue on, pass on to
someone else.

00:42:07.914 --> 00:42:10.850
Bees are just a small part
in this whole system,

00:42:11.317 --> 00:42:13.419
and if you can keep the bees
healthy,

00:42:13.953 --> 00:42:15.988
then they'll have
a positive impact

00:42:15.988 --> 00:42:16.556
and hopefully

00:42:16.556 --> 00:42:19.425
keep this thing going
so that it's ever sustainable

00:42:20.560 --> 00:42:23.896
and over time
positively impact the world.

00:43:12.655 --> 00:43:14.657
Every year we have
a billion tons

00:43:14.657 --> 00:43:16.826
of agricultural waste

00:43:16.826 --> 00:43:18.394
that is not being used,

00:43:18.394 --> 00:43:20.029
and that's a big problem
because currently

00:43:20.029 --> 00:43:24.000
all that biomass is burned
or dumped into a landfill.

00:43:25.401 --> 00:43:27.804
What we have done is create
a system, create

00:43:27.804 --> 00:43:30.974
a process that can turn
all those different types

00:43:30.974 --> 00:43:33.910
of waste biomass
into something really valuable.

00:43:34.711 --> 00:43:38.314
Biochar is a charcoal for soils.

00:43:38.314 --> 00:43:40.683
Bio:  biological, living.

00:43:40.683 --> 00:43:44.520
Char:  charcoal.
We grab the waste biomass

00:43:44.520 --> 00:43:47.957
and we cook it
in high temperature ovens

00:43:47.957 --> 00:43:50.960
with very little oxygen,
very little air inside.

00:43:50.960 --> 00:43:53.863
So then we can make
a very concentrated carbon

00:43:53.863 --> 00:43:56.566
that has amazing properties
in soil.

00:43:56.766 --> 00:43:57.700
With biochar,

00:43:57.700 --> 00:44:01.237
we're bringing life to the soil
so the plants can thrive

00:44:01.938 --> 00:44:04.240
and the biochar
makes the plant grow better

00:44:04.607 --> 00:44:08.011
because it acts as a sponge,
a sponge that holds

00:44:08.011 --> 00:44:10.146
the nutrients,
that holds the water,

00:44:10.146 --> 00:44:13.082
holds the microbes in place
And then you have a much

00:44:13.082 --> 00:44:16.119
healthier soil,
then when the plant is growing,

00:44:16.119 --> 00:44:19.555
it can pull the moisture out,
it can pull the nutrients out.

00:44:20.123 --> 00:44:22.225
It lives
with all these microbes

00:44:22.225 --> 00:44:24.227
that are beneficial
to the plant.

00:44:24.527 --> 00:44:26.929
And that's
how you improve the soil health

00:44:27.363 --> 00:44:29.098
and you improve your crops

00:44:29.098 --> 00:44:31.267
and your sustainability
and your environment.

00:44:31.968 --> 00:44:33.169
The ecosystem is

00:44:33.169 --> 00:44:34.671
above and below ground,

00:44:34.671 --> 00:44:36.072
and that's what people don't understand,

00:44:36.072 --> 00:44:37.040
that below ground

00:44:37.040 --> 00:44:37.907
was just as important of

00:44:37.907 --> 00:44:39.809
the ecosystem
as above the ground.

00:44:39.809 --> 00:44:43.813
Before our modern farming
practices, our soils were living

00:44:43.813 --> 00:44:46.149
organisms below
the ground as well.

00:44:46.149 --> 00:44:49.852
And we've decimated that
with our herbicide usages

00:44:49.852 --> 00:44:53.389
and chemicals and current farm
practices and lawn practices.

00:44:53.856 --> 00:44:56.326
Farmers apply
fertilizer year after year.

00:44:56.326 --> 00:44:57.226
Well, now,

00:44:57.226 --> 00:44:59.896
if you have a healthier soil,
you need a lot less fertilizer.

00:45:00.396 --> 00:45:03.966
If you have a healthier soil,
you need a lot less water

00:45:03.966 --> 00:45:05.134
to irrigate.

00:45:05.134 --> 00:45:07.637
Right now, our soils
cannot hold that water.

00:45:07.904 --> 00:45:10.473
It all runs into the drainage
ditches and the rivers

00:45:10.973 --> 00:45:11.941
and it's gone.

00:45:11.941 --> 00:45:13.976
It no longer
goes down into our aquifer.

00:45:13.976 --> 00:45:17.580
So it actually changes entirely
the structure of the soil,

00:45:17.580 --> 00:45:19.615
the profile of that soil.

00:45:19.615 --> 00:45:21.818
And that's different
than fertilizer.

00:45:21.818 --> 00:45:24.487
Soil health should be our number
one issue.

00:45:24.487 --> 00:45:28.424
We're making a healthy,
productive soil, changing

00:45:28.424 --> 00:45:33.096
all sorts of chemical physical
and biological properties.

00:45:33.763 --> 00:45:36.666
At the very least,
a farmer should expect 10%

00:45:36.666 --> 00:45:39.235
increase in yields
from the use of biochar.

00:45:39.869 --> 00:45:41.671
And we are in the lab

00:45:41.671 --> 00:45:42.905
because here is where

00:45:42.905 --> 00:45:45.575
we formulate different biochars

00:45:45.575 --> 00:45:47.210
for different customers.

00:45:47.777 --> 00:45:51.714
Biochar provides the
most benefit in depleted soils

00:45:51.714 --> 00:45:54.117
degraded soils, acidic soils.

00:45:54.117 --> 00:45:55.518
Sandy soils.

00:45:55.518 --> 00:45:59.055
A very interesting
quality of biochar

00:45:59.055 --> 00:46:03.626
is that it can adapt for
different systems, environments,

00:46:03.626 --> 00:46:06.829
so one biochar is good
for one situation

00:46:06.829 --> 00:46:09.999
and other biochar is good
for another situation.

00:46:09.999 --> 00:46:12.268
For example, for this customer,

00:46:12.268 --> 00:46:15.104
they send a lot of wood chips
they produce

00:46:16.139 --> 00:46:20.376
and we process it and
we transform it into biochar.

00:46:21.811 --> 00:46:23.546
At ARTI we do two things.

00:46:23.546 --> 00:46:25.948
We manufacture biochar

00:46:25.948 --> 00:46:29.652
and we're developing factories
in a container, that we can make

00:46:29.652 --> 00:46:34.223
biochar anywhere in the world
and we take it to any farm,

00:46:34.223 --> 00:46:38.227
any industry, use their waste
carbonize it, make biochar, use

00:46:38.227 --> 00:46:38.961
it right there.

00:46:38.961 --> 00:46:42.131
You don't have any trucking
or any burning of fossil

00:46:42.131 --> 00:46:44.500
fuels in order to be used.

00:46:45.201 --> 00:46:48.704
We're making our machines
simple, simple to operate

00:46:48.704 --> 00:46:52.341
and simple to manufacture
and simple to scale up.

00:46:52.942 --> 00:46:54.377
That's what the industry needs.

00:46:54.377 --> 00:46:58.181
This is a factory in a container
we have developed here.

00:46:58.181 --> 00:47:02.185
Here is where we deposit
our agricultural waste, which

00:47:02.185 --> 00:47:06.122
after being deposited right
here, they go to the dryer.

00:47:06.889 --> 00:47:12.295
After the material is
transported through the dryer,

00:47:12.295 --> 00:47:15.698
where the material it comes out,
and slides into our ovens.

00:47:19.001 --> 00:47:22.171
Here is our oven,

00:47:22.171 --> 00:47:24.373
which has different stages.

00:47:24.373 --> 00:47:25.608
These different stages

00:47:25.608 --> 00:47:28.845
have different temperatures
at which the product is cooked.

00:47:29.946 --> 00:47:33.616
As well here in this oven,
we have our chimney.

00:47:34.417 --> 00:47:37.987
Where all the gases
from the process comes out

00:47:37.987 --> 00:47:40.690
to be reused,
through this set of pipes.

00:47:40.690 --> 00:47:42.225
Into the dryer.

00:47:42.225 --> 00:47:46.062
After the agricultural
waste goes through the reactor,

00:47:46.062 --> 00:47:48.097
it comes out as biochar already.

00:47:49.565 --> 00:47:51.601
And you have here

00:47:51.601 --> 00:47:53.836
the second stage
of the cooling section

00:47:53.836 --> 00:47:57.540
where the material
is cooled down and finally

00:47:57.540 --> 00:47:59.108
the material is dropped down

00:47:59.108 --> 00:48:01.811
through this piece of equipment
right here into the bags.

00:48:02.545 --> 00:48:04.347
It is ready to be shipped.

00:48:05.948 --> 00:48:08.084
Since the industrial revolution,
we have been burning

00:48:08.084 --> 00:48:12.355
fossil fuels and producing CO2
that is in the air.

00:48:12.822 --> 00:48:16.659
And now we need to reverse that
and we need to use every tool

00:48:16.659 --> 00:48:20.796
we have to tackle
this monumental problem.

00:48:20.796 --> 00:48:24.467
And biochar is one of those
solutions, but we need them all.

00:48:25.167 --> 00:48:28.404
Carbon sequestration is removing
CO2 from the air.

00:48:28.404 --> 00:48:30.506
The more biochar that we make,

00:48:30.506 --> 00:48:32.909
the more carbon
that we're sequestering

00:48:32.909 --> 00:48:35.378
because the plants
grow, sequester carbon,

00:48:35.378 --> 00:48:38.881
we lock it in the biochar
and we put it in the soil

00:48:38.881 --> 00:48:41.117
and stays there
for hundreds of years.

00:48:41.117 --> 00:48:42.151
So the sustainability

00:48:42.151 --> 00:48:45.021
side of biochar
is actually pretty amazing.

00:48:45.388 --> 00:48:47.189
We're literally

00:48:47.189 --> 00:48:49.158
planting carbon in the soil.

00:48:49.158 --> 00:48:50.726
That's what we're doing.

00:48:51.694 --> 00:48:53.729
Over the years,
I have planted over

00:48:53.729 --> 00:48:56.132
200 acres
of native grasses and flowers

00:48:56.132 --> 00:48:57.800
when previously worked
for the DOT.

00:48:57.800 --> 00:48:59.835
There's 19 acres
here of prairie.

00:48:59.835 --> 00:49:03.372
These plants were originally
planted in the spring of 2012,

00:49:03.372 --> 00:49:06.642
and 2015, three years later
we finally got ‘em bloom;

00:49:07.076 --> 00:49:08.144
the bergamot.

00:49:08.144 --> 00:49:10.446
We had the purple
coneflower, New England asters.

00:49:11.147 --> 00:49:14.917
By the fifth year, flowers
that we had were no longer able

00:49:14.917 --> 00:49:17.086
to sustain themselves
and the grass just took over.

00:49:17.086 --> 00:49:20.323
And as time went
on, by the 10th year,

00:49:20.323 --> 00:49:21.691
our prairie was pretty much

00:49:21.691 --> 00:49:22.692
a tall grass prairie,

00:49:22.692 --> 00:49:25.094
not a prairie
with native flowers in it.

00:49:25.728 --> 00:49:28.764
And the 10th year is
when we started putting the worm

00:49:28.764 --> 00:49:30.232
castings and char on here.

00:49:30.232 --> 00:49:31.934
And the first year
it was miraculous.

00:49:31.934 --> 00:49:34.203
I mean, the coneflowers came
back, the bergamot

00:49:34.203 --> 00:49:36.572
came back, Ohio
spiderworts came back.

00:49:36.606 --> 00:49:37.173
Right now

00:49:37.173 --> 00:49:38.307
we have an ecosystem

00:49:38.307 --> 00:49:40.109
that's fully functioning
because of the birds,

00:49:40.109 --> 00:49:42.044
the insects,
the whole nine yards.

00:49:42.044 --> 00:49:44.647
And now we can take this same
blueprint for success

00:49:44.647 --> 00:49:47.016
and apply it to everybody's
homeowner's yard.

00:49:47.016 --> 00:49:50.686
The best method we have so far
is char with worm castings.

00:49:51.120 --> 00:49:53.289
Worm castings is worm poop.

00:49:53.689 --> 00:49:56.425
The macronutrients, the
micronutrients are all in there,

00:49:56.425 --> 00:50:00.396
and the char is like a sponge
for the nutrients,

00:50:00.396 --> 00:50:02.798
like a slow release,
natural fertilizer.

00:50:03.466 --> 00:50:07.169
The big thing about all of this
is that we can now do this

00:50:07.169 --> 00:50:10.840
in a very fast fashion and not
be using synthetic fertilizers.

00:50:10.840 --> 00:50:12.708
That's the bottom line.

00:50:12.708 --> 00:50:16.812
I envision a day
that bioreactors

00:50:16.812 --> 00:50:20.216
like this
would be in every farm,

00:50:20.216 --> 00:50:23.285
in every industrial

00:50:23.285 --> 00:50:26.555
facility, in every city,
just to handle

00:50:26.555 --> 00:50:28.057
all those organic waste

00:50:28.057 --> 00:50:31.360
and turn it into biochar
and other carbon products.

00:50:31.994 --> 00:50:34.330
If we can scale up

00:50:34.330 --> 00:50:35.498
and implement our

00:50:35.498 --> 00:50:39.335
technology all over the world,
we can have a huge impact.