Mulch/biochar Man Part 2: It Takes a Village

Heritagetre.com

Mulch-Biochar Man, Part 2: It Takes a Village

Heritagetre.com

At nearly every event where I’ve shared ideas from my upcoming book, one question always cuts through the noise:

“What are you doing—besides talking and writing—to address these global threats?”

It’s a fair question. And it’s not just about me—it’s about all of us. What are we actually doing to confront the tidal wave of disruption reshaping our world?

The question implies something deeper: Can someone without vast wealth or power make a meaningful difference? I’ve spent most of my life as a professor, not a billionaire. But I believe the answer is yes. And I’ve bet my retirement on it.

⸻

A Storm, A Road, A Realization

After Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, I visited our property in Swannanoa. Sam—a kind-hearted, capable local we’d hired to clear a road—had been out in the mountains helping neighbors whose homes were inaccessible or at risk of collapse.

The destruction was staggering. The official numbers didn’t come close to capturing the loss. When I asked locals how I could help beyond writing checks, one answer kept coming up:

“Clear the tree waste. It’s everywhere. It’s a constant reminder of what we lost.”

But clearing it was only part of the problem. The real challenge was what to do with the millions of cubic yards of fallen trees and debris. Burning it would worsen air quality and release stored carbon. Dumping it wasn’t sustainable.

⸻

Turning Waste Into Worth

That’s when the idea took root: create a business to receive, grind, and repurpose the wood into mulch and eventually biochar—usable in gardens, farms, and damaged fields. Mulch takes up a fraction of the space and can restore the land rather than pollute it.

But turning this idea into reality meant overcoming serious hurdles:

• Finding land suitable for heavy truck traffic

• Securing permits for debris and mulch storage

• Acquiring expensive equipment like grinders and dump trucks

Sam became my partner. His deep local ties and reputation opened doors I couldn’t. Together, we leased land from a respected community leader who had previously rejected offers from large national firms. With Sam’s credibility and our shared vision, we gained not just access, but support.

⸻

It Takes a Village

This wasn’t just our project. It quickly became a community effort.

• A county extension agent helped us understand how to support farmers.

• An organic farmer connected us to others in need.

• Loggers, mill owners, truckers, firemen, and equipment operators rallied around Sam.

As I argue in my book, local presence is essential when tackling change. This was proof.

⸻

A Business Born of Purpose

We launched with a plan to process tree debris and create mulch and eventually biochar. But on day two, a disaster recovery company asked us to take 15 truckloads of mulch per day. Over nine months, that’s more than 300,000 cubic yards—far beyond our capacity. It was already ground and full of junk other than tree debris, from metal to plastic.

Because our purpose in starting the business was to help clean up debris, in spite of not matching our initial model, we said yes.

We found more land, hired a small team, and began scaling up. This decision led to a host of challenges and lessons, the most important being the existing model was broken.

⸻

Reinventing the System

What we discovered was bigger than mulch. The entire system needed reinvention.

To achieve that we would need relationships with regulators, restoration experts, technologists, funders, biochar experts and local officials. We had to navigate resistance from those committed to the old model. And we had to rethink how change happens—at the ecosystem level.

Stay tuned for the next chapters—where we explore the deeper problem we’re trying to solve.

Principle 3: Drive Ecosystem-Level Change.