The Power Hour - June 20, 2024

Thursday, June 20, 2024
Hour 1:
1st half: News + Open Lines
2nd half: Bud Cummins, attorney for Bryan Malinowski's estate shares updates on the Brian Malinowski case
Article: Prosecutor declines to charge ATF agents involved in deadly shooting of Little Rock airport director
Bud Cummins is a seasoned lawyer, has effectively mediated diverse disputes encompassing construction claims, probate affairs, and civil litigation matters. In 2023, he became a Certified Mediator for the Arkansas Circuit Courts Civil and Probate Divisions, the Arkansas Court of Appeals, and the Arkansas Supreme Court after fulfilling the certification requirements set by the Arkansas Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission.

Hour 2: Kelpie Wilson joins to discuss her new book The Biochar Handbook: A Practical Guide to Making and Using Bioactivated Charcoal.
With extensive research, real-world examples, and hands-on applications, this go-to guide offers a comprehensive look at the principles and practices of biochar―and all of its world-changing uses.
Like many human discoveries, biochar has likely been invented, lost, and reinvented multiple times. It can be found in the rich terra preta soils of the Amazon and in the ancient “dark earths” dotting Africa, Asia, and Europe. However, biochar isn’t just an archeological curiosity. In The Biochar Handbook, author Kelpie Wilson argues that the simple process of burning organic material in a low-oxygen, low-emission environment could be one of the most powerful tools we have to restore degraded soils and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
In accessible and authoritative prose, Wilson demonstrates that biochar is a low-tech but effective means of reducing wildfire risks, restoring soil carbon, managing manure, weaning farms off of toxic inputs, and producing the best compost ever made.
In this book, you’ll also find:
A pocket history of biochar
Step-by-step instructions on making biochar for yourself
Applications for soil water retention, pest deterrence, compost enhancement, and more
Inspiring examples of ecosystem restoration and improved forest management
Low-cost recipes, including Cultured Biochar and Sustainable Potting Soil
Wilson makes a compelling case that biochar is both simple to make and a potent solution to a host of knotty problems, both global and close to home. Whether you’re a gardener, homesteader, rancher, commercial farmer, permaculturalist, or forest manager, this book will show you how to put biochar to work, making you and your community more resilient as a result.

Kelpie Wilson is a mechanical engineer and analyst with 35 years of experience in renewable energy, sustainable forestry, and resource conservation. She has worked in the biochar industry since 2008 and was a founding board member of the US Biochar Initiative. She manages the Biochar in the Woods network to promote biochar production in place to benefit native ecosystems. Kelpie researches and teaches techniques for using biochar in compost and manure management and presents many biochar workshops each year to farmers, foresters, and landowners. She lives in rural Oregon, where she makes biochar compost and grows a large organic vegetable garden.