Kulshan Carbon Trust Pilot
The Kulshan Carbon Trust was a Regen Network pilot project completed in December 2022 that sought to introduce a new ecocredit class into carbon marketplaces.
Website: https://www.kulshancarbontrust.org/biochar-pilot-project
HQ: Washington, United States
Active Markets: Washington
Problem Addressed
Carbon credit markets can be difficult for indigenous and local land stewards to access. Methods employed by these communities are not always recognized or well-known and programs are costly and time consuming to participate in. These factors exclude traditional methods and the communities that have used them from seeking the benefits from participating in carbon markets designed to address the impacts of climate change.
Project Description
The Kulshan Carbon Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in Northwest Washington, working to conserve and sequester carbon using natural solutions collaboratively with local communities and stakeholders. Kulshan Carbon Trust is owned and operated by participants from the community, including landowners, local academic institutions, and customers. Members of the trust are also participants in the Regen Network — a blockchain tokenized ecological credit marketplace – community DAO, giving them the ability to participate in the governance of the network and marketplace that facilitates the registration and sale of the carbon credits that they generate.
With the help of a grant from the Regen Network Foundation, the Kulshan Carbon Trust (KCT) was able to develop a biochar pilot that guided local know-how in Washington’s Whatcom, Skagit, and Island counties. The KCT helped to support fuels reduction, biochar construction and demolition waste, and conservation burns on existing slash piles. The team then developed a biochar carbon credit class through the Regen Network that adheres to the Verra VM0044 carbon accounting methodology. Verra sets the standards to climate action and sustainable development, including carbon credit accounting methodologies. These credits are undergoing processing and verification before being sold on the Regen Marketplace. The funds from the credit sales are to be distributed through the trust back to the individuals and groups who generated them.
Business Data
Status: Active
Constituency Served: Carbon credit sellers, carbon credit purchasers
Networks: Cosmos
Known Investors: Kulshan Carbon Trust Pilot was funded through a $50,000 grant issued from Regen Network.
Additional References: N/a
Progress to date
The completed project engaged 14 stakeholders across three counties. Follow up projects to the 2022 Biochar Pilot have facilitated community fire safety, kiln and open burn, and biochar production, and biochar supply chain demonstrations.
Business Model
This pilot was funded through a grant from the Regen Network Foundation.
Traction
The Kulshan Carbon Trust Biochar project was a temporary pilot from November 2022 to November 2023.