Eco-Cycle’s Community Carbon Farming Campaign
HOPE FOR THE CLIMATE IS RIGHT UNDER OUR FEET!
If we are to be successful in the fight against climate change, we must go beyond reducing
emissions to actively removing carbon from the atmosphere.
Promising research from the Marin Carbon Project in California and similar initiatives suggests that
a widespread focus on building healthy soils may be our best hope to draw down and safely store
atmospheric carbon dioxide. It’s called “carbon farming.”
Become a Carbon Farmer
Carbon Farming isn’t just for farmers. YOU can become a carbon farmer and reverse climate change
RIGHT IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD. Eco-Cycle and the City of Boulder are working together on a three-year study to explore a range of
carbon farming approaches on urban landscapes to determine whether these practices can
effectively sequester carbon in the soil and help reverse climate change.
How to participate:
We are seeking 250 participants to join us for a “community science project.” Our “scientists” will
participate in a three-year study applying different soil regeneration and carbon capture treatments
on their own backyard and then testing the soil for increased carbon.
We’re asking Yard Carbon Farmers to:
1. Live in Boulder County. This is a City of Boulder sponsored study, but Boulder County
residents outside the City of Boulder can participate.
2.Have a 20’ x 10’ portion of lawn you’re willing to dedicate to the study. (Don’t worry, it
should improve your lawn!)
3.Commit to the program for a full three years (testing is done twice in the first year, in May
and in September, and only once in the following two years in the fall, so the time
commitment is minimal and seasonal.)
4.Attend a one-hour training
5.Apply one of five different treatments, supplied by the program, to the trial section of your
yard.
6.Stay engaged with us! We’ll be sending emails to ask some observational questions about
your lawn (color, blade height, etc.) throughout the growing season and hearing back from
you is key!
7.Contribute to the costs of the program, if possible ($50/year for three years). In exchange,
you will learn valuable information about your own soil, including how much carbon it
sequesters from the atmosphere, it’s soil respiration, AND its mineral content that will help
you know more about how to grow a healthier lawn.


Visit http://ecocycle.org/take-action/community-carbon-farming , and sign up.
You can also send an email to Rosie@ecocycle.org , , our project coordinator and ask
her to put you on the list! She can also be your contact for questions if you’re unsure.