About 'Durable Goods'

In this piece, the artist examines the opportunity for carbon storage and how much biochar material would be required for an American individual to offset 1 minute, 1 hour, and 1 days’ worth of emissions. Attendees are invited to take a packet, representing 1 minute of carbon emissions, and either bury it underground for durable carbon sequestration or mix it with garden soil for improved plant health.

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In 2020 the average American had a carbon dioxide (CO2) footprint of 14.2 tonnes, more than three times higher than the global average. In just 2.3 days per capita emissions of an American are equal to that of a Nigerian in a year¹. To stop global warming, humans must stop pumping greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere and find ways to draw them back into the ground.

Carbon Offsets are a market mechanism to assign value to drawdown activities such as preserving ecosystems and managing land use, but they are seen as deeply flawed by many. One such solution, biochar, converts wood and biosolid waste into products that can be used for agricultural productivity, as a cement additive, or for use as a cleaner energy source.