Char Chit Chat
Char Chit Chat
Podcast Description
Char Chit Chat is created by Dylan Graves and explores char in New Zealand and beyond. The podcast aims to interview a range of people involved in biochar, activated charcoal, carbon anodes, and so on. The main subject will tend to be biochar as that is most accessible and scales from individuals making char in their woodstove over the winter to large industrial pyrolysis units outputting several tonnes per day. Biochar is also a great soil conditioner and improver and so is relevant to gardeners and famers alike.
An introduction and overview of Biochar: https://www.sces.org.nz/biochar
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast primarily focuses on biochar and its broad uses, ranging from home production methods to large-scale industrial applications. Episodes such as the one featuring Dennis Enright delve into sustainable agricultural practices and the significant role biochar can play in enhancing soil quality. Other episodes, like the one with Phil Stevens, explore innovative use cases for biochar, including its potential in environmental decontamination and discussions on making biochar more widely adopted.

Char Chit Chat is created by Dylan Graves and explores char in New Zealand and beyond. The podcast aims to interview a range of people involved in biochar, activated charcoal, carbon anodes, and so on. The main subject will tend to be biochar as that is most accessible and scales from individuals making char in their woodstove over the winter to large industrial pyrolysis units outputting several tonnes per day. Biochar is also a great soil conditioner and improver and so is relevant to gardeners and farmers alike.
An introduction and overview of Biochar: https://www.sces.org.nz/biochar
Episode 9 with Lydia from the Wairarapa covers the relationship between soil health, plant nutrition, and human health. Lydia is a qualified nutritionist on a mission to pickle household food scraps using bokashi buckets along with her bone char made from her friend's Complete Cow farm business, and supporting people on a mission to improve their health.
We talk about her 2 businesses; Pickled Compost and her personalised nutrition support and her work in public health and as a market gardener. There are some great images from Lydia's websites on the supporting blog post: https://passionatepermies.wordpress.com/2026/05/26/char-chit-chat-with-lydia-thomsen/

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