My name’s Melissa and I’m originally from Dunfermline, Scotland, although these days I live in the rather more southerly climes of Brighton. Like so many people, I moved to Sussex from London after becoming a parent. My husband and I thought it’d be nicer for our daughter to grow up here. How right we were! In my spare time I love reading, creative writing and hanging out at the beach.

At Sacred Earth I do the marketing for our biochar project. Biochar’s a special kind of charcoal that’s made at lower temperatures than the stuff you put on your barbecue.  Discovered thousands of years ago by the ancient people of the Amazon basin, it’s an amazing thing to put on your soil. The good bacteria and fungi that inhabit its ultra-porous surface restructure soil at a microbial level, improving its health and fertility.

I’m a big believer in biochar. It’s vitally important at this moment in human history, because we’re facing an unprecedented soil crisis. If we carry on the way we are, there are only 40 harvests left before our soils fail entirely! Biochar can do much to help solve this terrifying problem. In the future I hope there’s a biochar kiln on every farm, woodland, orchard and allotment. Then landowners will be able to use their organic waste to keep their soil fertile.

At Sacred Earth we make biochar on-site, in our kiln among the trees, using the wood waste created by the eco-friendly management of our woodlands.  The ancient – and eco-friendly – practices of pollarding and coppicing are used to keep Sacred Earth’s woods in check. Essentially, this means pruning the trees to encourage regrowth. The wood offcuts are made into biochar and ground up by hand. Then it’s mixed with our special recipe of ingredients – seaweed, worm casts, comfrey tea and biodynamic compost preparations – to make Sacred Earth’s Biochar Soil Booster, a potent soil amendment that improves your soil’s health for the long-term.

My own background is in the commercial world. After graduating with a degree in English and a stint as a reporter for a dance music magazine, I worked in London PR, for well-known brands, like Coca-Cola, Disney, Budweiser, Ikea and Marks & Spencer. Fed up with corporate life, I later retrained as a journalist and went on to write for newspapers like the Financial Times, The Guardian and The Independent.

After I became a mother, however, my whole outlook changed. Increasingly anxious about the world being left to my daughter and her generation, I decided to change my working life to align with my values. I set up That Dot, my own content and communications consultancy specialising in helping environmentally-friendly companies and organisations. Soon I found myself working for Sacred Earth, delighted to be involved with such a visionary organisation.

I work one day a week for Sacred Earth. Most of my time is spent promoting Sacred Earth’s Biochar Soil Booster. When I started, however, there were so many practicalities to sort out. I conducted some market research among local gardeners, finding out what they knew about biochar and what messaging would make them more likely to buy it. I then used this information to put together a marketing plan, come up with a strapline – bringing the earth back to life – and write the packaging and marketing materials. My next job was to find a warehousing and distribution company that could stock and post the biochar, as Sacred Earth is an entirely off-grid site with no buildings. At the same time, I had to get my head around all the possible packaging options. Once everything was in place, I then organised a PR launch, securing coverage in magazines like Country Living, Amateur Gardening, Grow Your Own, Permaculture, Sussex Life and Living Woods.

Now we’re up and running, there’s no set pattern to my role. I write blogs and social media updates. I liaise with bloggers and journalists. I’m organising a series of speaking events for our founder Phil, so he can talk about biochar and soil health. I’m also currently in the process of getting Sacred Earth’s Biochar Soil Booster in some local independent shops, including Infinity Foods in Brighton and Middle Farm, near Lewes. There are even exciting plans afoot for a biochar research project, in partnership with a prestigious university. Most of the time, I’m home-based. About once a month, I come to the land at Sacred Earth, to catch up with the rest of the team and enjoy the place’s unique calm.

My goal with this project is not unambitious. I want to make sure all British gardeners understand the vital importance of soil health and what they can do to improve it. So much is at stake. Every living creature on Earth is dependent on the thin layer of topsoil underfoot. We must do everything in our power to protect it.