The Grounded podcast, which tells the story of the Restord biochar start-up, has won Gold in the Sustainability and Environment category at the 2024 Signal Awards. The Signal Awards recognise the best podcasts in the industry across a wide variety of categories, and involve both a judging panel and a public vote. This year there were more than 170,000 votes in the public vote portion of the competition. Grounded was launched in the summer of 2024 and funded by CO2RE through a Future Leaders Network micro-finance initiative.
Restord was founded by FLN member Tom Previte and operates on a farm in Cornwall, UK. It aims to remove 100 tonnes of CO2 per year by making biochar and applying it to the soil on the farm. Biochar is made using a process called pyrolysis, which involves heating organic matter to over 500ºC in the absence of oxygen. Through this process it sequesters CO2, and when applied to soils it also has the ability to improve soil health. Biochar is one of five carbon dioxide removal (CDR) methods being investigated as part of the Greenhouse Gas Removal Demonstrator Programme. If the method proves sufficiently effective, the hope is that there will be widespread adoption among farmers as a way of both sequestering CO2 and improving the health of their soils.
When Tom and podcast producer Ben Weaver-Hincks decided to launch Grounded to document the highs and lows of founding a climate start-up, they had no idea it would become so successful within just a few months. They are delighted to have been recognised by the podcast industry in this way:
“Winning Gold at the Signal Awards is a testament to the power of storytelling, collaboration, and resilience. This honor isn’t just a nod to our podcast—it’s for the community that’s come along for the journey. A particular thanks to the Greenhouse Gas Removal Hub Future Leaders Network for believing in our idea earlier this year and providing the much needed micro-financing to make it a reality!”
