Keeling Curve

Primary Project Category:

Project Summary / Description:

The purpose of -mynus is to allow everyone to capture carbon from the air and reduce our own personal carbon footprint. In addition, -mynus aims to allow consumers to earn from carbon capture. This is different from current DAC (Direct Air Capture) approaches, such as by www.climeworks.com. Those depend on corporates and consumers voluntarily spending money on DAC carbon credits. Therefore, it is the business model that differentiates my project, not its technology (e.g. www.heirloomcarbon.com uses a very similar approach). -mynus was triggered in 2021 by two realizations: First, I saw how a considerable amount of excess green energy produced by Bullfinch‚ solar installations had to be pumped into the ground. Second, I read news about Climeworks‚ and Carbon Engineering‚ industrial-scale DAC efforts. So I was thinking how potentially everyone could have their own small DAC machine at home and harness our excess energy for it, for a profit.

Regions of Operations:

How Project Affects Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions:

Replaces/avoids GHGs (e.g., projects that replace sources of GHGs, such as the burning of fossil fuels for electricity, heat, transport, or other energy uses), Reduces GHGs (e.g., projects that reduce sources of GHGs, such as through efficiency or other changes in consumption), Removes/stores GHGs (e.g., projects that capture, sequester, or otherwise enhance the "sinks" that accumulate and store GHGs)

Best Estimate of GHG Avoidance/Reduction of This Project (Tonnes CO2 Equivalent/Year):

Impact on Underrepresented Groups:

-mynus is highly inclusive. It makes direct air capture accessible to everyone, including women, people of color and youth. -mynus aims to give an income opportunity, albeit small, to every member of the -mynus user community. In practice, -mynus is currently most atuned to conditions in Europe and especially Germany, where a strong chemical industry exists, carbon neutral transportation is available (e.g. by German Rail) and people are accustomed to returning used bottles at local supermarkets for a deposit fee (which is something -mynus heavily leverages on, see video). However, in theory the technology of -mynus works everyone in the world. In the long-run, capturing carbon with -mynus may also become an income opportunity for low-income people in Africa, Asia and Latin America. In terms of workforce, -mynus will need very little staff. However, that staff is currently planned to be youth and students on part-time jobs.

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Mission Statement:

-mynus is currently a private informal project of mine that I would like to formalize into a limited company. -mynus is based in Munich and is finetuned to the consumer habits, retail industry and logistics infrastructure in Germany. Replications into other markets may be considered. My employer, Bullfinch Asset AG (www.bullfinch.com), strongly supports my project. Bullfinch has given me a license to pursue -mynus under the Bullfinch brand name, e.g. when talking to large chemical companies, supermarkets and logistic companies. Bullfinch owns and operates over 2,000 solar installations on residential rooftops across Germany.