Turning Waste Wood into Workforce

We’re hosting our first open-to-the-public site visit at our Phase 1 Pilot facility – Krume Lumber in Onalaska, WA – on Tuesday, September 16th between 10am - 1pm (Click here to RSVP).

I know it’s a bit of a drive, but there’s simply no substitute for getting out into the real world and walking the site, meeting the locals, and realizing what an incredible environmental and economic achievement it would be if we could turn Krume Lumber into a zero waste site.

Most people don’t know this, but Washington produces 2.5 BILLION board feet of wood each year. But even the most efficient operations only convert 70% of each tree into a usable product.

That means the other 30% — like saw dust, chip, and cut ends — have little-to-no commercial value, but cause nasty problems if not dealt with (like off gassing methane and catching on fire).

At the same time, our region faces workforce shortages in advanced manufacturing, clean tech, and industrial trades.

​What if we could solve both of these problems by turning this waste wood of today into the clean energy jobs of tomorrow?

​By converting waste wood into high-value carbon products, we can create good jobs, strengthen local supply chains, and unlock new opportunities for communities in Lewis County and across the BDO Zone Initiative in Washington State.

• The Biomass Opportunity: How waste wood can be transformed into clean industrial inputs like biocarbon, wood tar, and wood vinegar.

• ​Workforce Pathways: Programs and partnerships creating new careers in advanced manufacturing, materials science, and sustainable construction.

• ​Regional Momentum: How Washington’s Buy Clean Buy Fair policies, USDA BioPreferred certification, and federal industrial policy are opening doors for local projects.

• ​Community Impact: Why “turning waste wood into workforce” can be the cornerstone of a regenerative, resilient economy.

​PLUS! You'll get a sneak peak at all of the technology we're using on site, and how that translates into more jobs in Onalaska.

It’s all happening on Tuesday September 16th from 10am-1pm. Click here to RSVP for the event

-Jake Hoffberg
CEO, Regenerative Industrial

P.S. If you can’t make it for the 10am-1pm session, we’re hosting an evening session from 5pm-7pm. If for some reason that works better for your schedule, please RSVP here.