HELPING KIDS TRANSFORM THEIR WORLD -- INSIDE & OUT.
The Alchemy Pot Initiative is an education project empowering children & young adults to cultivate healthy external environments and emotional resilience within themselves.
Drawing parallels from nature — where trees communicate through underground networks, sharing resources to thrive — this initiative teaches students to transform waste into fertile ground for growth, fostering connections that bridge the physical and inner worlds.
Trees speak through the soil. They share water, nutrients, quiet warnings— each giving what the other needs to stand tall.
In this rooted exchange, they survive and thrive together.
Without those living connections, each tree endures alone, its strength ebbing in silence.
So it is with us.
Disconnected, we weaken.
Interwoven in shared creation, we grow resilient and whole.
WHY THIS INITIATIVE
Adolescence marks a pivotal moment in every young person's life,
where emotional patterns shape long-term behavior, collaboration, and leadership capacity.
The Alchemy Pot Initiative addresses this by integrating regenerative social practices and environmental tools at the ground level, cultivating internal and external environments of strength, resilience and possibility.
By connecting environmental stewardship with emotional well-being, we equip students with lifelong tools to navigate their realities together, shaping healthier communities and more resilient ecosystems.
WHAT WE'RE AIMING FOR
Over the course of our initial pilot year, our projected scope of work includes the following activities and goals, creating a measurable proof-of-concept model for nationwide scaling.
20
SCHOOLS SERVED
1,600+
STUDENTS ENGAGED
240
IN-GROUND COMPOSTING SYSTEMS INSTALLED
2,000
ALCHEMY CLASSROOM
TOOLKITS DISTRIBUTED
1
30-MINUTE EDUCATIONAL
DOCUMENTARY FOR PROJECT REPLICATION
HOW IT WORKS
SOIL ON THE OUTSIDE
Students transform campus food waste into rich, living soil using the durable in-ground Soil Maker composting systems. Through hands-on participation, they directly contribute to environmental regeneration, witnessing waste become fertile ground and dry land bloom into thriving gardens over time.
SOIL ON THE INSIDE
Students engage in a structured weekly Alchemy Pot practice that deepens emotional and environmental literacy, builds peer trust, and cultivates creative ways to respond to tension and heavy feelings — mirroring the slow, transformative process of composting.
WHO WE ARE
Derek Richard Thomas is the author of How to Make Soil, a practical guide to soil regeneration and compost-based education.
He has collaborated with Kiss the Ground on regenerative media projects connected to the documentary Common Ground, and has spoken at Nexus Global conferences in Australia, Washington, D.C., and New York.
His work focuses on creating practical tools that connect internal awareness with ecological regeneration.
Lizzie Loch is a writer, abstract artist, and co-founder of the Alchemy Pot Initiative, where she designs structured educational frameworks integrating emotional literacy with regenerative systems education.
She has developed creativity and well-being programs, advised senior leaders, and led meditation for global audiences at peace conferences, international leadership gatherings, and events around the World Economic Forum.
Her work translates emotional development principles into practical, scalable tools for school communities
SUPPORT THIS INITIATIVE
Our first year pilot requires $500,000 in total funding* to meet our goals of serving over 1,600 students in 20 schools nationwide.
*The Alchemy Pot Initiative is a fiscally-sponsored project by Opus 1 Foundation.
PARTNERSHIP TIERS
$10,000 — Sponsor a Classroom
Funds composting systems and Alchemy Pot materials for one classroom
Supporting Producer credit in the 30-minute documentary (grouped closing credits)
$25,000 — Sponsor a School
Funds full implementation at one participating school
Associate Producer credit in the documentary (grouped closing credits)
$50,000 — Two-School Partner
Supports implementation at two schools
Producer credit in the documentary (closing title placement)
$100,000 — Regional Partner
Supports a regional cluster of schools
Co-Executive Producer credit in the documentary (closing title placement)
$250,000 — Initiative Anchor
Provides transformational leadership funding for the national pilot
Executive Producer credit in the documentary
Prominent recognition in opening and closing titles and premiere materials
Producer recognition reflects philanthropic support only and does not convey ownership, creative control, or financial participation in the film or related intellectual property.
Donations of any size are welcome and directly support school implementation, educator training, student engagement, program evaluation, and documentary production.
Producer recognition applies to contributions of $10,000 and above.
Contributions below $10,000 will be acknowledged collectively in initiative materials and in the documentary end credits under Community Supporters.
HELP KIDS TRANSFORM OUR WORLD
Your tax deductible contribution directly supports:
● Composting systems and installation
● Classroom materials
● Teacher onboarding and coordination
● Program evaluation
● Documentary production and distribution
$250 raised
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