American Biochar Institute

Privacy policy

Effective Date: March 15, 2026

The American Biochar Institute (ABI), a project of the North American Biochar Council, (“we,” “our,” or “us”) is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring that your personal information is handled in a responsible and transparent manner. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information across our digital portfolio, including biochar.org, biochar-us.org, and biocharconference.com.

1. Information We Collect

  • Personal Information: We collect information you voluntarily provide, such as your name, email address, and contact details when you sign up for newsletters, register for conferences, or fill out contact forms.
  • Usage Data & Analytics: We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to collect non-personal information about your visit, including your IP address, browser type, device category, and pages viewed. This helps us analyze traffic and improve site functionality.
  • Cookies: We use cookies to remember your preferences and enhance your browsing experience. You can disable cookies in your browser settings, though some site features may require them to function correctly.
  • Conference & Membership Data: When registering for events, memberships, or training programs, we may collect additional information necessary to manage participation, such as organizational affiliation, billing details, and dietary or accessibility preferences.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your data to:

  • Communicate with you and respond to inquiries.
  • Send newsletters and updates (subject to your opt-in).
  • Process donations, memberships, or conference registrations.
  • Provide conference administration, including attendee communications and event updates.
  • Analyze website performance via GA4 to improve our resources.
  • Ensure the security of our platforms and prevent fraudulent activity.

 

3. Third-Party Services & Data Processors

To provide a seamless experience, we share data with trusted third-party providers:

  • Hosting: Our sites are hosted on SiteGround servers.
  • Email & Productivity: Communications are processed through Google Workspace.
  • Payments: We utilize PayPal and other secure processors for donations and fees. Data is encrypted via SSL and transmitted directly to the processor; we do not store sensitive financial data on our servers.
  • Social Media: If you interact with social media features on our websites, those platforms may collect information about your interaction and may set cookies or tracking technologies according to their own privacy policies. ABI does not control how these third-party services collect or use your data. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any social media platforms you use when engaging with ABI content.
  • Event Platforms: We may use conference or event  management platforms such as Whova to manage registrations, agendas, and attendee communications.

4. Media & Embedded Content

  • User Uploads: If you upload images to our sites, avoid including embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Visitors can download and extract this data from images on the site.
  • Copyright: Media uploaded by users grants copyright permission to ABI for unencumbered use for reasonable professional purposes unless otherwise notified in writing at the time of upload.
  • External Links: Our sites contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of external sites.

5. Data Retention & Security

We retain personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined here or as required by law. While we employ reasonable industry-standard measures to protect your data, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure.

6. Your Rights

You have the right to:

  • Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
  • Correction: Request that we update or fix inaccuracies.
  • Deletion: Request that we delete your personal data, subject to legal or financial retention requirements.
  • Opt-Out: Unsubscribe from promotional communications at any time.

7. Limitation of Liability

This site and its content are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. The North American Biochar Council / American Biochar Institute makes no warranties, expressed or implied, regarding the operation of the site or the accuracy of the content contained therein.

8. Contact Information

For questions regarding this policy or your personal data, please contact: American Biochar Institute Attn: Privacy Officer 1120 SE Madison St. Portland, OR 97214 Email: info@biochar.org

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