Cities, Waste, and Building the Biogas Workforce

Alex Rivera 4

Alright, Emily, let's start off with a big one coming out of Chicago—this new partnership between Denali and Green Era. I gotta say, this is one of those projects that's equal parts tech and community, right? Denali’s... basically, they’re the nation’s largest recycler of food and organic material, and they’ve teamed up with Green Era, who were already sort of pioneers as the first to run a food-waste-only anaerobic digester in the Midwest.

Emily Nguyen 4

Exactly, Alex. I mean, we’re talking about diverting over 150 million pounds of food waste every year. Just to put that in perspective, that’s stuff that would’ve gone to landfill, now being turned into renewable energy and compost—plus, it’s actually generating jobs for people living right there in Chicago's Auburn Gresham neighborhood.

Alex Rivera 4

And, you know, I love how Green Era is not just about, like, waste processing or energy for its own sake. Their model is really holistic—they’re combining anaerobic digestion, composting, even urban agriculture and workforce development all in one place. It’s like a circular economy being built in real time, and it connects the dots on sustainability, education, and local food access.

Emily Nguyen 4

Right. Plus, Denali brings the logistics muscle to the table—they can actually source all that inedible, packaged food waste using their national collection network, and that directly feeds Green Era's facility. I think that's such a smart way to scale up what would otherwise be a really local operation, but still keep the impacts local. Kind of the best of both worlds in terms of reach and community focus.

Alex Rivera 4

Totally. You know, some projects claim to be “community-based,” but this one actually walks the walk: local jobs, better soil, cutting down greenhouse gas emissions, and even plans for things like urban farms and marketplaces. When you add it all up, it sets a new standard for how cities can use what would be waste as a real resource that gives back, not just to the planet, but to actual people on the ground.

Emily Nguyen 4

You can really start to see the bigger shift with these kinds of partnerships. They’re proving sustainability can support economic growth—it’s not an either-or. If anything, Chicago’s showing other cities how to build out their own versions of this model and weave environmental impact into the fabric of daily life.

Alex Rivera 4

Yeah, and I feel like that's a nice segue into what’s happening on the ag side of things. Should we dig into that next?

Alex Rivera 4

Sticking with cities, let’s slide over to Philadelphia, where they’re on the vanguard with their municipal biogas agreements. Basically, they’re swapping out fossil fuels for locally produced biogas in their fleet of trash compactors. And, like, not in some theoretical way—it’s an actual city-wide agreement. That’s a big move for decarbonizing at the municipal level, right?

Emily Nguyen 4

For sure. It’s a big deal when a city goes all-in like that. When you get municipal vehicles running on biogas, you’re hitting those sustainability targets on a large scale. For Philadelphia, this isn’t just about emissions reductions—it’s also about setting a public example and propelling renewable energy adoption across the city.

Alex Rivera 4

Absolutely. And y’know, this reminds me—back when I was consulting, we ran this workshop with Philly’s energy managers. There was so much pragmatism, like, “How do we fund this? How do we keep it reliable?” But what really stuck with me was their willingness to partner with private energy producers. It’s that classic public-private handshake—without it, none of this scales. I guess my question is: What’s it take for other cities to follow suit? These biofuel deals aren’t one-size-fits-all, right?

Emily Nguyen 4

No, definitely not. You need willing private sector partners, serious commitment to long-term procurement, and a city that can nimbly coordinate across departments. Some places have the policy framework but lack the tech know-how, while others have lots of innovative ideas but run into siloed bureaucracy. But Philadelphia shows it’s possible when you really go all-in with partnerships and see biofuel as a city service, not just a nice-to-have program. I think, as these kinds of deals prove out, you’ll have more cities looking for their own versions soon.

Alex Rivera 4

Right, and maybe that’s what moves decarbonization from buzzword to business-as-usual—when cities realize the infrastructure is doable and the returns, both economic and environmental, are real. Philly’s kind of setting the pace here for how modern municipalities can operate sustainably in the real world, not just on paper.

Emily Nguyen 4

Yeah, let’s talk about that. The American Biogas Council just certified 26 new anaerobic digester operators. That’s almost double the number of certified folks running these digesters across the country, which is a pretty big deal given how many new facilities are breaking ground lately.

Alex Rivera 4

And these folks don’t just get a piece of paper and a handshake. They’ve gotta do a 40-hour training school, rack up over two thousand hours of relevant experience, and earn OSHA safety certification. It's not easy, but that’s kind of the point—you want the people watching over these systems to really know their stuff, since they're dealing with everything from food waste to wastewater solids and manure.

Emily Nguyen 4

Definitely, especially when you think about safety. Biogas facilities are handling a mix of chemical, mechanical, and, well, agricultural hazards. You can have all the tech in the world, but without skilled operators, you’re risking both efficiency and safety. So this certification isn’t just a badge—it’s essential for scaling up the industry responsibly.

Alex Rivera 4

Plus, the American Biogas Council’s training is the only one of its kind in North America—totally unique. It’s actually built and taught by this mix of professors and industry folks, so it kinda bridges that gap between what you learn in a textbook and what happens out in the field.

Emily Nguyen 4

It feels like this is the next step for the industry to keep growing safely. As more communities and farms launch these systems, having a qualified, professional workforce will make the whole sector more resilient—and honestly, more appealing for new entrants, too.

Alex Rivera 4

Couldn’t agree more. Alright, I think we’ve made our case—a lot happening from city compost piles to farm fields to workforce training rooms. But it’s all pointing in the same direction: a greener, more sustainable future.

Emily Nguyen 4

Yeah, here's hoping more people get inspired, whether they're operators, city leaders, or just folks looking to make a difference where they live. We’ll keep following these trends and projects—there's so much more coming down the pipeline. Alex, always good chatting with you.

Alex Rivera 4

Same here, Emily. Alright everybody, thanks for tuning in to Digest This, Unpacking Our Sustainable Future. We'll catch you next time.