above: Neil Black (left) and N. Ross Buckenham at a California Bioenergy partner dairy in Bakersfield, California (photo by Christina Gandolfo)

Cars and coal—not cows—are most frequently cited as drivers of climate change. But bovine burps and manure are also contributing factors. Methane—a gas with nearly 30 times the heat-trapping powers of CO₂—represents 10 percent of US greenhouse gas emissions; according to the EPA, dairies and other livestock operations account for a third of that amount.

California Bioenergy, founded in 2006 by Neil Black (MBA 1997) and N. Ross Buckenham (MBA 1981), takes on the backend of that equation with the help of its “digesters”: enormous, plastic-covered lagoons that enable the anaerobic breakdown of manure, with methane as the by-product. In addition to helping farmers meet California greenhouse gas reduction goals, the digesters offer a bottom-line upside through the sale of methane for vehicle fuel or as electricity. “We want agriculture to financially benefit while acting as environmental stewards,” says Black, who sees California Bioenergy as a good example of public-private partnership.

“One thing I love about this work is that it’s so local, yet it’s global,” Buckenham says. “Yesterday we met with state regulators, this morning we visited three family farms, and now I’m about to hop on a call with Chevron. It’s a fantastic cross-section of experiences, all while building, knock wood, a viable company with a positive impact.”

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