Green Era Campus
Green Era Campus operates a Chicago anaerobic digester that converts packaged food waste into renewable natural gas and compost, while running a co-located urban farm, retail store, and community education center serving Auburn Gresham residents and enterprise feedstock partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Green Era Campus does
Green Era Campus is a Chicago-based non-profit partnership operating a 9-acre brownfield redevelopment in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood that converts inedible, packaged food waste into renewable natural gas (RNG) and nutrient-rich compost via anaerobic digestion. Its facility is the Midwest's first and the United States' first anaerobic digester specifically designed to process packaged food waste, using state-of-the-art depackaging technology to separate organic content from packaging for expired, contaminated, recalled, or off-spec products from grocery stores, food manufacturers, restaurants, and institutional generators. The campus processes over 100 million pounds of food waste annually (scaling to 150 million+ pounds with the November 2025 Denali partnership), offsets approximately 42,500 tons of CO2 per year, and offsets fossil-fuel natural gas by mixing RNG into the utility supply.
Revenue is generated through four streams: enterprise tipping fees for food waste recycling services, subscription-based RNG sales to businesses seeking carbon-negative energy, finished compost distributed through a worker-owned cooperative, and a planned on-site retail store and nursery selling produce from the co-located 7-acre urban farm. The platform is operated by a multi-entity structure pairing Green Era Educational NFP (site owner and 501(c)(3) fiscal agent), Green Era Sustainability LLC (project developer and seed investor), and Urban Growers Collective (operating partner holding a 99-year lease), with Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation as a core community partner. Grant funding has included $10 million from the Pritzker Traubert Foundation Chicago Prize (April 2020), $1 million from the USDA Forestry Service, $250,000 from the City of Chicago, and $185,000 from BP; an $11 million capital campaign is currently fundraising for Phase 2 community and education infrastructure projected to complete in Q4 2025.
Green Era Campus firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Green Era Campus
- Legal name
- Green Era Educational NFP
- Website
- https://www.greenerachicago.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Green Era Campus operates a Chicago anaerobic digester that converts packaged food waste into renewable natural gas and compost, while running a co-located urban farm, retail store, and community education center serving Auburn Gresham residents and enterprise feedstock partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Green Era Campus industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Food Waste Recycling and Renewable Energy
- NAICS
- Biomass Electric Power Generation (221117), Electric Power Generation (22111)
- SIC
- Refuse Systems (4953), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900), Sanitary Services (4950)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Anaerobic Digestion (AD) & Biogas/RNG Production (Organics Feedstocks) (BPALAEAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Anaerobic Digestion Biogas Power (Agricultural & Industrial AD) (EUACAIAD), Organics & Composting Programs (Food Waste, Green Waste) (BPABALAC), Digestate Processing, Nutrient Recovery & Fertilizer Products (Struvite, Ammonia, Compost) (EUAAAEAL), Organics Collection & Processing (Composting/Anaerobic Digestion) (IMAIAFAF)
Keywords
Where Green Era Campus is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Green Era Campus business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Food Waste Recycling Services: Businesses, organizations, and municipalities pay for food waste recycling services. Feedstock partners include organic waste haulers, schools, universities, grocery stores, hotels, food manufacturers, government offices, and restaurant groups who pay to divert their waste from landfills.
- Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Sales: Green Era sells RNG to businesses and organizations to replace their fossil fuel-based natural gas usage, reducing their carbon footprint. RNG is mixed with the overall gas supply so customers do not need special equipment.
- Finished Compost Sales: Worker-owned compost cooperative distributes finished compost and fertility products for home gardens, commercial landscaping, food growing projects, and farms at low cost.
- Retail Store and Nursery: Selling fresh produce, plants, and native plants grown on-site through a retail store and nursery. Expected to serve 2,000 people per year.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Green Era Campus product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Green Era Campus operates a 9-acre renewable energy facility in Chicago's Auburn Gresham neighborhood centered on an anaerobic digester that processes inedible packaged food waste into renewable natural gas (RNG) and nutrient-rich compost. The campus integrates the digester with a 7-acre urban farm, retail store and nursery, community education center, and green space, while offering paid food waste recycling services to enterprise generators and selling RNG to businesses seeking to lower their carbon footprint.
Product overview
Green Era Campus is a multi-component sustainable infrastructure platform centered on anaerobic digestion technology. The core offering consists of an anaerobic digester that processes inedible packaged food waste to produce renewable natural gas (RNG) and nutrient-rich compost. This is integrated with a 7-acre urban farm, retail store and nursery, community education center, and community green space. The platform also includes food waste recycling collection services, a finished compost distribution cooperative, and mobile market operations. All components work together to create a circular economy model that diverts food waste from landfills, generates clean energy, produces fresh food, and creates green jobs on Chicago's South Side.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Food Waste Recycling Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Diverts 100+ million pounds of food waste from landfills annually
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Green Era Campus
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Green Era Campus technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Green Era Campus partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- DenalicoreDenali, the nation's leading recycler of food and organic materials, serves as Green Era's primary supplier of packaged, inedible food waste. The collaboration combines Denali's national collection and logistics network with Green Era's anaerobic digestion, composting, and urban agriculture operations, expanding the region's food waste recycling capacity to more than 150 million pounds annually.
- Mariano'scoreChicago supermarket chain Mariano's diverts food waste to Green Era for processing into renewable energy and compost. Partnership resulted in 1 million pounds of food waste diverted from landfills.
- Urban Growers CollectivecoreBlack and women-led 501(c)3 nonprofit that manages all aspects of the Green Era Campus including programming, community engagement, garden center, permaculture design, product sales, and workforce development. The Campus serves as headquarters for UGC's operations.
- Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation (GAGDC)core501(c)(3) nonprofit working to foster and promote revitalization of low-to-moderate-income neighborhoods in Chicago. Partnered with Green Era on master planning and leads the Auburn Gresham Healthy Lifestyle Hub development nearby.
- Green Era Educational NFPcore501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving as the land owner and site developer for all entities operating on the Green Era Campus site. Served as the fiscal agent that launched Urban Growers Collective.
- Green Era SustainabilitycoreOrganization focused on biotechnology and green energy, holding seed investments for the overall initiative. Mission to recycle food waste diverted from landfills to reduce carbon impacts by converting it to RNG and fertilizer for urban farming.
- Argonne National LaboratoryminorGreen Era Campus and Argonne aligned to forge community partner-focused agreement for research collaboration on sustainability and climate change mitigation solutions.
- TnS StudiosminorBlack Woman-Led architecture firm leading the Green Era Campus design process. Specializes in adaptive reuse renovations and sustainable solutions, championing reuse of existing building materials.
- Upside Down ConsultingminorConsulting partner working with Urban Growers Collective to design and implement the worker cooperative model for finished compost distribution.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Green Era Campus competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Denali: Denali is the nation's leading recycler of food and organic materials and Green Era's primary feedstock partner. While Denali operates primarily in collection and logistics rather than digestion, both organizations share the same customer base (grocery, food manufacturing, restaurants) and the same core activity — diverting food waste from landfills — making them highly comparable across product and target market.
- Vanguard Renewables: Vanguard Renewables operates farm-based anaerobic digesters converting manure and food waste into RNG across the Northeast U.S. It is a direct functional peer: same AD-to-RNG technology platform, same feedstock types (food waste plus organic residuals), same RNG off-take model selling to utilities and corporate buyers.
- Bioenergy DevCo: Bioenergy DevCo develops and operates food waste anaerobic digestion facilities producing RNG and soil products in the Mid-Atlantic. It mirrors Green Era's core technology stack, output portfolio, and food-waste-feedstock focus, making it a closely comparable direct peer.
- Organic Energy Corp / Cavendish Renewable Technologies: Cavendish Renewable Technologies (formerly Organic Energy Corp) operates anaerobic digestion facilities converting food waste and organic residuals into RNG and digestate-based fertilizers. It is a direct technology peer with overlapping customer segments in food manufacturing and grocery.
- Quasar Energy Group: Quasar Energy Group operates multiple anaerobic digestion facilities in Ohio processing food waste, wastewater residuals, and other organics into biogas and renewable energy. Same core AD technology, same feedstock categories, and similar institutional/government partnership profile.
Broad incumbents
- Waste Management (Organics Services): Waste Management is the largest U.S. waste hauler with a growing organics recycling and RNG portfolio. While its core landfill and hauling business dwarfs Green Era's, its Organics Services division directly overlaps with Green Era's food waste recycling service for the same grocery/restaurant/manufacturing customer base.
- Republic Services: Republic Services is the second-largest U.S. waste and recycling company with organics processing and landfill-gas-to-RNG operations. It competes for the same food-waste generators and represents the broad-incumbent competitive set Green Era must contend with for municipal and enterprise contracts.
Emerging players
- Impact Bioenergy: Impact Bioenergy designs and deploys smaller-scale modular anaerobic digestion systems for food waste. While focused on distributed/onsite deployment rather than a centralized campus like Green Era's, it targets the same food-waste-to-RNG/compost value proposition for similar commercial customer types.
Regional players
- City of Chicago Department of Streets & Sanitation: Chicago's municipal sanitation department manages the city's curbside organics and residential food waste programs. It is a regional peer: same Chicago geography, same food/organics feedstock streams, but operating at municipal scale rather than through a private AD facility like Green Era's.
Others
- SCS Engineers: SCS Engineers is a leading environmental engineering and consulting firm that designs anaerobic digestion and landfill gas capture systems. As a vendor to the AD industry rather than an operator, it is an adjacent/ecosystem peer relevant to anyone evaluating AD infrastructure economics and design.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights3 records
Customer concentration
Green Era Campus social profiles
Digital presenceGreen Era Campus compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Green Era Campus financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Green Era Campus leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Green Era Campus funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Green Era Campus M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Green Era Campus
What does Green Era Campus do?
Green Era Campus operates a 9-acre renewable energy facility in Chicago's Auburn Gresham neighborhood centered on an anaerobic digester that processes inedible packaged food waste into renewable natural gas (RNG) and nutrient-rich compost. The campus integrates the digester with a 7-acre urban farm, retail store and nursery, community education center, and green space, while offering paid food waste recycling services to enterprise generators and selling RNG to businesses seeking to lower their carbon footprint.
Is Green Era Campus a public or private company?
Green Era Campus is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Green Era Campus founded?
Green Era Campus was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Green Era Campus based?
Green Era Campus is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Green Era Campus make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Food Waste Recycling Services are the primary driver. The others are renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Sales, finished Compost Sales and retail Store and Nursery.
Who are Green Era Campus's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Denali, Vanguard Renewables, Bioenergy DevCo, Organic Energy Corp / Cavendish Renewable Technologies and Quasar Energy Group. Broad incumbents are Waste Management (Organics Services) and Republic Services. Impact Bioenergy is listed as an emerging player. City of Chicago Department of Streets & Sanitation is listed as a regional player. SCS Engineers is listed as an others.
Does Green Era Campus have an API?
No public API is recorded for Green Era Campus.
What industry is Green Era Campus in?
Green Era Campus's product category is Food Waste Recycling and Renewable Energy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPALAEAC, Anaerobic Digestion (AD) & Biogas/RNG Production (Organics Feedstocks), with a secondary code of EUACAIAD, Anaerobic Digestion Biogas Power (Agricultural & Industrial AD). Its NAICS code is 221117 and its SIC code is 4953.