Durbin Secures $250,000 For Green Era’s Efforts To Combat Food Waste
CHICAGO – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today visited the Green Era Campus to view their food digester and urban farm project that he secured $250,000 in federal funding for through Congressionally Directed Spending—more commonly known as an earmark—in the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) omnibus appropriations bill.
“The work happening at Green Era’s Campus exemplifies the power of collective action and the difference that passionate individuals can make when they come together with a common purpose,” said Durbin. “We have a moral obligation to future generations to invest in sustainability, encourage innovation, and create opportunities for communities to thrive while protecting our planet.”
“U.S. Senator Dick Durbin’s visit to the Green Era Renewable Energy & Urban Agriculture Campus today manifests his long-standing advocacy for community agriculture and innovation,” said Jason Feldman, CEO of Green Era. “The Green Era Campus represents the urban food system’s response to climate change and an opportunity to build toward community food security and sovereignty. Hosting congressional members at our Campus and the South Chicago Farm was a privilege to continue highlighting the importance of community food security, renewable energy, nutrient production, emerging green economies, and community wealth building.”
The Green Era Campus digester and commercial compost facility is expected to divert 85,000 tons of food waste and organic matter from landfills each year. Food waste from manufacturers and food distributors will be fed through the digester to produce biogas, which will eventually be renewable natural gas.
Green Era’s mission is to reduce the carbon impact of food waste by diverting it from landfills and converting it to renewable natural gas and fertilizer for urban farming, while using these efforts to create jobs, education programs, and workforce training in South Chicago.
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