Student Fights Food Waste with UC San Diego’s BioEnergy Project

An interview with UC San Diego’s Carbon Neutrality Initiative Research Fellow: Enid Partika 

Written by Alicia Tam

Photo source: UCSD News Center

Food waste is a problem that contributes to global warming. When food waste ends up in landfills, it decays and releases methane (CH4), which is more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2). Both CO2 and CH4 are major greenhouse gases that warm the Earth’s atmosphere. The U.S. is the 3rd largest greenhouse gas emitter and wastes about 113 billion pounds of food per year, while ⅙ of Americans are food insecure. This issue has led Enid Partika and her colleagues to develop a Digester-ponics system that rethinks how we manage our food waste, mitigate climate change, and reduce food insecurity. 

Enid Partika is an UCSD alumna with a B.S. in Environmental Chemistry and is currently pursuing her Masters in Chemistry. She is the CEO of the BioEnergy Project anaerobic digester which converts food waste into biogas for cooking and heating and into fertilizer for hydroponically grown greens. “I was inspired to start The BioEnergy Project when I realized how closely connected food and climate systems are. I have always been interested in environmental conservation and in finding a way to mitigate climate change,” says Partika. The BioEnergy Project aims to help businesses, restaurants, and individuals turn their food waste into hydroponically grown greens and provide biogas for cooking. This project also follows a community hub model in which they collaborate with communities to collect food waste, provide educational workshops, and deliver food to those who are in need. 

Photo source: UCSD Office of the Chancellor website

The BioEnergy Project has saved over 70,000 lbs of food waste and has sequestered 5.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). As the result of their hard work, Partika and her teammates have been recognized nationally by the Lemelson MIT Student Inventor's Prize, University Office of the President, and Rabobank MIT Food and Agriculture Prize. She is proud of how far they have come in turning this idea into a tangible reality, and she wishes to share this reality with many others throughout San Diego County, the U.S., and the world.

Even with all these accomplishments, Partika still has bigger plans for the BioEnergy Project. She and her teammates plan on raising funds through their currently operating UCSD pilot to expand into the San Diego community and establish their first community hub. “We are also talking with other universities to expand our model to educate researchers at other UC schools and beyond in urban agriculture and anaerobic digestion,” Partika adds. They aim to provide food insecure communities with nutritious food and to help them become self-sufficient through localized energy and food production. Likewise, they are looking to partner with nonprofit organizations to share their model with communities in developing countries. Partika and her colleagues wish to educate them on sustainable agriculture and social entrepreneurism and provide them with a source of revenue. 

Photo source: UCSD News Center

Partika’s story is awe inspiring to many who desire to address a social or environmental challenge. She proves that even students can found a social enterprise and have a positive impact on the community. When asked what advice she would give to students interested in pursuing social entrepreneurship, Partika emphasized that “networking is important”.  “Not only does it allow you to receive great feedback on your idea, but it also allows you to find the right mentors and opportunities to grow your idea.”  

For more information about the BioEnergy Project, visit: 

Facebook -  https://www.facebook.com/TheBioenergyProject/

Instagram -  https://www.instagram.com/bioenergyproject/

Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/bioenergyproject