A business leader with over three decades of experience in the sustainable food industry, John Blazevich founded Contessa Premium Foods in 1984 and built it from a small importer of seafood, Asian fruits, and vegetables to a globally recognized and vertically integrated food company. John Blazevich is well-known for his pioneering work in carbon-neutral design and the use of biomass energy.
Biomass energy is a form of alternative energy that uses renewable plant and animal products and byproducts to generate heat energy, which can be converted to electrical energy. Contrary to fossil fuels, biomass energy is sustainable and does not result in the depletion of natural resources because the resources, such as wood, can be reproduced and are thus infinite.
Biomass energy is inherently carbon neutral since it copiously involves woody raw materials from plants that have previously reduced atmospheric greenhouse gas accumulation via photosynthesis. Burning these materials to produce biomass energy results in carbon emissions that the plant has compensated for before harvest.
The process of biomass energy production is less complex and cheaper than fossil fuel production, which makes the option cost-effective. In addition, biomass energy also reduces the number of waste products that end up in landfills, creating opportunities for productive land use.
While the advantages of biomass energy are broad, there is a key concern about its potential ability to cause mass deforestation and endanger wildlife species. Biomass energy producers can source raw materials from industrial and residential waste outputs and heavily forested regions to minimize impacts. For example, the southeastern U.S., which is heavily forested, is an ideal location for harvesting wood for biomass energy production, according to cnr.ncsu.edu. The website suggests partial deforestation and replacing fallen trees to minimize impacts on wildlife.
