Alex Eaton’s connection with sustainable agriculture goes back to his childhood, growing up on an organic farm in the US. After studying natural sciences in Kenya and motivated to learn about other cultures he later graduated with a degree in journalism and communication in Colorado. His interest in nature fueled an early career in environmental journalism, and his passion for the outdoors later took him to Alaska where he worked for several years as a wilderness guide and training search-and-rescue teams. After an alarming avalanche rescue experience, and newfound respect for the fragility of life he decided to change tack and moved to Latin America.
Alex’ first experience in the region was in Nicaragua where he helped a local organization install photovoltaic and solar cooking and drying systems, which inspired a new passion; for rural technology. There, he also first came into contact with a biodigester on a small rural farm and was struck by the effectiveness of the system, both to deal with animal manure in a safe and hygienic way as well as produce biogas and liquid fertilizer. However, he was also struck by the inefficient, rudimentary nature of the technology and set out to work on improving it. Alex later relocated to Mexico where he spent a year holding biogas courses with a local organization, and installing different types of biodigester systems with local farmers. He then returned to the US to study and graduated with a Masters in international development and engineering from Humboldt State University in California where he focused on the impact that scaling small-scale biodigesters could have in Mexico.
After graduating Alex began as an independent consultant on larger renewable energy and biodigester projects and set out to create effective solutions for small-scale farmers. He built the Mexico Biogas Program, hosted by the International Renewable Resources Institute (IRRI) as a non-profit organization from where he continued to develop and improve the technology.
He went on to co-create the Latin American Biodigester Network (Redbiolac) to help create greater exposure for the technology. In the process of refining the biodigester design, fabrication process and patent registration, in 2009, Alex met his future business partner, Camilo Pages.
Camilo, co-founder, and current CPO of Sistema.bio has a background in industrial engineering and at the time of meeting Alex, he was marketing eco-friendly technologies in Mexico. Inspired by Alex´ passion for biodigestion to alleviate rural poverty Camilo joined the team and together they set up the company in 2010. Alex has been recognized internationally for his contribution to sustainable rural development. In 2011 he was selected as an Ashoka Fellow, and has since received several awards. While he still likes to get involved hands on with the work on the ground his role as CEO of a fast growing social enterprise, he is increasingly focused on the strategic direction of the company and international expansion.
