Our Story: Turning Vision Into Action
In the mid-2010s, our founder, Christopher Knop, set out with a simple idea and a shovel: could we fight climate change by burying wood? On his own land, Chris discovered that with just clay and determination, carbon could be locked away-by hand, and for good.
Inspired by these early results, Chris reached out to timber companies and forest owners, sharing his vision for large-scale biomass burial. In 2019, he officially founded CSI and began collaborating with Dr. Ning Zeng, a leading scientist in carbon sequestration. Their partnership sparked new ideas and a lasting friendship.
By 2020, CSI had engineered a specialized wood vault and identified the perfect sites for burial. The following year, we secured land rich in biomass waste, and in 2022, our operations earned approval from Puro.earth, a global leader in carbon removal standards.
Today, CSI is delivering commercial-scale carbon removal certificates (CORCs), proving that with innovation and teamwork, we can make a real, lasting impact-one vault at a time.
Partners and Memberships
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Carbon Business Council
Founding Member
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AIChE Climate Solutions Community
Member
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The TSB Coalition
Founding Member
Contractors and Advisors
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Geoclime, LLC
Soil Geology and Geotechnical
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Ecofor, LLC
Life Cycle Analyses
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KDW, Ltd.
Pit Architecture, Engineering & Construction
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Burton Land Management
Slash Acquisition
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Gary Whitman Materials, Inc.
Material Sourcing
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Joel Garza
Drone Operations