“The unfathomable urgency of the climate crisis paired with the opportunity to build a socially, environmentally, and economically responsible industry from the ground up inspires me every day to work even harder and add even more value.”
This newsletter issue features Grant Faber, Founder and President, Carbon-Based Consulting LLC.
Grant runs Carbon-Based Consulting LLC, a consultancy offering techno-economic assessment (TEA), emissions-focused life cycle assessment (LCA), market research, and related services to organizations working on carbon removal and decarbonization. Previously, he worked at Twelve as a Senior Techno-Economic Analyst and at the Global CO2 Initiative (GCI). He has also worked with Heirloom, XPRIZE, Azolla, and CarbonBridge.
He earned an MS in sustainable systems and a BBA. in finance from the University of Michigan. A guitar player, he loves composing quick songs about carbon and related topics. You can see a video of him and his narwhal companion performing one here!

How did you become interested in your current field?
While environmental protection work with the Friends of the Rouge and early experiences with nature inspired me to work in the environmental space generally, I entered the carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS) and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) fields due to GCI.

I met Susan Fancy, now the Associate Director of GCI, through the Clean Wolverines group, when I was advocating for the university to sign a power purchase agreement and establish a revolving energy fund. Susan introduced me to GCI and facilitated my employment there.
At GCI, I developed a deep interest in CCUS and CDR given their tremendous potential for mitigating and reversing climate change. I felt, and still feel, that these areas are largely neglected relative to many other climate solutions, which is why I work on them.
Can you explain your connection to GCI?
I started working with GCI as a Research Assistant and then got appointed as a Techno-Economic Assessment Researcher after a couple of years. The vast majority of my publications and one of my most significant contributions to the field, AssessCCUS, was developed while I was at GCI.

Working there taught me a significant amount about TEA and LCA along with the science and engineering behind carbon management. While I have learned a lot since my time with GCI, these lessons are the foundation of much of my work today.
What do you do now?
Currently, I work with different companies and organizations and give them advice on the costs and environmental impacts of technologies that they are developing or evaluating. I also spend much of my time learning, networking, and honing my skills, which are all important given how much the carbon management industry develops every day. I also contribute articles, think pieces, or other resources to move the industry forward.
