Healthy Rivers.
Healthy Planet.
Healthy rivers are essential for a healthy planet. That’s why we’re helping restore the natural ability of rivers to carry carbon to the sea for long-term storage.
Rivers naturally deliver carbon to the ocean, preventing it from returning to the atmosphere. This helps keep the planet cool. Unfortunately, pollution has disrupted the river-carbon-ocean connection.
Rivers Disrupted
Many of our watersheds have been harmed by a toxic legacy of acid rain. Acidification of rivers has harmed aquatic biodiversity and natural carbon removal.
Acidification disrupts the natural carbon process
A healthy river with natural alkaline minerals transforms CO₂ into bicarbonate. Many marine organisms need this to build their shells. The leftover bicarbonate is delivered by rivers to the ocean for long-term storage. But this cycle has been disrupted by acidification, causing more CO₂ to go back into the atmosphere.
Holistic River Restoration
CarbonRun is a Nova Scotia-based company that is the first in the world to use a safe, proven river restoration approach to decrease river acidity in a way that also naturally delivers carbon to the ocean, preventing it from returning to the atmosphere. Rivers as a force for change.
SEE How it works ↓01
our mission
Restore River Health
CarbonRun decreases the acidity of rivers to combat the negative effects of acid rain, restore their health, and protect biodiversity. The restored rivers boost fisheries and aquaculture, improve water quality, and de-acidify critical coastal regions.
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our mission
Benefit the Community
CarbonRun is committed to ensuring that communities benefit from the project by creating local economic impact and a restored river ecosystem. We are thoughtfully creating place-based projects supporting rural and Indigenous communities, and growing a team of skilled trade workers in construction, production, trucking, and data collection.
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our mission
Draw Down Carbon
We urgently need safe, permanent, and scalable ways to remove carbon from our atmosphere. By bringing our natural approach to scale in regions around the world with large-scale but degraded river systems, CarbonRun's solution can draw down 10-15% of the required carbon dioxide to meet the global need projected by 2050.
The challenge of our time
Billions of tons of CO₂ need to be removed annually to avoid severe climate change. We're not on track, and even if we did meet our targets, we must still address the legacy of yesterday’s carbon pollution through carbon removal.
Nature-Powered Science
CarbonRun is a first-of-its-kind, Canadian-made technology that mobilizes river science to rebalance river acidity levels, resulting in great ecological benefits while safely and verifiably drawing down CO2. Producing natural limestone powder involves just mining, crushing, and transport. This process results in only 5 tons of CO2 emissions for every 100 tons captured, compared to 'lime,' which generates significantly higher emissions.
Our technology is safe, has a small footprint, and is based on decades of real-world applications.
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CarbonRun deacidifies rivers and improves river health by adding crushed limestone to rivers impacted by pollution.
Our limestone dosers have a small footprint and minimal impact on the ecosystem.
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The crushed limestone dissolves rapidly, converting CO₂ in the rivers into stable, beneficial bicarbonate as well as minerals like calcium and magnesium.
Our process absorbs CO₂ from both the soil and atmosphere and re-establishes key ecological building blocks.
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Rivers transport bicarbonate to the ocean, where the carbon is stored for millennia in oceanic reservoirs.
The drawdown of carbon can be directly measured in the river in real time.
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Balance is restored to the rivers while also supporting coastal areas and marine life from the impacts of ocean acidification.
Healthy rivers are essential to a healthy planet.
Impact
Restores Rivers
Improves water quality in rivers damaged by pollution.
Boosts Fish Populations
Increases productivity of fish stocks.
Rebalances Coastal Oceans
Reduces impacts of ocean acidification in coastal zones.
Increases Biodiversity
Promotes ecosystem resilience and sensitive species
How we’re advancing the UN Sustainability Goals
Life Below Water
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
Decent Work & Economic Growth
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
Clean Water & Sanitation
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
Improving Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) practices
Scalable
As a mission-driven company, we focus on restoring rivers impacted by human activity, continuously monitoring and verifying the safety and impact of our work.
By bringing our natural approach to scale in regions around the world with large degraded river systems, CarbonRun's solution can draw down 10-15% of the required carbon dioxide to meet the global need projected by 2050.
15%
Estimated amount of total global carbon that could potentially be drawn down with the CarbonRun method.
Low Impact
CarbonRun minimizes its environmental footprint by powering installations with renewable energy and strategically locating them near limestone sources to reduce transportation needs. This low-impact approach ensures that carbon removal is both sustainable and effective.
Permanent
Our process enables rivers to remove CO, from the atmosphere as well as land sources and store it as stable bicarbonate in the ocean for thousands of years. While the carbon is securely stored, the CarbonRun process can be halted at any time.
Verifiable
CarbonRun works with leading academics and third-party verifiers to independently certify our carbon drawdown amounts. And we work with verifiers that have themselves been certified as trusted bodies by accrediting authorities.
Our technology meets provincial and federal regulatory standards and adheres to strict third-party Monitoring, Reporting & Verification protocols (MRV).
Safe
Adding natural limestone to rivers has safely reduced acidity, restored water quality, and boosted biodiversity—including fish populations—for decades. Our proven approach follows standard regulatory measures to ensure both effective restoration and the prevention of riverbank erosion.
Healthy rivers. healthy planet.
Restoring rivers benefits every living thing
We’re restoring rivers to improve water quality, enhance aquatic biodiversity, and support the repopulation of fish stocks.
About Us
Founded and developed in Nova Scotia by an environmental scientist and freshwater ecologist, our team of experts are dedicated to restoring rivers damaged by pollution to protect aquatic life. Our founders are global experts on river ecosystem health with decades of applied experience restoring rivers.
Our Values
Restoration first
We’ve dedicated our careers to restoring rivers and protecting endangered species. Canada can be a leader in making CarbonRun’s innovations and its economic benefits more widely available.
Engage and empower communities
We meaningfully engage local communities to guide priorities and approaches. Our projects will create new rural technical opportunities and reduce generational kill gaps.
Honouring Indigenous knowledge
We are committed to respecting, supporting, and learning from Indigenous voices through partnerships, advocacy, and education.
Meet the Team
Shannon Sterling, PhD
Founder, CSO, COO
A distinguished hydrologist and esteemed educator. Shannon conceived the process, developed our intellectual property, and laid the foundation for our groundbreaking methodology.
Edmund Halfyard, PhD
Co-Founder, CTO
A trailblazing freshwater ecologist with unparalleled expertise in process implementation and product development. He played a pivotal role in co-developing our intellectual property and methodology.
Luke Connell
Co-Founder, CEO
A visionary entrepreneur and renowned leader in product development and commercialization. His proven track record as a small-business founder and his exceptional skills in philanthropic team building fuel our drive for success.
Colton Dirksen
CBO
Spearheading CarbonRun’s development and commercialization efforts, Colton brings an impressive 25-year track record of delivering revenue and driving enterprise value for disruptive solutions in emerging markets.
Interested in joining?
We don't currently have any open roles, but we're always on the lookout for great people. Share your resume and interests with us, and we'll reach out when the right opportunity comes up.
Partners
