Rich Earth Institute

08/25/2026

We're looking for an intern to join our team – conduct applied research on an innovative nutrient recovery technology!

This funded internship will focus on optimizing the pitribon filter, a low-tech method for stabilizing urine using an aerated activated carbon filter developed by the Swiss ecological sanitation association Aneco.

Feel free to reach out to discuss this opportunity! Contact [email protected] with any questions.

Learn more & apply: https://richearthinstitute.org/employment-opportunties/

08/05/2026

Share your work with the ecological sanitation community at our global, virtual summit this November! We’re seeking talks on urine diversion, compost toilets, and other source separation systems, whether it’s research, a pilot project, new technologies, education & communication, or planning strategies!

We're also hosting a US In-Person Summit on Cape Cod next spring; more details coming soon!

https://www.richearthsummit.org/call-for-presenters

08/01/2026

We’re at the Northern Nut Growers Association’s 2026 Conference this weekend!

Stop by our booth to say hello and learn how urine-derived fertilizer can fit into your cultivation practices.

Check out our Farmer’s Guide on our website to learn about our collaboration with Yellowbud Farm fertilizing nut tree seedlings!

07/28/2026

A look behind the scenes at our Brattleboro urine depot, one of two drop-off points for urine donors in our program who don't have plumbed urine diverting toilets and instead collect in portable 'cubie & funnel' peecyclers. We recently upgraded the depot with a new vacuum pump and storage tank for improved donation and operations experiences. Learn more about creating your own urine recycling program in our community guide! https://richearthinstitute.org/urine-diversion-guide/

06/24/2026

Fertilizer supply disruptions and skyrocketing prices are highlighting the need for more resilient, local nutrient sources. Every year Americans flush away nutrients worth an estimated $50 billion in fertilizer value!

At the Rich Earth Institute, we're working to recover those nutrients through urine nutrient recycling, or “peecycling.” By diverting urine at the source, we reclaim over 13,000 gallons annually as a safe, effective fertilizer--returning nutrients to local farms instead of polluting waterways.

Check out this short video on the latest in our agricultural research: developing efficient methods for applying concentrated urine-derived fertilizer to sweet corn. You'll also get a quick retrospective at our 14 years of collaboration with local farmers using urine to fertilize hay fields, nursery trees, and drip-irrigated crops.

Recovering nutrients from urine can support farmers, reduce pollution, and build more resilient food systems.

02/18/2026

Urine the program! The Falmouth Urine Diversion Project kicked off last week. 25 households from nutrient polluted watersheds will test out urine diversion systems such as the P-Pod, a urinal developed by Falmouth residents Hilda Maingay and Earle Barnhart. While acknowledging the P-Pod won’t work for everyone, Maingay said, “If we could get 50% of the urine out of the environment, it would be huge.”

02/18/2026

02/18/2026

Brightwater Tools' Urine Fertilizer Manufacturing Equipment Scales Up

We're excited that our colleagues at Brightwater Tools have made some big strides with their urine fertilizer manufacturing equipment! With 4 pilots deployed in Michigan, Washington, Massachusetts, and France, their next step is scaling up the Brightwater Tools’ Freeze Concentrator to 1000 liters/day and to develop the architecture that will allow for scaling up to 10K liters/day and beyond.

So exciting!

MASSTC was very pleased to have the mobile Brightwater Tools treatment system onsite for a couple months this past fall 2025.

While it was here, we successfully processed over 6,000 gallons of urine which resulted in production of around 600 gallons of finished concentrated U-Grow fertilizer.

We intend to test apply the U-Grow fertilizer this coming spring and summer 2026.

The Brightwater Tools urine processing system is the leading U.S. based urine fertilizer manufacturing system, and we are excited to see it continue to develop and improve as new versions are produced.
Learn more here: https://loom.ly/DSviXtE

Please note that any mention of a name, product, service, company, or institution does not constitute an endorsement by MASSTC or Barnstable County Regional Government.

02/02/2026

At halftime of the Big Game, over 120 million people will take a moment to “relieve” themselves. This year, we’re asking that, when you go, go with purpose. Learn more about how urine is a golden wave of goodness for our planet:

👉 https://P*eOnAPlant.com
P*e On A Plant a new public-awareness campaign created by independent creative agency, LERMA/ in collaboration with Rich Earth Institute.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsKgbkv7mDQ

👉 Learn more: https://P*eOnAPlant.comAt halftime of the Big Game, over 120 million people will take a moment to “relieve” themselves. This year, we’re aski...

01/08/2026

Looking for one clear place to learn about different kinds of toilet & greywater reuse systems? Check out EAWAG's new Circular Sanitation TOOLBOX! Explore strategies, practical guides, and case studies (including yours truly ;) The toolbox along with some other featured knowledge hubs you might be interested in exploring are linked on our Summit website: https://www.richearthsummit.org/connect

EAWAG is the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, which has been researching and advancing urine diversion systems since the early 90s, inspiring academic and practical interest in UD around the world (including our own work here in Vermont!)