Rich Earth Institute

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!)

01/05/2026

The Thinktank was featured at the 2025 Rich Earth Summit on Cape Cod.

The Rich Earth Institute advances urine nutrient reclamation (or "peecycling") through research, demonstration, and education. Based in Vermont, Rich Earth’s flagship program is the first and largest community-scale urine recycling program in the US.

By recycling the nutrients in urine, communities and gardeners can prevent downstream pollution, access an abundance of sustainable fertilizer, and conserve clean water.

We are happy that the Thinktank is one of the recommended toilets of the Rich Earth Institute, supporting science-based, real-world approaches to closing the nutrient cycle.

08/05/2025

Join us at SolarFest in Brandon, VT this weekend! A festival with everything under the sun to build resiliency - relaunching for its 30th anniversary. We’ll be hosting workshops, exhibiting & disseminating peecycling tools, and running donation stations to collect your streams of former sun rays all weekend long 🌞

More info & tickets: https://solarfest.org/

06/19/2025

Calling all Southern Vermonters interested in compost toilets! Rich Earth is preparing to launch a new solids composting service (to create a new legal pathway to make compost from compost toilets) and we want to hear from you! Take our quick survey (linked below) to let us know if this is something that would be helpful to you 💩♻️

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLServXAtmZ_kCg87zEgIEhO4nQs5YvFeoBOiC_7tuCfnycJFPQ/viewform?pli=1&authuser=1

06/18/2025

A bright spot on a rainy day; it’s a good time to fertilize!

06/02/2025

Join us at Ocean Hour Farm next week to learn about ecological sanitation and discuss ideas for its' future in Rhode Island!

Interested in composting toilets and circular waste systems? This is the event for you!
We'll be joining our friends from Rich Earth Institute at Ocean Hour Farm down in Newport, RI on June 10th for a conversation around creating circular waste systems in Rhode Island.

Ocean Hour Farm is an incredible center for education, scientific research, and a demonstration of regenerative agricultural practices, highlighting the critical connection between land and ocean health.

From the website: "Ocean Hour Farm will provide a living example of sustainable agriculture and land stewardship – an integrated system where plants, animals, and people sequester carbon, clean stormwater, build soil and produce food and fiber for the community."

DM any questions and RSVP to Beth Alaimo at [email protected]

05/27/2025

Join us at this gathering with Connecticut River Conservancy and The Rockfall Foundation on Thursday, May 29!

Join the Rich Earth Institute, Connecticut River Conservancy, The Rockfall Foundation, and Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District for a conversation on how urine—yes, urine!—can help save our rivers and support local farms.

Urine contains nutrients crops need—but when flushed, it pollutes waterways like the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound. P*ecycling reclaims those nutrients as natural fertilizer, reducing pollution and closing the food cycle loop.

Learn how the Rich Earth Institute is leading this movement with the nation’s first community-scale peecycling program and find out how you can get involved in a global push for sustainable, circular sanitation systems.

Register here: https://rockfallfoundation.org/event/pee-the-change-urine-nutrient-recycling-for-clean-water-fertile-farms/

05/27/2025

[Repost from ]
P*e the Change! What if your “waste” could help protect our waterways and grow healthy crops? Join us on Thursday, May 29, from 6:00 – 7:30 PM at the deKoven House Community Center in Middletown to learn about the innovative practice of peecycling! Discover how the Rich Earth Institute is transforming human urine into a valuable resource for local farms, reducing nutrient pollution in our waters, and promoting sustainable agriculture. Don’t miss this opportunity to rethink waste and embrace a sustainable future!
📌 Register Here: https://forms.gle/2J2f3fpDeFjNeD1A7
🍕 Pizza will be provided at this event.
*ecycling