Posted at 12:00 a.m.
We find Jay Bailey, a farmer from Brattleboro, early in the morning. His Wild Carrot Farm is a farm like no other. 10 years ago, this uneventful place became a veritable laboratory. It was here, in the vast fields of Mr. Bailey, that Abraham Noe-Hays and Kimmerly Nace, founders of the Rich Earth Institute, tested the virtues of human urine.
“Abraham had been a trainee on our farm,” says Jay Bailey. Since he knew us, one fine day he said to us: “I have an idea. Do you want to try it ?” And we replied: “Of course!” »
Since then, the soils of this Vermont farm have been enriched with fertilizer provided by the Institute. In this region, several other farmers use free reserves of human urine to water their fields. Residents also use it to water their gardens.
This initiative has proven to be a real success, says Jay Bailey proudly. After covering his fields with chemical fertilizer, which is very harmful to the environment, he quickly realized the benefits of human urine.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Jay Bailey, farmer
Commercial fertilizer was not worth the money I spent. There were no more insects in the hay. It’s a sign that it’s bad. With urine, you see three quarters of the benefits in the first year. And the next year, you still see where you put it. That tells me one thing: the soil likes it.
Jay Bailey, farmer
Not only does human urine contribute to healthy soils, but it’s also a conscious and environmentally friendly choice, argues Jay Bailey. Indeed, the majority of the nutrients that our body expels are found in our urine.
“I like to take things that are considered useless to do something good,” the farmer explains with a smile on his face.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The project has proven to be a real success for his farm, says Jay Bailey.
The birth of a green idea
It all started a few minutes’ drive from Jay Bailey’s fields at Kimmerly Nace.
“In 2012, a group of people started collecting urine so that we could do research,” says the researcher and co-founder of the Rich Earth Institute.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Kimmerly Nace, co-founder of the Rich Earth Institute
The idea of recycling human urine was not difficult to implement in Brattleboro. Initially, the “Urine Brigade” (in French, the Urinary Brigade) recruited members everywhere.
“One of our board members even went to church,” recalls Kimmerly Nace. Once there, he got up to say: ‘I started this project and I would like you to participate in it…’”
Women who sang in the choir also joined the ranks of the movement.
“Even today, they are big urine donors,” says Kimmerly Nace.
The researcher shows us the external reservoir where her urine, and that of her whole family, lands daily.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Kimmerly Nace in front of the family tank
“It takes about six months to fill it out,” she explains. In the spring, the research institute comes with a big truck to pump out the urine. Same thing in the fall. »
Popular participation
Each year, more than 200 people visit the Rich Earth Institute depot and donate their urine. There, the organic liquid is pumped and transported to the tanks, which are then transported to the Institute by truck.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Kimmerly Nace, co-founder of the Rich Earth Institute, in front of the body’s urine depot
To encourage people to take part in the project, Kimmerly Nace created a contest called “Piss Off”.
“People rate everything they give, and we award prizes,” sums up Kimmerly Nace. They take this contest seriously. »
As for the Institute, also located in Brattleboro, it amazes with its prototype toilets, its laboratory, its tanks and, above all, its urine pasteurization system.
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PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The Rich Earth Institute laboratory
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PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
University student and intern Josie Rutherford handles vials of urine in the lab.
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PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Jamina Shupack and Arthur Davis, both research assistants, in front of cisterns where urine is collected.
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PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The institute’s pasteurization system
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PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Prototypes of environmental toilets demonstrated on site
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“Here, we pump unpasteurized urine,” says Jamina Shupack, research assistant. Urine from the depot or from people’s homes is poured into these large tanks and passed through a pasteurizer, where it is heated to 80 degrees for 90 seconds. On the energy side, it is very efficient as a process. »
High cost
Although the energy required to operate the system is relatively low, the cost of the project is particularly high.
“At our scale, it costs more than using chemical fertilizers,” admits Arthur Davis, research assistant. But, if you want to fertilize your garden with urine, it’s very cheap. »
“We can probably replace at least 25% of synthetic fertilizers using our urine,” Kimmerly Nace believes.