Rich Earth Institute

What Rich Earth Institute does

Rich Earth Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research and education organization founded in 2012 and headquartered in Brattleboro, Vermont. Its mission is to advance the use of human waste as a resource, and its flagship initiative, the Urine Nutrient Reclamation Program (UNRP), operates the first community-scale urine recycling pilot in the United States. The program collects urine from a network of over 250 donors through two Vermont depots (Brattleboro and Bellows Falls/Rockingham), sanitizes it via solar pasteurization, and distributes over 12,000 gallons annually of U-Grow, an officially Vermont-registered fertilizer, to local farm partners. The organization also operates urine-diverting portable toilet rentals, sells educational guides (Farmer Guide, Community Guide), runs home-gardener programming under the 'Urine My Garden' banner, and hosts the annual Rich Earth Summit (12th edition scheduled for November 2026).

The technology base centers on physical-chemical processing rather than digital systems: a solar pasteurization system that eliminates pathogens while preserving nutrients, a freeze-concentration system (developed through the 2019 spin-off Brightwater Tools, in which Abe Noe-Hays serves as CTO and Kim Nace serves as CEO) that reduces urine volume for storage and transport, a ground-driven roller pump for in-field application to row crops, and biochar-from-biosolids research. Research partnerships span Cornell University, University of Michigan, University at Buffalo, The Land Institute, MASSTC, Brown and Caldwell, and Hampton Roads Sanitation District, with funding from NSF, USDA SARE, EPA, the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, and the Food Planet Prize (2024 shortlist).

Revenue economics are nonprofit and grant-dependent. The two streams are donations and grants (NSF, USDA SARE, EPA, NFWF, Vermont foundations) and modest hardware/product sales (U-Grow fertilizer, Peecycler portable collectors sold via Etsy, print-on-demand merchandise, digital guides). Customer segments include small-scale Vermont farmers (hay, sweet corn, vegetables, nursery trees), home gardeners, municipal stakeholders, and academic researchers. The customer base is geographically concentrated in southern Vermont with early international replication activity (Uganda via SHCAN; France OCAPI/Enville Project).

Name

Rich Earth Institute

Legal name

Rich Earth Institute

Website

https://richearthinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rich Earth Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs the first US community-scale urine nutrient reclamation program, recycling human urine into Vermont-registered U-Grow fertilizer for local farms, home gardeners, and watershed protection efforts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Sanitation Services

NAICS

Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132), Nitrogenous Fertilizer Manufacturing (325311)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950), Agricultural Services (700), Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Bio-based Fertilizers, Soil Amendments & Biostimulants (Digestate-derived, biochar-based inputs) (EUAAAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Organics & Composting Programs (Food Waste, Green Waste) (BPABALAC)

Keywords

• Urine nutrient reclamation
• Sustainable fertilizer products
• Ecological sanitation research
• Agricultural education programs
• Water quality conservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Brattleboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Rich Earth Institute relies on individual donations and government/private foundation grants. They receive funding from NSF, USDA SARE, EPA, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and various Vermont foundations.
2. Fertilizer Product Sales: Urine-derived fertilizer registered as 'U-Grow' official fertilizer in Vermont. Provides over 12,000 gallons annually to local farmers.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Rich Earth Institute operates the first community-scale urine nutrient reclamation program in the United States, collecting human urine from donors, pasteurizing and processing it, and providing it as a pathogen-free fertilizer to local farms. The organization sells U-Grow, its officially Vermont-registered urine-derived fertilizer, and offers educational guides, Peecycler collection containers, portable toilet rentals, and the annual Rich Earth Summit to advance sustainable sanitation and agriculture. Revenue is primarily sustained through grants and donations.

Product overview

Rich Earth Institute operates primarily as a research and education organization rather than a traditional software product company. Their core offerings include the Urine Nutrient Reclamation Program (UNRP), their flagship community-scale urine recycling initiative, and U-Grow, their officially registered urine-derived fertilizer product. Additional offerings include the Portable Urine Collector (Peecycler), educational guides for farmers and gardeners, the annual Rich Earth Summit conference, and portable toilet rental services. Their spin-off company Brightwater Tools develops processing technologies including pasteurizers and freeze concentrators for urine treatment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• U-Grow: The organization's urine fertilizer product, registered as an official fertilizer permitted for land application in Vermont since 2012.

Products and services

• U-Grow Urine-Derived Fertilizer Officially registered fertilizer product made from human urine collected through the Urine Nutrient Reclamation Program, permitted for land application in Vermont since 2012. Provided to local farmers in volumes exceeding 12,000 gallons annually.
• Portable Urine Collector (Peecycler) A portable urine fertilizer collector designed and handmade by Rich Earth Institute in Brattleboro, Vermont; watertight containers for collecting and transporting urine to Vermont urine depots or for home garden use, sold via Etsy storefront.
• Urine Nutrient Reclamation Program (UNRP) The first community-scale pilot project in the United States demonstrating urine reuse on local farms. Collects urine from donors via Vermont depots, sanitizes it through solar pasteurization, and provides pathogen-free fertilizer to local farmers.
• Urine-Diverting Portable Toilet Rental Service Rental and servicing of urine-diverting portable toilets for community events and temporary installations, with collected urine fed into the recycling program.
• Farmer Guide to Fertilizing with Urine Comprehensive guide providing farmers with practical insights into reclaiming human urine as a nutrient-rich fertilizer, covering regulatory considerations, urine nutrient content, application methods, and crop-specific applications.
• Urine Diversion Guide (Community Guide) Educational resource for communities implementing urine diversion programs, including installation guidance and operational best practices.
• Rich Earth Summit Annual global gathering dedicated to advancing urine reclamation and source separation systems to create sustainable and just nutrient cycles; the 12th Annual Summit was scheduled for November 2026.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,500,000 gallons of water saved since 2013
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Cornell UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaborating on USDA SARE and FFAR-funded research: 'Biochar from Biosolids and Source Separated Human Urine: Soil Health Impacts and Farmer Perspectives.' Partnership includes Cornell Extension for field research on Long Island.
• University of MichigancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Performs biological and nutrient analyses for EPA pharmaceutical study. Dr. Krista Wigginton and Dr. Nancy Love of Civil and Environmental Engineering Department provide direction and leadership for the 6-year pharmaceutical research collaboration.
• University at BuffalocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Diana Aga's analytical chemistry lab developed cutting-edge techniques to quantify minute levels of pharmaceuticals in challenging materials such as plant tissues for EPA study.
• Brightwater ToolscoreTechnology or IntegrationSpin-off company created in 2019 developing building-scale wastewater nutrient recovery systems including freeze concentration technology and composting toilet systems. Abe Noe-Hays serves as CTO.
• Hampton Roads Sanitation DistrictsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator in EPA pharmaceutical study managing wastewater treatment plants in Virginia Beach area.
• The Land InstitutesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoil ecology team applied urine fertilizer to alfalfa field with degraded soil. Conducting research with Kernza perennial grain crop.
• Nutrient NetworkssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit advancing ecological sanitation and sustainable resource management practices. Facilitates safe composting and water management techniques.
• MASSTCsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTests nutrient removal technologies for septic systems, conducts experiments on nutrient leaching from urine fertilizer, coordinates Falmouth Urine Diversion project.
• RecodesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization working to change building codes to legalize sustainable building and development practices including ecological sanitation systems.
• Brown and CaldwellsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLargest engineering consulting firm focused on US environmental sector. Collaborator in EPA pharmaceutical study.
• Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA)supportingOthersActive membership in international network for sustainable sanitation solutions.
• World Toilet OrganizationsupportingOthersMembership organization supporting toilet access and sustainable sanitation globally.
• Ocean Sewage AlliancesupportingOthersActive membership contributing to ocean pollution reduction through source separation systems.
• Wasted*supportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner organization providing portable toilets in Burlington, Vermont, supporting urine collection infrastructure.
• OCAPI/Enville Project (France)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity-scale project in France inspired by Rich Earth model, part of the global peecycling movement.
• Soil Health & Climate Action Network (SHCAN) Ltd. (Uganda)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFiscal sponsorship for Giving Hope Foundation's soil health project in Hoima district. Project installs urine-diverting demonstration toilet and provides training on use and maintenance.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Toopi Organics: French company that ferments human urine into agricultural biostimulants and fertilizers. Toopi Organics is the most directly comparable commercial peer, operating in the same source-separated urine-to-fertilizer category with a for-profit scaling model.
• Brightwater Tools: Spin-off company created by Rich Earth Institute in 2019 to commercialize urine processing technologies (freeze concentrators, pasteurizers, building-scale wastewater nutrient recovery). Direct peer as the commercial sister entity with overlapping IP and leadership.

Emerging players

• Pivot Bio: US-based microbial nitrogen fertilizer company offering farmers a substitute for synthetic nitrogen. Pivot Bio addresses the same downstream farmer pain point (rising synthetic fertilizer costs, supply volatility) with a different but adjacent sustainability narrative.
• Sedron Technologies: US wastewater processing company using thermal treatment to recover clean water and dry solids from sewage. Comparable as an adjacent wastewater nutrient/waste-to-resource technology company pursuing circular sanitation infrastructure.
• Cambrian Innovation: EcoLogic-branded wastewater-to-resource systems for industrial and agricultural operators. Comparable as an emerging player using biological and resource-recovery approaches for decentralized wastewater nutrient management.

Broad incumbents

• Anuvia Plant Nutrients: Manufacturer of organic-based fertilizer products from recycled organic waste streams. Anuvia competes for the same sustainable fertilizer shelf and farmer budget but operates at much larger scale and broader product portfolio.
• Suståne Natural Fertilizer: Established organic and bio-based fertilizer manufacturer serving agriculture, turf, and home garden markets. Suståne is a broad incumbent in the organic fertilizer category that Rich Earth's U-Grow competes within for shelf and farmer attention.

Others

• Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA): International open-source network promoting sustainable sanitation systems. SuSanA is a peer ecosystem organization rather than competitor; Rich Earth is an active member and both convene the global sustainable sanitation community.
• Nutrient Networks: Nonprofit advancing ecological sanitation and sustainable resource management. Partner and ecosystem peer collaborating on composting and water management techniques relevant to urine diversion.
• The Land Institute: Perennial crop and regenerative agriculture research nonprofit that has applied Rich Earth's urine fertilizer on alfalfa and Kernza research plots. Ecosystem peer in the regenerative agriculture space rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCCfmdbiR4cnaMnUbP4btV6g/playlists?view_as=subscriber
• Facebookfacebook.com/RichEarthInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rich-earth-institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/peecyclers
• Xx.com/Peecyclers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rich Earth Institute