BRATTLEBORO — The Rich Earth Institute will be holding a Rich Earth Jubilee, a family-friendly event on Saturday, July 1, from 3 to 6 p.m., on the Brattleboro Common, to celebrate local food and the cycles that sustain our lives. The rain location is the Vermont Jazz Center at the Cotton Mill.
It will feature art-making, music, free food, and exhibits from groups in the local food system, from growers to eaters to composters and peecyclers.
The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center will host a print-making station featuring harvests from local farms, including SUSU commUNITY Farm, Wild Carrot Farm, and West River Seeds. Attendees will also be invited to contribute to a collective collage of the food cycle.
Free snacks will be provided by Superfresh Organic Cafe, mango lassis from Dosa Kitchen, True North Granola, and popcorn from the Rich Earth Demonstration Garden. Attendees can cycle their way to a fresh smoothie with the Bellows Falls Community Bike Project's bicycle smoothie station.
Tabling activities will engage attendees with local nutrient-cycling opportunities from the Foodworks Cooperative, Edible Brattleboro, Ben Goldberg's VermiComposting, the Multicultural Community Center featuring new Vermonter Food Cultures, Grateful Greens, and Brightwater Tools.
Rich Earth operates the nation's first and largest community-scale urine nutrient recycling program. At their “Pee the Change” table, attendees can learn about participating in this program to keep nutrients out of our waterways, support farms with an abundance of local fertilizer, and complete the food nutrient cycle.
Rich Earth is now also offering installations of peecycling systems - including waterless urinals, urine-diverting toilets, and storage barrels - for local homes and businesses.
From 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the gazebo stage, there will be presentations, music, and award announcements. There will be spotlights from participating organizations, an introduction to Rich Earth Institute's current research projects, and a presentation by Rich Earth co-founder/Brightwater Tools CEO Kim Nace on peecycling efforts throughout Europe.
There will also be a musical performance by local farmer Jay Bailey and the awarding of the 2022 Piss-Off winners to Rich Earth's most prolific urine donors. From 4:30 to 6 p.m, live music will be provided by local musicians (and peecycling supporters) Aura Shards.