Research

The RITES Project research program focuses on discovering and reporting practical methods of reuse and reconstitution of waste into useful, valuable products. The program is researching and evaluating the impacts of composting techniques, rainwater catchments systems, Permaculture, bioremediation, and mycorestoration, a branch of bioremediation that encourages mushroom mycelia to view pollutants as a food source. The RITES Project is working to determine the efficacy of these methods in order to mitigate harmful impacts of current practices on ecological habitat.

Laguna Remediation
The RITES Project is working to address excessive plant growth and pollution in the Laguna de Santa Rosa watershed by reducing the high nutrient level and pollutant load entering into the Laguna. To this end, the RITES Project is conducting an experimental and educational project evaluating the impacts on water quality at a service station, a vineyard, and a dairy farm adjacent to the Laguna de Santa Rosa. The Laguna Remediation project is researching the use of native plants, microorganisms and local strains of mycelium which have proven ability to metabolize petroleum-based toxins, fecal coliforms, nitrates, phosphates, and other contaminants. Published data from multiple experiments by mycologist Paul Stamets, Fungi Perfecti, Batelle Laboratories, the Washington State Department of Transportation and others worldwide have demonstrated the efficacy of these methods.

As part of the remediation effort, the RITES Project is measuring the levels of contamination in the watershed through soil testing. In an effort to improve water quality, the RITES Project is inoculating the four sites with mycelia, which will grow into colonies and form biological filters. These mycelial filters purify the water by removing and enzymatically breaking down pollutants in situ, before they reach the Laguna, thus reducing the impact of these industries on the Laguna de Santa Rosa and increasing watershed health. With the support of the Santa Rosa Volunteer Center, CHOPS, and Supervisor Mike Reilly, the RITES Project plans to mobilize an environmental youth corps to inoculate the mycelial colonies in March 2007.

The Laguna Remediation Project includes four day-long workshops held between March and May 2007 at the service station and vineyard adjacent to the Laguna to train neighboring landowners, industrial managers and municipal agencies in practices to remediate effluent that is contributing to nutrient overload. In addition to providing the participants with critical skills, these workshops will encourage them to experiment with biofiltration on their own properties. The RITES Project has media relationships in place to inform landowners in the Laguna, as well as those in the surrounding watersheds in the district, of the benefits of investing in this kind of holistic land management. The Laguna Remediation Project is being implemented in conjunction with the Fritz Foundation and the Regional Water Quality Control Board.

Green Product Research
The RITES Project, in conjunction with Plan-It Hardware, is developing an information database cataloguing cutting edge green products, processes, and technologies. This database provides informational resources for businesses, communities, and schools to develop pathways towards sustainability. In order to redefine their role in the creation of a regenerative economy, the public can utilize this database, in association with their formal education in economics, business design and infrastructure remodeling.

The RITES Project has been hired as a consultant by the Northern California Land Trust to hyper-accumulate lead in an effort to detoxify the soil at a potential permanent affordable housing site in Oakland, California. The RITES Project is assisting the NCLT in securing funding from the EPA and the Regional Water Quality Board in order to bioremediate the brownfields caused by leaky underground storage tanks at multiple locations in the Greater Bay Area. In other research, the RITES Project is currently conducting a comparison study analyzing potability of rainwater collected off of different roofing materials. The RITES Team is also working with PG&E to develop strategies for adopting energy efficient practices and empowering consumers with information to lighten their ecological footprint. RITES Project staff is developing metrics for ecological accounting for use by PG&E to evaluate changes in consumer energy use practices.

Film and Media
The RITES Project engages in research and outreach, in collaboration with Critical Mass Productions and Earth Films, in order to create documentaries that are innovative and informative.

Earth Films - Blood of the Amazon
The RITES Team, in collaboration with National Geographic, Rainforest Action Network, Earth Films, Cloud Forest Institute and others, are researching methods of bioremediation and biofiltration using native and endemic species of the tropical Amazon rainforest to mitigate the impact of oil spills. This research is being used in the production of Blood of the Amazon, a film by Nicola Peel about the oil industry and its impact on the ecosystem and the cultures at the headwaters of the Amazon.

Critical Mass Productions - Entheogen: Awakening the Divine Within
The RITES Project, in conjuction with Critical Mass Productions, is producing a feature-length documentary which analyzes the synthesis of ecological andevolutionary awareness. In this film, Stan Grof,Marilyn Schlitz, Ralph Metzner, Alex Grey, Terrence McKenna, JohnMarkoff, Daniel Pinchbeck and Kathleen Harrison postulatehow the disenchantment of the modern world may be remedied by taking the next leap in the evolution of consciousness.