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Paul Sturm @RidgeToReefs
Joined November 2011
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524 Photos and videos
Limit of technology water quality, you say? The eels inhabiting coastal areas are a big fan of improved water quality. Wastewater impacts are a major stressor in populated coastal areas - nature-based engineering offers solutions! Surprisingly simple and effective, the eel says!
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Every site has its own constraints! This site had limited space for treating 8,000 gallons each day. We built the first Bioreactor Garden and worked our way back. Our team are experts in adapting nature-based practices to creating the best water quality outcomes in any space!
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Large Bioreactor Garden installation - continued! Follow along as we share the phases. Installing geotextile underlayment! This step protects the liner, separating the wasterwater being treated from the environment until it is fully cleaned and safe for the environment.
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Yellow tang thrive in the waters of Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau. We saw large schools while working on installing the Bioreactor Garden. Protecting coral reefs from wastewater impacts is critical for habitat health and climate resilience - nature-based solutions are key!
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Our team was honored to install a large nature-based wastewater system recently at Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Park on Big Island. This system treats 8,100 gallons of wastewater each day to limit-of-technology standards. Bioreactor Gardens can protect water quality at scale.
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Check out the UN Environment Program's Global Wastewater Initiative (GWWI) Newsletter 12! The Bioreactor Garden we built at a hotel in Guanica is pictured in this newsletter. That system is still treating 6,000 gallons of water every day 8 years later! bit.ly/Newsletter12-2026
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Honored to see the Bioreactor Garden pilot in Palau, a partnership with Palau Community College Cooperative Research and Extension (PCC-CRE) and Airai State, featured as a IUCN Blue Natural Capital Financing Facility story. Read more: bluenaturalcapital.org/stori…
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Ridge to Reefs is proud to partner with Dwela to bring state-of-the-art sanitation upgrades to Serapia López Elementary School in Nosara, Costa Rica. We are raising funds to facilitate a complete sanitation upgrade for the school. Be part of this effort: gofundme.com/f/support-healt…
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Building a Johnson-Su Bioreactor with the team at AgriHood Baltimore! The cold can't stop this community garden! A Johnson-Su bioreactor produces rich fungal compost to feed plants a mix of the nutrients. Thanks AgriHood Baltimore for having us out. Stay warm this weekend, all!
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The bamboo harvest made woodchips for compost & biochar. Biochar provides a home for microbes and nutrients, reducing drought stress. This biochar will be used for a CIG project w/ HIPAg for polycultural production taro (kalo), sweet potato (uala), and banana (mai’a).
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Some of these bamboo are 80 feet tall!
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We harvested this clumping bamboo to produce biochar & compost inputs advancing crop production on farms on Big Island. Bamboo sequesters high levels of carbon but are non-invasive here, making them a great choice for biomass production for regenerative ag. inputs
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Infiltration tests are an important field method to understand the ability of local soils to adequately dispose of treated water. Staff are in the field here taking measurements.
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Amazing agroforestry! These multi-story crops are growing food & habitat. Native Hawaiian varieties of taro (kalo), sweet potato (uala) & banana (mai’a) are thriving in these plots. Growing companion species helps soil health and sustains consistent crop yields
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People are a big responsibility! You have to walk them all the time to make sure they get their sniffs and steps in! This is how the pup celebrates her healthy holidays - what's your tradition? Tag us for a chance to win prizes!
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Spotted on the trail - RTR in the wild! This is how we celebrate our healty holidays - what's your healthy holiday tradition? Post and tag us for a chance to win prizes!
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We’re unwrapping our 2025 annual report! Check out the highlights from American Samoa where we have 4 Inoculated Deep Litter Systems (IDLS) built, and 8 more in permitting since the 2024 regional adoption of the practice. Read the report: ridgetoreefs.org/reports
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We’re unwrapping our 2025 annual report! Check out the highlights from Hawaii, where we are designing the first Bioreactor Garden for a National Park. Read the report: ridgetoreefs.org/reports
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We’re unwrapping our 2025 annual report! Check out the highlights from Chincoteague Island, Virginia, where we have installed the first Bioreactor Garden permitted in the state. Read the report: ridgetoreefs.org/reports
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We’re unwrapping our 2025 annual report! Check out the highlights from Puerto Rico where we completed the Conservation Innovation Grant On-Farm Trials this year. Read the report: ridgetoreefs.org/reports
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