Over the June Bank Holiday weekend, ZWAI brought our phosphorus removal and struvite production system to the vibrant and wild setting of the Éalú le Grá music festival. While the initial weather and muddy ground gave us a bit of a false start, we eventually set up in a more suitable and central location on Sunday, June 1st. This is when things truly began to flow.
From Sludge to Science Conversations
Despite a few logistical hiccups, the simple presence of a urine tank and pipes was enough to spark the curiosity of festival-goers. The cool breeze meant there was little smell, and the visual interest was strong. And once people came over to investigate, conversations took off.
While Ollan Herr (ZWAI co treasurer and Director) handled the struvite production process, adding salt, draining treated urine, Sara (ZWAI Director) was fielding questions from intrigued onlookers. Clearly, wastewater pollution and nutrient recycling are hot topics, even in fields filled with glitter and basslines.
Science Meets Festival Culture
From tattooed techno-lovers to face-pierced phosphorus debaters, we encountered a wonderfully wide spectrum of people. A good number were well versed in environmental issues, some even familiar with the Haber-Bosch process and eutrophication. One of our few posters (next time, we’re bringing the full display!) drew in those with deeper academic interests and led to some seriously thoughtful exchanges.
For those who really engaged, we talked about the next step: ZWAI and Herr Ltd are eager to connect with lakeside communities struggling with algal blooms. Our goal? To empower these communities to run their own small-scale phosphorus recovery and recycling systems. We encouraged people to start conversations in their own localities, maybe even spark new community groups with real environmental impact.
Opportunities & Looking Ahead
Our system, as it stands, is still in a rough prototype stage, not quite ready for slick festival presentation. But the interest from both the public and the festival organisers was unmistakable. Éalú le Grá management have already invited us back next year, and there’s growing momentum across Irish festivals to go green and embrace circular solutions.
The development of an automated struvite system by Herr Ltd and ZWAI is now a pressing goal. Whether ZWAI eventually offers these systems for lease or sale is a conversation for the near future, but it’s clear there is potential, not only for environmental change but also for sustainable income generation for ZWAI.
Growing the Green Network
One of the most valuable takeaways from Éalú le Grá was the range of unexpected and inspiring conversations we had. These kinds of events offer ZWAI the opportunity to connect with diverse individuals and groups who are passionate about environmental solutions, from nutrient recovery to circular economy models. Strengthening these connections is essential to building a resilient, creative network of changemakers across Ireland.
Events like these help to significantly bolster our profile and proves that environmental education, even on muddy fields filled with music lovers, can take root and grow.
Let’s keep pushing this conversation forward, one one granule of struvite at a time.
