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BUSINESS Monday 16 May 2022
A13

Michigan profs push ‘pee for peonies’ urine diversion plan HEALTH

DOCTOR ON DUTY
By MIKE HOUSEHOLDER
Associated Press Oranjestad
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Hospital 7:00 pm / 10:00pm
A pair of University of Mich- Tel. 527 4000
igan researchers are put- San Nicolas
ting the “pee” in peony. Imsan 24 hours
Rather, they’re putting pee Tel.524 8833
ON peonies. Women in Difficulties
Environmental engineer- PHARMACY ON DUTY
ing professors Nancy Love
and Krista Wigginton are Oranjestad:
Eagle Tel. 587 9011
regular visitors to the Ann San Nicolas:
Arbor school’s Nichols San nicolas Tel. 584 5712
Arboretum, where they Women in Difficulties
have been applying urine- OTHER
based fertilizer to the heir- Dental Clinic 587 9850
loom peony beds ahead Blood Bank Aruba 587 0002
of the flowers’ annual Urgent Care 586 0448
spring bloom. Walk-In Doctor’s Clinic
+297 588 0539
It’s all part of an effort to University of Michigan civil and environmental engineering professors Nancy Love, right, and Kris- Women in Difficulties
educate the public about ta Wigginton apply human urine derived fertilizer to beds of peonies at Nichols Arboretum in Ann EMERGENCY
their research showing that Arbor on Monday, May 9, 2022.
applying fertilizer derived Associated Press Police 100
from nutrient-rich urine methods, but also investi- then it grabs people’s at- waste to a treatment plant Oranjestad 527 3140
could have environmental gating people’s attitudes tention and then we can while routing urine to a Noord 527 3200
527 2900
Sta. Cruz
and economic benefits. about the use of urine-de- talk to them about nutrient holding tank downstairs. San Nicolas 584 5000
“At first, we thought peo- rived fertilizers. flows and nutrient efficien- Urine diverted from the Police Tipline 11141
ple might be hesitant. You That is what brought them cy in our communities and toilet and urinal were to Ambulancia 911
know, this might be weird. to the much-loved cam- how to be more sustain- be treated and eventually Fire Dept. 115
But we’ve really experi- pus Peony Garden, which able,” Love said. “It turns used to create fertilizers, Red Cross 582 2219
enced very little of that at- contains more than 270 out some people thought but the COVID-19 pan- TAXI SERVICES
titude,” Wigginton said. “In historic cultivated variet- that that was permission to demic forced the school Taxi Tas 587 5900
general, people think it’s ies from the 19th and early drop their drawers and pee to shut down the collection Prof. Taxi 588 0035
funny at first, but then they 20th centuries represent- on the peonies. efforts.q Taxi D.T.S. 587 2300
understand why we’re do- ing American, Canadian “So, this year, we’re going Taxi Serv. Aruba 583 3232
ing it and they support it.” and European peonies of to use ‘pee for the peonies’ A1 Taxi Serv. 280 2828
Love is co-author of a the era. The garden holds and hope that we don’t Women in Difficulties
study published in the En- nearly 800 peonies when have that confusion.” TRAVEL INFO
vironmental Science & filled and up to 10,000 flow- The urine-derived fertilizer Aruba Airport 524 2424
Technology journal that ers at peak bloom. the researchers are using American Airlines 582 2700
found urine diversion and Love and Wigginton plan these days originated in Avianca 588 0059
recycling led to significant to spend weekends in May Vermont. But if all goes ac- Jet Blue 588 2244
reductions in greenhouse and June chatting up visi- cording to plan, they’ll be Surinam 582 7896
gas emissions and energy. tors. One important lesson doling out some locally Women in Difficulties
Urine contains essential they learned is about the sourced fertilizer next year. AID FOUNDATIONS
nutrients such as nitrogen, precision of language. A split-bowl toilet in a cam- FAVI- Visually Impaired
potassium and phosphorus “We have used the term, pus engineering building Tel. 582 5051
and has been used as a ‘pee on the peonies.’ And is designed to send solid
crop fertilizer for thousands Alcoholics Anonymous
Tel. 736 2952
of years. Narcotics Anonymous
Love said collecting hu- Tel. 583 8989
man urine and using it to Fundacion Contra Violencia
create renewable fertilizers Relacional Tel. 583 5400
— as part of what she calls Centre for Diabetes
the “circular economy of Tel. 524 8888
nutrients” — will lead to Child Abuse Prevention
Tel. 582 4433
greater environmental sus-
tainability. Quota Club Tel. 525 2672
Women in Difficulties
Think of it not so much as General Info
recycling, but “pee-cy-
cling,” Wigginton said. Phone Directory Tel. 118
“We were looking for terms
that would catch on but
get the idea across, and
‘pee-cycling’ seems to be
one that stuck,” she said.
As part of a $3 million grant
from the National Science
Foundation awarded in
2016, Love and Wigginton
have not only been testing
advanced urine-treatment facebook.com/arubatoday/