Vibrant Rebirth
Building accessible solutions through reuse, recycling, efficiency, and working in harmony with nature
Demonstrating regenerative systems — soil, water, energy, and community — accessible to everyone
Restoring soil health through worms, castings, composting, mushroom farming, and animals in right relationship with land — rebuilding what industrial agriculture stripped bare.
Rainwater harvesting, humanure composting, and urine diversion — capturing, cycling, and purifying water on-site. Zero draw from aquifer. Zero waste to groundwater.
Solar generation, battery storage, and bidirectional EV charging — drawing on the sun's daily gift rather than ancient carbon. Grid independence through renewable systems.
Every system demonstrated here is designed to be replicable by the majority of humanity — not just the privileged few. Proof of concept at practical, affordable scale.
10-acre ag/shop demonstration facility in the South Puget Sound, WA area
The Planet ReGen facility is a multi-story ag/shop demonstration building constructed primarily from repurposed shipping containers — stacked, interconnected, and purpose-built to demonstrate that durable, functional, beautiful structures can be built from reclaimed industrial materials at a fraction of conventional construction cost.
A full three-story ag/shop demonstration building constructed across three floors of stacked and configured shipping containers. The first floor provides ground-level workspace and garage functions. The second floor — five 40′ high-cube containers running north-south — forms the primary demonstration and work level with open-plan wing zones and a central great room. The third floor upper loft rises above, formed by two parallel 40′ containers running east-west across the building's north end. All connected by stairs, unified by a continuous structural system, and held together with common hardware — nuts, bolts, and structural fasteners. No exotic materials required.
An 8′×24′ covered outdoor workspace and demonstration area extending from the ground floor, sheltered beneath the second-floor structure above. A practical, comfortable outdoor space for hands-on work, education, and community gathering — built into the architecture at no additional material cost.
Two opposing corten steel shed roofs meet at a central ridge, their slopes engineered to capture every drop of rainfall and direct it into on-site storage. The roofing material itself is repurposed — corten panels cut from shipping container sides, overlapped as large, durable shingles. Beauty, function, and resourcefulness in one system.
The same ground anchor technology used in commercial and utility-scale construction — removable, recyclable steel pilings screwed directly into earth. Fast to install, minimal ground disturbance, no concrete, no permanent scarring. The foundation can be removed and reused. A model for low-impact construction at any scale.
Rainwater captured from the roof system is the only water the facility consumes. No well. No municipal supply. No external dependency. Stored on-site, treated on-site, cycled on-site — a fully closed water system from sky to soil.
Two parallel 40′ containers run east-west across the north end of the second floor, creating a 16′×40′ upper loft space. The southern container's top is removed to support a parallel I-beam roofing system spanning between the two containers — structural innovation that opens the loft volume while carrying the roof load. Access from the second floor via stairs along the south wall of the west wing, directly across from the first-to-second floor stair. Program is still evolving as the facility develops.
The 40′×16′ east-facing patio is covered by a remotely controlled telescoping roof system — one of the most innovative elements of the facility. Four interlocking roof sections per track slide on each other's rails: one fixed section anchors the east end; three movable sections telescope west to deploy full shade, or stack east to open the sky completely. Apple HomeKit provides iPhone, iPad, and Siri control with programmable open/close presets and weather-triggered automations. Milwaukee M18 brushless hub motors power the drive section, which pulls the remaining sections via corner casting contact — no chains, no belts, no complex drive systems. Rainwater catchment is integrated into the roof system.
Facility photography, virtual tours, and live system data feeds as construction and commissioning progresses. This is an active, evolving demonstration — return to see it grow.
Multiple working systems demonstrating regenerative practices at practical scale — integrated, innovated, invented, and tested here for mass adoption and commercial utilization
A genuinely novel product in development: an electric autoclave using compostable liner bags and InstantPot-like pressure and heat technology to fully sterilize humanure on-site — safely, cleanly, and without sewage infrastructure. What emerges is pathogen-free organic material ready for composting. No septic. No sludge hauling. No municipal treatment plant. Just a closed loop from human waste to soil fertility.
The Schitpot is being designed for mass adoption and future commercial productization — a practical solution for off-grid homes, rural communities, and developing regions worldwide.
90-day aerobic hot composting cycle that transforms sterilized humanure and organic waste into stable, rich humus — rebuilding what industrial agriculture stripped from soil over decades. Output feeds directly into the worm farm, completing the organic cycle.
Simple composting toilets with urine diversion eliminate the need for septic systems or municipal sewer entirely. Urine — rich in nitrogen and phosphorus — is diverted and used as a soil amendment. No sludge collection, no processing, no forest spreading. Truly closed-loop nutrient cycling from the most basic human function.
Solar Panels: Roof-mounted photovoltaic system providing 100% of primary power generation — drawing on the sun's daily gift rather than ancient carbon.
Tesla Powerwall 3: Advanced battery storage enabling full grid independence and power resilience through nights, overcast days, and peak demand periods.
Native DC Distribution: Solar panels produce DC. Batteries store DC. Most modern devices — LED lighting, computers, phones, motors, sensors — run on DC internally. Yet conventional buildings convert solar DC to AC, then reconvert AC back to DC at every device, wasting energy twice. Planet ReGen eliminates this waste with a dedicated DC circuit panel adjacent to the Powerwall, distributing native DC throughout the structure. As many devices as possible are DC-native; AC is retained only where genuinely required. A practical demonstration that the future of building electrical systems is DC-first — and that future is available today.
Bidirectional V2x (vehicle-to-everything) charging turns electric vehicles into mobile energy storage — drawing power from the grid or solar when energy is abundant, returning it when demand is high. During outages, a charged EV becomes a backup power plant. This is the future of distributed energy resilience, demonstrated at practical scale today.
Vermiculture: Worm farm converting processed organic matter into high-quality castings — the most bioavailable soil amendment on earth. Fertility produced from what was discarded.
The Closed Loop: Humanure sterilized → composted in HotBox → fed to worm farm → castings returned to soil → soil grows food → cycle repeats. Nothing wasted. Everything cycled.
Mycelium threading through wood chips and straw, breaking down what nothing else can. Edible harvests from waste streams. Fungal networks rebuilding soil structure, binding particles, holding water — nature's original recycler demonstrated at practical scale.
Starlink: Satellite internet for external communication and data connectivity — proving that remote, off-grid facilities can remain fully connected.
Mobile & Smartphones: Supporting remote monitoring, documentation, and community engagement from anywhere on the property.
Technologies being integrated, innovated, invented, and tested at Planet ReGen for mass adoption and commercial utilization
Safe, accessible, solar-powered energy storage systems designed for simplicity and replicability at mass scale — from individual households to remote communities worldwide.
Solar-powered video surveillance for facility safety and customer response — demonstrating remote monitoring systems that reduce the need for on-site staffing and improve response time.
Complete on-site water systems from rainwater harvesting through treatment and reuse — proving water independence at practical scale for adoption by communities with limited access to municipal supply.
High-efficiency LED lighting integrated with solar and low-voltage storage — demonstrating dramatic reductions in energy consumption across agricultural, commercial, and residential applications.
Remote tasking via drone to reduce truck roll time, cost, and resource waste. Site inspection, monitoring, and delivery tasks handled remotely — a model for reducing the environmental and economic footprint of rural operations.
Removable, recyclable steel ground anchors that enable fast, low-impact construction with minimal earth disruption. Systems, techniques, and tools being refined for commercial deployment across construction and agriculture.
A remotely controlled telescoping roof system spanning two parallel 40′×8′ shipping container decks (2FC7 and 2FC8) for a combined coverage area of 40′×16′. Four roof sections per container: S1 (fixed, 12′), S2 (10′), S3 (10′), and S4 (10′ — motorized drive section). At full retraction, all three movable sections stack east over S1 (full sun). At full deployment, sections spread west to cover the full 40′ deck (full shade). Both parallel systems operate independently.
Each section slides on the rail of the section immediately below it. Corner castings serve as travel stops — no fabricated stops, no chains, no belts. S4 is the sole powered section; it contacts and drags S3, which contacts and drags S2, cascading full coverage from a single motor pair.
Drive System — IG-42 12V DC Geared Motors (Lippert 236575): Two IG-42 planetary geared brushed DC motors per roof system (one per S4 drive wheel), 300:1 gear ratio, 22 RPM output, 10mm D-shaft. Rack-and-pinion drive: steel rack mounted to the container top rail face, metal spur pinion (10mm D-bore, Module 1.0/1.25) press-fit to motor shaft. Travel speed ~0.5 ft/sec, full 30′ traverse ~65 seconds total. Torque margin is large — the same motor platform drives Lippert Schwintek RV slide-outs rated 500+ lb. Both S4 wheel motors run in parallel from a single L298N H-bridge controller (~$8). Power from Milwaukee M18 REDLITHIUM battery (18V platform) through a weatherproof 20V→12V DC buck converter — one battery per system provides 100+ cycles per charge. Motor controller, ESP32, buck converter, current sensor, and limit switch wiring all housed in a NEMA 3R weatherproof enclosure mounted to S1 fixed section. Unit cost ~$45 each, ~$90 per system.
Structural Sections:
| SECTION | LENGTH | HEIGHT ABOVE RAIL | FUNCTION |
| S1 | 12′ FIXED | ±0″ (base) | Fixed east section. Drain outlet at east end. Accepts all cascade runoff. |
| S2 | 10′ | +4″ | Lowest movable section. Rides container top rail. West CC is stop for S3 east wheel. |
| S3 | 10′ | +21″ | Mid section. Rides S2 top rail. West CC is stop for S4 east wheel. |
| S4 | 10′ DRIVE | +38″ | Top/outermost section. Rides S3 top rail. Houses Milwaukee M18 hub motors. Initiates all motion. |
Parts & Estimated Cost (per system × 2 for both 2FC7 + 2FC8):
| QTY | ITEM | UNIT EST. | TOTAL EST. |
| 2 | IG-42 12V DC Geared Motor (Lippert 236575) · 300:1 · 22RPM · encoder | ~$45 | ~$90 |
| 2 | Metal Spur Pinion · 10mm D-bore · Module 1.0 or 1.25 | ~$8 | ~$16 |
| 1 | Steel Rack · 40′ · Module match · mounts to container top rail face | ~$60 | ~$60 |
| 1 | L298N H-bridge Module (or Cytron MDD10A if current limit hit) | ~$8 | ~$8 |
| 1 | ESP32-C3 / ESP32-S3 · ESPHome · HomeKit Matter | ~$10 | ~$10 |
| 1 | Milwaukee M18 REDLITHIUM 12.0Ah Battery (1 per system) | $179 | $179 |
| 1 | 20V→12V DC Buck Converter · M18 adapter · 10A+ · weatherproof | ~$35 | ~$35 |
| 1 | ACS712 Current Sensor · stall detection · inline motor bus | ~$6 | ~$6 |
| 2 | Microswitch Limit Switches · NO · CC west + S1 east · weatherproof | ~$8 | ~$16 |
| 1 | Milwaukee M18 Rapid Charger · weatherproof mount on S1 | $149 | $149 |
| 1 | NEMA 3R Electronics Enclosure · S1 east end · houses all electronics | $120 | $120 |
| 1 | Wiring Harness + Connectors · 12 AWG motor · 22 AWG signal · weatherproof JST | $90 | $90 |
| 2 | Salvaged Roof Sections S2 + S3 (10′ each) | ~$200 | ~$400 |
| 1 | S4 Fabricated Drive Section (10′, custom motor mounts + rack) | $650 | $650 |
| 8 | Wheel Assemblies (flanged steel, captive in rail) | ~$65 | ~$520 |
| 1 | Rail System (40′ steel C-channel, 2 rails) | $380 | $380 |
| DRIVE & CONTROL SUBTOTAL — ONE SYSTEM | ~$779–958 | ||
| ESTIMATED TOTAL — BOTH SYSTEMS (2FC7 + 2FC8) | ~$4,500–5,200 | ||
Water Catchment: All precipitation cascades eastward by gravity through the stacked section arrangement — S4 to S3 to S2 to S1 — regardless of position. S1 east-end drain routes to downspout and cistern. Estimated catchment at full deployment: 320 sq ft per system, ~200 gallons per inch of rain, ~400 gallons total for both systems. 4″ K-style gutter, 3″ downspout, debris screen. First-flush diverter recommended.
Control System — ESP32 + ESPHome + Apple HomeKit via Matter: ESP32-C3 or ESP32-S3 microcontroller running ESPHome firmware bridges natively to Apple HomeKit via Matter over Wi-Fi — no hub, no Homebridge, no extra hardware. Both roof systems appear as independent cover accessories in Apple Home: open, close, stop, and position percentage (0–100%). Siri voice control and time-based or weather-triggered automations. Position tracking via IG-42 built-in 5PPR dual-channel magnetic encoder feeding GPIO interrupt on the ESP32 — pulse count translates to precise distance. Stall detection via ACS712 inline current sensor (threshold ~3.75A, 1.5× rated). Hard stops via NO microswitch limit switches at the container west CC (full deploy) and S1 east CC (full retract) — GPIO cutoff regardless of app state. ESP32 powered by 5V USB buck off the 12V motor bus. Remote access via HomePod mini or Apple TV 4K as HomeKit hub.
Estimates based on 2026 pricing. Labor not included. Professional electrician recommended for wiring.
Converting gas-powered agricultural and industrial equipment to electric drive — demonstrated through the electrification of a commercial wood chipper. Retaining the original mechanical assembly while replacing the combustion engine with a 3-phase electric motor and VFD (variable frequency drive). A model for eliminating fossil fuel dependence from working farms and ag operations without replacing equipment entirely.
Handling, stacking, modification, and construction systems, techniques, and tools for building with used shipping containers — demonstrating durable, affordable, resource-efficient construction methods scalable to any project size.
A healthier, more sustainable future in harmony with nature
Planet ReGen is more than a demonstration facility — it's an active innovation lab where numerous technologies are being integrated, invented, and tested for mass adoption and commercial utilization. We chronicle our journey, share our learnings, and build a community around regenerative principles that anyone can apply.
Our work supports healthspan for humans and all living things on Planet Earth. By embracing the work of pioneers who came before while adding new methods, techniques, and products, we create accessible pathways for environmental restoration at every scale—from individual homes to global systems.
Our mission is to help and encourage our audience to make the right choices for themselves, their families, their friends, and all living things. Through documentation, education, and demonstrated proof-of-concept, we show that sustainability and regeneration aren't sacrifices—they're foundations for thriving.
Detailed records and open documentation of all systems, failures, improvements, and results.
Inviting others to visit, learn, and collaborate on advancing regenerative technologies.
Real-world demonstrations proving regenerative methods work at practical scales.
Technology and methods available to the majority of humanity, not just the privileged few.
Acres of demonstration & innovation
Renewable energy — solar generation & battery storage
Water independent through rainwater harvesting
Sewage or septic waste — closed-loop humanure sterilization & urine diversion
Potential for global impact & scalability
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Learn more about Planet ReGen and how you can participate
10-acre ag/shop demonstration facility in the South Puget Sound, WA area. Check back for tour scheduling and community event information.
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