Climate Champ: Anna Edey

Anna Edey greets me warmly as I step into her cottage in Vineyard Haven on a late August morning. Trellised greens twist up the porch, and pops of yellow, purple, and pink flowers hug the front garden. Gorgeous sunset-orange dahlias are in bloom and a peach tree is heavy with ripening fruit. Her home and landscape could be pulled right out of a storybook.

“Do you tend all this yourself?” I ask. 

“Phillipe, my wonderful helper — my angel — helps me,” she tells me, her soft Swedish cadence making every word sound sweet. Collaboration has always been at the heart of Anna’s gardens and her larger experiments in sustainability.

Growing up in Sweden, Anna developed a deep respect for nature. When she first moved to the U.S., she was shocked by pollution and environmental degradation in New Jersey and New York. Those early experiences shaped her lifelong commitment to sustainable living, solar power, and self-sufficiency. Anna has lived on Martha’s Vineyard since 1958, and for decades she has been experimenting with ways to live that avoid pollution, reduce living costs, and do not rely on fossil fuels. I’m visiting to learn more about a problem that has long plagued the Island: nitrogen pollution. 

Nitrogen from household wastewater — mostly from human urine — is one of the largest contributors to pollution and toxic algae blooms in Island ponds (see our story about remediation strategies in Chilmark Pond). Most Vineyard homes rely on Title 5 septic systems, which don’t filter nitrogen. That nitrogen travels through groundwater into the ponds, fueling algae growth and harming aquatic life. On Cape Cod, regulators in 2023 required that within the next seven years, all Title 5 systems must be updated to “innovative and alternative” (I/A) systems designed to reduce nitrogen. (Towns can also apply for a watershed permit, which provides them with the opportunity to think critically about nitrogen pollution and come up with a plan to reduce it creatively using various technologies and practices over the next 20 years.) These new rules were introduced after the Conservation Law Foundation, a New England-based legal advocacy group, sued the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in 2021 for requiring these Title 5 systems that polluted the ponds to begin with. Martha’s Vineyard hasn’t yet implemented these rules across the Island, but the conversation is ongoing, and homeowners here may soon face the same update requirements. 

In Tisbury, for example, as of early 2024, whenever a home is sold in the Tashmoo or Lagoon Pond watershed regions, its septic system must be replaced with an enhanced, nitrogen-removing one. The regulation doesn’t specify whether the buyer or the seller is responsible for the replacement — it’s typically a point of discussion or negotiation during the sale — but the upgrade must be completed within six months of the transaction. The same requirement applies if an existing system needs to be repaired or replaced. 

Anna was ahead of the curve. Long before regulations required alternative systems, Anna designed her own approach to managing household wastewater in a way that is both non-polluting and cost effective. Using barrels filled with woodchips, compost, redworms, microbes, and plants, she created a natural filtration system that absorbs and transforms nitrogen before it reaches the pond, reducing nitrogen pollution by more than 90%. Called the Solviva Biocarbon filter system, (or the Solviva wood chip filter system), it can be retrofitted on any standard Title 5 system. 

Anna points out that it was the DEP that required all homes in Massachusetts to have Title 5 systems in 1995, and says that “they were well aware” it would have environmental repercussions and pollute our ponds. To address that, the agency later launched a program encouraging the development of innovative nitrogen-reducing alternatives. “Mine was one of the first to get a testing permit,” Anna says. At first, regulators were skeptical. She recalls their reaction: “Worms? Woodchips? Plants? What are you talking about?” But the environmental secretary at the time, Trudy Coxe, saw that Anna was on to something and insisted they issue her a permit for testing. However, she backed out of the DEP testing program when she realized it would require two years of testing at a remote, off-Island location, and would cost at least $100,000. 

In her book, Green Light at the End of the Tunnel (see below for info on how to get one of these), Anna writes: “It is a fact that wastewater can be purified through natural filters that contain woodchips, compost, redworms, microorganisms and plants.” She lays out the methods and results of her natural wastewater filtration system, drawing on decades of hands-on experience and testing conducted at a certified lab, overseen by the “highly respected” Island engineer George Wey. “Compared with the standard septic systems that are built in accordance with state regulations,” she writes about the lab’s findings, “such natural filters can reduce nitrogen pollution by 80 to 99%. In addition, they do not require what standard septic systems often do: the removal of beloved gardens and trees. On the contrary, these natural systems enhance the landscaping and also reduce water consumption and the need for fertilizers, because the final effluent provides both nourishment and irrigation for the plants. In addition, they cost 50 to 80% less than the conventional ways to manage wastewater. I know this is a fact because I have been doing it for 30 years and I have the certified lab tests to prove these extraordinary results.”

In a blog post on her website, she writes more about how her system works: Effluent from the septic tank is pumped into a brownfilter (a barrel full of aged woodchips), and from there drained into a greenfilter (a 16-inch-deep lined trench filled with a mix of woodchips, leaf mold, and soil) and planted with flowers and shrubs. “The more leaves they grow, the more nitrogen they absorb,” Anna says. The purified wastewater is then dispersed to nourish the surrounding trees and landscaping.

“The first surprise was how the plants immediately responded with fresh growth, and then grew to be a splendid, healthy little flower garden,” Anna writes of the greenfilter. “But then came the biggest surprise: lab tests showed that this extremely simple system reduced nitrogen by 90.6% to 92.6%.”

Anna’s Biocarbon filter system was installed at Featherstone in 1997, and an “immense filter installation” followed at the Black Dog Tavern and Bakery in 1998 — though within a few months, that system became clogged with grease. The Solviva system at Featherstone lasted for several years until the center underwent a renovation. Anna says the grease could have been easily prevented with a simple pre-filter (essentially a dumpster filled with woodchips), but the DEP would not allow modifications without reentering the permit process, “and that would take months,” she says.

Today, Anna’s methods are used in some DEP-approved I/A systems, including local companies like KleanTu, which also uses woodchip-based filtration. Next door to Anna’s house, KleanTu recently installed a denitrification septic system for a new three-bedroom home. It cost $70,000 and required the removal of several trees. Anna’s system would cost less than $20,000, and does not require removing any trees or gardens. “It’s much simpler,” she adds, “and does not require multiple sensors and constantly recirculating pumps. Also, it does not require huge concrete tanks, which require heavy machinery to install, and therefore often requires removal of trees and gardens.”  

Anna sees her work as part of a bigger picture: a demonstration of what’s possible when residents take practical action on both environmental stewardship and community resilience. She hopes her experiments will encourage others to think creatively about wastewater, energy, and food security.

Islanders might be familiar with Anna’s previous home, in West Tisbury, which she called Solviva. On that 10-acre property, she grew vegetables, raised livestock, generated solar heat, developed her filtration system, and lived almost entirely off the grid. She also pioneered a self-sufficient organic solar greenhouse system, where in-house chickens kept it warm year-round, even through sub-zero blizzards. Anna was also the first to market ready-to-eat mixed salad greens, known as Solviva Salad. 

Since 1978, her goal has been to live in a way that is solar-energy self-sufficient, food-secure, and non-polluting — using methods that allow her to keep her electric appliances and tools, continue driving, and use a regular flush toilet, all while reducing her cost of living. She lived at Solviva from 1972 to 2018, when she decided to downsize.

“I couldn’t do that farm anymore, I was too old, I was too poor — so this is the cottage I found,” Anna says. 

She talks about the plans she has to make it greener: a greenhouse to enclose the front porch, solar panels, batteries, and a predator-proof chicken coop — or “chicken haven,” as she calls it. She recently got approvals to build one in which she’ll raise about 12 chickens for eggs and meat. There will be a xylophone and a swing. “They like all kinds of things like that,” she says. “I’m really looking forward to the chicken coop.” She plans to compost the chicken poop to use as garden fertilizer.

Anna, who’s in her late 80s, already drives Nissan Leaf all-electric cars and will soon install enough solar panels and batteries to run everything, including heating, cooling, dehumidifying, charging the cars, and powering the rest of her electricity, allowing her to disconnect from the grid entirely.  

Anna’s experiments aren’t just about sustainability, they’re also about preparedness. She thinks ahead to storms, power outages, and other emergencies that could disrupt water, food, or electricity. She wants to be ready for anything, and she wants her neighbors to be ready, too. Her solar panels, greenhouse, and chicken coop are part of a larger vision of self-reliance and community resilience, showing that households, working together, can maintain food, water, and energy even during disruptions.

“I’ve been planning to make this energy self-sufficient, nonpolluting, and food secure. That’s been my aim. Now I’m finally ready to do it,” she says.

Anna’s home still has a Title 5 septic system that she plans to replace, using an upgraded version of her woodchip filtration system. “That will require community participation,” she tells me. She says she’ll need to gather a “whole group of us to appeal to the Board of Health for a permit to install the Solviva system on my property, and show them that it would pose no threat to public health or the ponds, and it would be closely and officially supervised, inspected, and tested.” 

When it comes to approving septic systems, local boards of health can only permit I/A systems that are tested and approved by the DEP. Currently, there are only two: KleanTu’s NitROE and Lombardo Associates’ Nitrex systems. But Tisbury Health Agent Drew Belsky told me the Board of Health is exploring ways to approve other enhanced systems that can meet the town’s nitrogen-reducing goals in practice — even if they’re not approved on paper — which is good news for Anna’s system.   

Beyond the technical details, Anna emphasizes community involvement. She envisions workshops where Islanders can learn hands-on about constructing and maintaining these natural filtration systems. She imagines teams assembling chicken coops and greenhouses, learning practical skills while sharing meals and knowledge. Her goal is to spread information widely so people understand what is possible. 

She believes it’s time for people to understand that individual action, combined with community support, can make a real difference. 

And as for the ponds: “They can heal again,” she says. “Everything in nature can heal again.” 

Anna’s book, ‘Green Light at the End of the Tunnel,’ is out of print and in demand. We were able to find copies on eBay and Amazon, but be warned they won't come cheap.

What You Can Do to Reduce Nitrogen at Home

Nitrogen from household wastewater is a major contributor to algae blooms and declining water quality in Island ponds. While upgrading Title 5 septic systems is one of the most impactful solutions, there are smaller-scale actions homeowners can take.

• Install a urine diversion or composting toilet: Urine diversion toilets separate urine from other waste, keeping most nitrogen out of the septic system and groundwater. Urine is nutrient-rich, and when collected and diluted, it can safely fertilize gardens. Even partial use (guest bathrooms, cabins) helps.
• Capture rainwater and greywater (lightly used domestic wastewater from sources like showers, bathtubs, washing machines, and bathroom sinks) for irrigation: Conserve well water and reuse nutrients in your yard instead of letting them flow into ponds. Use a bucket or container to collect water while showering, bathing, or washing dishes, then use it to water plants. Make sure soaps and detergents are plant-safe.
• Plant nitrogen-absorbing landscaping: Native grasses, trees, and shrubs along pond edges filter runoff naturally. Check out the Plant Local guide at bit.ly/PlantLocal.
• Support local initiatives: The Vineyard Conservation Society, Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group, Great Pond Association, and Martha’s Vineyard Commission, Chilmark Pond Foundation, among other groups, are working hard to address nitrogen pollution in Island ponds.