World Toilet Day
by Bonnie Alter, London 
on 11.19.08
Image by M. Betti and WaterAid
Don't laugh, this is serious. Did you know that 40% of the world's population, 2.6 billion people, don't have access to a toilet. To raise awareness of this global sanitation crisis and to celebrate a humble yet essential bathroom fixture, World Toilet Day is being proclaimed today, November 19. WaterAid has launched this campaign because without clean water and separate toilet facilities, diseases such as diarrhoea spread and affect children--5,000 a day die from illness related to poor sanitation.
But it's not all grim--to support the cause you can play "turdlywinks" on line or you can play "Poopla" (don't ask) or take a tinkle test. The faint-hearted can just write a letter to publicise the cause or donate money.
Image by M. Betti and WaterAid
Ecover, the ecological cleaning products manufacturer, will be providing financial support to the campaign for the next three years. They are supporting work in 11 villages in the Hintalo-Wajarat region of rural Ethiopia, with local partners. This impressive project will provide sustainable and ongoing access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education.
It includes construction of springs, hand dug wells and rain water catchment schemes. It also includes construction of pit latrines and education on hygiene promotion and training of water technicians and community health educators. Ecover and WaterAid
More on Ecover and WaterAid
Inside View on Ecover's Products
World Toilet Summit
WaterAid Lobbying
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The third world needs composting toilets to improve soil quality. They do not need water-wasting Western toilets and plumbing.
If Bill Gates invested in sanitation instead of dangerous vaccinations around the globe, diseases in these countries would be reduced at least ten-fold. Oh, but then the drug companies and Gates investment in them could not profit. Same old, same old.
I completely agree with Kafeneko... In some ways, I wish we would undo some of the reckless plumbing systems and it's effects right here on U.S. soil. For those fancy houses lined up on the beach- It doesn't mean much when you stick your head out the window and the morning breeze has a faint tinge of sewer. Gross.
I agree with Kafeneko, potable water is scarce enough. The next step in the evolution after a composting toilet is a greywater system for flushing and conveyance, this may work out well to capture, enrich, and deliver irrigation water.
I wish we could start collectively referring to toilets as "commodes". It's easier to say. The "O-I" dipthong seems to be difficult for a lot of folks. And, I agree, we should be promoting composting toilets, I mean commodes, here at home and abroad.
But in areas with a high population, isn't a chance that even composting human waste could overwhelm the Earth's capability to process it? One can't really expect the areas of highest wast to be near those area that need the soil to be renewed. I don't have a clue as to the solution, but my bet is it will not be a one size fits all solution. Jade no matter the treatment method of our waste, their will may be some unpleasantness to put up with