November 19 is World Toilet Day: Bottoms Up!

by Terri Potratz | November 18, 2008 at 10:32 am

972 views | 31 Recommendations | 6 comments

November 19 is World Toilet Day! Founded by the World Toilet Organization, World Toilet Day aims to educate the Western world on the lack of basic sanitation for more than 2.5 billion people worldwide and the preventable deadly diseases which follow.

World Toilet Organization (WTO) is a global non-profit organization committed to improving toilet and sanitation conditions worldwide. WTO is also one of the few organizations to focus on toilets instead of water, which receives more attention and resources under the common subject of sanitation. Founded in 2001 with 15 members, it now has 151 member organizations in 53 countries working towards eliminating the toilet taboo and delivering sustainable sanitation.

WTO was created as a global network and service platform wherein all toilet and sanitation organizations can learn from one another and leverage on media and global support that in turn can influence governments to promote sound sanitation and public health policies.

The theme of World Toilet Day this year is "We Deserve Better." There are 3 basic messages associated with this theme:

WE: Toilets deserve better social status. WTO has been striving to elevate the status of toilets to make them status symbols and objects of desire. WTO speaks on behalf of toilets "WE DESERVE BETTER SOCIAL STATUS".

WE: The second WE are the toilet cleaners. WTO aims to professionalize the sanitation and restroom industry and to upgrade the skill sets of the restoom cleaners. WTO speaks on behalf of the toilet cleaners "WE DESERVE BETTER PAY, RESPECT AND PROSPECTS".

WE: WTO speaks on behalf of 2.5 billion toilet-less people, "WE DESERVE BETTER PLACES TO DEFECATE -- PROPER TOILETS".

What can you do to support World Toilet Day and basic sanitation for people worldwide? Visit one of the events taking place around the globe, such as the Toilet Art Exhibition in Australia...or if you're out and about in Bern, Switzerland keep an eye out for the Sanitation is Dignity team who will be hosting an exhibition at the train station. You can also donate cash to the organization, or help spread the word by blogging about WTD by using these helpful resources:

Stool Box - collection of songs, photos, posters, games, art and other materials for sanitation promotion.
Toilet Links and Toilet Publications - a list of pertinent websites and publications to aid in your research.
Toilet Kit - want to know how to set up your own toilet advocacy group? Start here.

You can also raise awareness about World Toilet Day with a little potty humour and clever tag lines - and don't worry, though the WTO is very serious about the real issues at hand, they do advocate the use of humour to grab people's attention:

"Don't Blush, Sponsor a Flush!"
"No Shit! Today is World Toilet Day"
"The Work of the WTO Won't Go to Waste"
"Flush With Excitement over World Toilet Day"
"World Toilet Day Brings Relief"

Any other (tasteful) potty humour to share?

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Barbara McPherson

at 10:55 on November 18th, 2008

Just think of the water that will be used if 2.5 billion more people start flushing with conventional toilets. It's time to come up with a better solution.

gerrypopplestone

at 18:50 on November 18th, 2008

Well said, Barbara! Wasn't it Roosevelt who pointed out what a waste it was that we use fresh drinking water to flush our toilets with, when so many others don't have either a toilet or fresh drinking water. A bit like Marie Antoinette saying to the peasants: "Let them eat cake"!

hoogmoet

at 13:38 on November 18th, 2008

The toilet was flushed. I was told that they always check before drinking.

hoogmoet has contributed a photo to this story.

Uwe Paschen

at 19:00 on November 18th, 2008

Toilets are an environmental disaster the way they are set up. Barbara and Gerry all ready pointed that out and so will I. Fresh water and the amount of water used is incredible. We need to change this and stop the waste.

pedrito1414

at 06:12 on November 19th, 2008

True, but what is the alternative? You hear of all this cholera stuff at the moment (Zimbabwe, Congo). This is because people don't have toilets. Solution has to applicable globally...