Chelsea Wald, our guest speaker and AWC member since 2016, has spent years plunging into the topic of the toilet for her book, PIPE DREAMS: THE URGENT GLOBAL QUEST TO TRANSFORM THE TOILET, forthcoming April 6 from Avid Reader Press/Simon and Schuster. At this virtual general meeting, Chelsea will give a talk about the process of research and writing her book, as well as what she has learned. That will be followed by a lively discussion, to which you are invited to bring your own experiences and most pressing questions about this most necessary infrastructure. Please RSVP by Wednesday, March 10 to receive the Google Meet link via email.
Most of us do not give much thought to the centerpiece of our bathrooms, but the toilet is an unexpected paradox. On the one hand, it is a modern miracle: a ubiquitous fixture in a vast sanitation system that has helped add decades to human lifespan by reducing disease. On the other hand, the toilet is also a tragic failure: less than half of the world’s population can access a toilet that safely manages body waste, including many in the United States. And it is inefficient, squandering clean water as well as the nutrients, energy, and information contained in the waste we flush away. While we see radical technological change in almost every other aspect of our lives, we remain stuck in a sanitation status quo—in part because the topic of toilets is taboo.
Fortunately, there’s hope—from a growing army of scientists, engineers, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and activists who are overcoming their aversions and focusing their formidable skills on making toilets accessible and healthier for all.
PIPE DREAMS is already available for preorder from your favorite bookseller, including for Kindle and from the ABC Bookshop and Bol.com.
Social Time: 10-10:10 a.m.
Club Business: 10:10-10:30 a.m.
Guest Speaker: 10:30 -11:30 a.m.
