Photo courtesy of Gerald Stolk
In this special series, we’ll take a brief look at various different fearless inspirations from the past week or so. Whether it’s a fearless young changemaker who is taking risks, a new publication that expresses bold and innovative ideas, or an organization that is promoting change and that is not afraid to fail forward—we want to shine a spotlight on them and their work in the hope that it will spark a new movement to Be Fearless.
As Jean Case, CEO of the Case Foundation says, “The old way of doing things is simply no longer effective in this new world. It’s time for us all to take risks on new ideas, approaches, and initiatives. It’s time for us to be bold, to act with urgency, and to resist the tendency to let caution be our guide. It’s time for us to Be Fearless.” Will you join us?
Everybody Poops
Content from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The toilet is something that I know I take for granted - that is of course until I need to use one. For many around the world however, toilets as we know them are a luxury or do not provide sanitary methods for waste disposal. Unsafe methods to capture and treat human waste result in serious health problems and death. Food and water tainted with fecal matter results in 1.5 million child deaths every year. Most of these deaths could be prevented with the introduction of proper sanitation, along with safe drinking water and improved hygiene.
A year ago, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation issued a challenge to universities around the world to design toilets that can capture and process human waste without piped water, sewer or electrical connections, and transform human waste into useful resources, such as energy and water, at an affordable price. They recognized that improving access to sanitation can also bring substantial economic benefits. According to the World Health Organization, improved sanitation delivers up to nine dollars in social and economic benefits for every one dollar invested because it increases productivity, reduces healthcare costs, and prevents illness, disability, and early death.
This week at the Reinvent the Toilet Fair, Bill Gates announced the winners of the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge—an effort to develop “next-generation” toilets that will deliver safe and sustainable sanitation to the 2.5 billion people worldwide who don’t have it.
The awards recognize researchers from leading universities who are developing innovative ways to manage human waste, which will help improve the health and lives of people around the world - and are in our minds, a great example of fearless innovation.
“Innovative solutions change people’s lives for the better,” said foundation Co-chair Bill Gates. “If we apply creative thinking to everyday challenges, such as dealing with human waste, we can fix some of the world’s toughest problems.”
This event brought together participants from 29 countries, including researchers, designers, investors, advocates, and representatives of the communities who will ultimately adopt these new inventions.
Reinvent the Toilet Challenge Winners:
California Institute of Technology in the United States received the $100,000 first prize for designing a solar-powered toilet that generates hydrogen and electricity.
Loughborough University in the United Kingdom won the $60,000 second place prize for a toilet that produces biological charcoal, minerals, and clean water.
University of Toronto in Canada won the third place prize of $40,000 for a toilet that sanitizes feces and urine and recovers resources and clean water.
Special recognition and $40,000 went to Eawag (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology) and EOOS for their outstanding design of a toilet user interface.