The Toilet Revolution (Swiss Press Text 2020, by Arnaud Robert) - Swiss Press Award
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Arnaud Robert
Whatever we call it – shit, crap, faeces: our excrement causes laughter and embarrassment. And it’s an issue preferably avoided, something we’d rather hide. But human excrement is both an everyday and universal concern as well as an important global health issue. The human waste of 2.5 billion people is not being properly disposed of, creating the risk of an epidemic. 800 000 children die of diarrhoea every year. In developed countries, human waste is flushed away with drinking water – a costly waste. Over the course of a year, Arnaud Robert wanted to find out everything about the “toilet revolution”: from the toilets on the Place de la Riponne in Lausanne via those in India and China to South Africa. He studied the research of the Zurich engineers and the investments made by Bill Gates, the plans of the Indian government and the cultural revolution in Africa to find out how we can ensure that someday everyone will have the benefit of inexpensive and environmentally friendly toilets.
Interview with Arnaud Robert
