November 19 marks World Toilet Day, an annual global event organized by UN Water to raise awareness of the crucial role that sanitation plays in reducing disease and creating healthier communities. The theme for 2022 was Making the Invisible Visible, exploring how inadequate sanitation systems spread human waste into rivers, lakes and soil, polluting underground water resources.  However, this problem seems to be invisible.  Invisible because it happens underground.  Invisible because it happens in the poorest and most marginalized communities.  

Today, 4.2 billion people live without safely managed sanitation, 673 million still practice open defecation and three billion lack basic handwashing facilities.  This sanitation crisis means untreated human waste is spreading diseases into water supplies and the food chain for billions of people.  Inadequate sanitation is estimated to cause 432,000 diarrheic deaths every year.

This 2013 “World Toilet Day – Where You Go Matters” animation provides a great explanation of why toilets are so important. (3:01)

Take the World Toilet Day fitness challenge! (0:52)

How the Toilet Changed History is a great lighted hearted review of the history and importance of toilets. (7:14)

In this 2013 video, Matt Damon holds a mock press conference on the topic of World Toilet Day.  Note: the video is a bit grainy, but still entertaining to watch! (3:04)