The world is suffering from a toilet shortage, and at least one activist wants to do something about it with his  non-profit, the World Toilet Organization, or WTO. Jack Sim, founder of the WTO, hopes his efforts will bring awareness to the extent to which defecating outdoors is a serious health problem, contributing to the spread of disease through improperly disposed feces. According to Fast Company's Morgan Clendaniel, "[B]etween 1997 to 2000, the World Health Organization subsidized the construction of 1.6 million outhouses in India... Today, only 47% are being used in the intended manner. The rest are used for storage." 

Sim isn't afraid to speak frankly about this possibly giggle-inducing topic's importance. "Shit is like fire," Sim says in a documentary about WTO. "If you managed it properly, it cooks your meals. If you don’t manage it properly, it burns down your house."

Fun fact: The toilet in the photo above is inside of Alcatraz!

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at aestes at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Adam Clark Estes