Gratitude for Waste Water Treatment - Annie

It was an amazing experience to witness first-hand where all the water in New York City goes once it gets flushed down the drain. The Go Team had a little field trip adventure recently to Greenpoint, Brooklyn to visit the largest waste water treatment facility in New York City… and it was truly a learning experience, which made us all appreciate the invisible infrastructure that we so often take for granted!

We enjoyed a great lecture, both from Connie Fitzgerald of the Department of Environmental Protection, and from the Waste Water Plant Supervisor, Jim Pynn. Here are a few interesting facts from our visit:

* New York City's water actually comes from a beautiful and clean source in the Catskill Mountains, about 100 miles north of the city, which is what makes our tap water taste so delicious. Amazingly, this water is delivered in an extremely eco-friendly manner: with GRAVITY! A hundred miles, with gravity... isn't that remarkable?!

* All of the water from our bathroom drains actually gets mixed with the run-off water from the streets of the city, and this grey water then gets channeled into giant filtration systems. But, extra debris in these filters requires extra energy -- so that means it's crucial not to flush anything other than toilet paper, and it's important not to litter in the streets. It's all connected.

* Some interesting objects have turned up in that filtration system in the past, representing the items that people have flushed… including heaps of counterfeit money!! No kidding.

* It's important to drink the tap water in New York City. Our water source in the Catskills is clean and pure, and drinking tap water in reusable containers cuts down on the use of plastic water bottles -- which take energy to create, and these bottles are a major nuisance when they become litter.

When we think about the fact that 2.5 billion people in the world don't have access to clean sanitation, it's especially remarkable to see the efficiency of our system at work here in New York. I have already written a little bit about sanitation on an international scale (see my blog entry "Potty Talk & Public Health" from Dec. 18th). On that note, a good friend of mine named Jamie, who is living in South Africa, just wrote to me about some of her recent bathroom adventures. Here is her description of a toilet that she experienced on a recent 13 hour bus ride in Mozambique, from Vilanculos to the seaside town of Maputo:

"After about four hours…I finally asked if there was a banho and was pointed to a 9-square foot area fenced in by 4-foot high 'walls' made of corn husks. This is where women where supposed to take care of biology… no holes, no toilets, just a patch of dirt with puddles… and piles… it really made me want to be a man for maybe the 2nd time ever."

Jamie mentioned that millions of South Africans don't have access to basic sanitation, which is defined as a ventilated improved pit latrine (or "VIP" latrine). This is particularly ironic, since South Africa also is the home to many Very Important People who own multiple marble toilets in their giant mansions. This discrepancy between have and have not may not be unique to South Africa, but it does demonstrate that anything is possible, anywhere in the world, with an investment of resources.

When we look at the clever design and efficiency and invisible magic of the waste water system in New York City, it causes me to think broadly and hopefully about creating such systems for the rest of the world. With that in mind, please consider donating to organizations such as:

The World Toilet Organization: http://www.worldtoilet.org/

Water Aid America: http://www.wateraidamerica.org/

Thank you very much to our hosts at the Newtown Creek Waste Water Treatment Plant!! With creativity, cooperation, and some investment of resources, hopefully we can create make similar sanitation treatment systems a reality around the world.

-Annie

International Words for the Bathroom - Annie

When traveling abroad, I always try to learn at least a few phrases in the local language. My favorites include: hello, goodbye, please, thank you, and "please give me chocolate ice cream!" However, the most useful phrase of all is: WHERE IS THE BATHROOM? Since I began my toilet paper ambassadorship a few weeks ago, I've continued to collect different ways to ask for the bathroom in as many languages as possible. New York has a fairly diverse array of people, so it has been a really fun project… although it has been a challenge to find an appropriate way of writing it with English letters to convey the correct pronunciation, so please excuse my spelling!

Actually, in English alone, we really do have quite a few options. We can say that "nature calls" or ask to powder our nose. We can ask for the restroom, the washroom, the can, the john, the toilet, the throne, the commode, the powder room, the facilities, or the little girls' room or little boys' room. If we're British, we would ask for the water closet, the loo, or the WC. I hadn't heard of "the bog" until corresponding recently with a friend from Canada, but that's an option too. Apparently, you can also say: "I need to spend a penny!" (Assuming, of course, that the other person understands what you're talking about!)

Every language has numerous ways to ask, so my list was getting long. Just today, I realized that I might be able to find more by using the incredible tool known as the internet, and my list has suddenly expanded even further! Thank you, Wikipedia! My new favorites include the Tagalog language (from the Philippines), which calls it the "comfort room" or "the CR" and the polite Japanese way of asking, "may I wash my hands?" Other useful ones might be the Pig Latin, "Excuseay emay, erewhay isay ethay athroombay?"

Take a peek:

In Afrikaans: Waar is die toilet? or Waar is die badkamer?

In Albanian: Ku është banjo?

In Arabic: Wain al hamam? or Wein ha mam? or Ayna Al Hammam?

Egyptian Arabic: Men Fadlak, Fen El Hammam?

Moroccan Arabic: Fin el bit al ma?

In Austrian: Tschujdigung, wo isn dees Scheisheisl?

In Bengali: Bathroom Kothay?

In Bulgarian: Къде е банята? Kade e banyata?

In Catalan: On és el lavabo?

In Chinese:

Cantonese: Ching men, sei sou gan (washroom) hei been? (polite)

Chi soh (toilet) hei been? (casual)

Mandarin Chinese: Qing wen xishoujian/cesuo zai nai li? Qing wen, ce suo zai nar?

In Creole: kot twalet la ye?

In Croatian: Oprostite, gdje je kupaonica?

In Czech: Kde je záchod? or Prosim Vas, Kde jsou toalety?

In Danish - Hvor er toilettet? or Undskyld mig, hvor er badeværelset/toilettet?

In Dutch: Waar is de batkamer? or Pardon, waar is de W.C.

In Esperanto: Pardonon, kie estas la banejo?

In Estonian: Vabandage, kus on tualet?

In Fijian: Au sa via mi (i need to pee)

In Finnish: Missä on kylpyhuone(vessa)? Missä on vessa/WC

In French: Où sont les toilettes?

In Gaelic/Irish: Ca bhfuil an leithreas?

In German: Wo ist die Badezimmer? Or Wo ist die Toilette, bitte?

In Greek: Parakalo, pou ine i tualetta? or Pou einai i toualeta?

In Hebrew: Slikha, ehfo hah sherooteem?

In Hindi: Mere ko bathroom jaana hai? or Saunchalay kahan hain?

In Hmong: Honm naj nyob qhov twb os?

In Hungarian: Elnézést, hol (van) a vécé?

In Icelandic: Hvar er salernið/klósettið?

In Indonesian: Permisi, di mana kamar mandi?

In Italian: Dov'e il bagno?

In Japanese: Toire wa, doko? or more politely, Otearai wa doko desu ka? (Where can I wash my hands?)

In Korean: Hwajangsil odie issuimnika? or Huajiangsiri eodiyijjo?

In Lao: Hong nam yuu sai?

In Latin: Ubi est latrina?

In Latvian: Atvainojiet, kur ir tualete?

In Lebanese: Waynil hemehm?

In Lithuanian: Atsiprašau, kur yra tualetas?

In Malay: Tandas/bilik air kat mana?

In Malayalam: Bathroom evide ah?

In Maltese: Fejn qiegђed it-toilet?

In Mongolian: Uuchlaarai('ʊ:tʃ|ɑ:ræ )

In Nepali: Baatroom snaan kaksha kahaan cha?

In Norwegian: Hvor er toalettet? or Hvor er doen? (casual way) or Hvor er dassen? (teenage way)

In Persian: Bebakhshid, dastshoee kojast?

In Polish: Przepraszam, gdzie jest toaleta?

In Portuguese: Aonde esta o banheiro? or Faz favor, onde é o lavabo?

In Punjabi: Bathroom/Gusal Khana kithe hai?

In Romanian: Unde este toaleta, va rog?

In Russian: Gde tualet? or Skazhite pozhalusta, gde toalet?

In Samoan: E, 'O fea le faleuila?

In Senegalese: Fun moy douche bee?

In Serbian: Izvinite, gde je kupatilo?

In Setswana: Kopa toilet or toilet e kae?

In Slovak: Prosím vás, kde sú toalety?

In Spanish: Dònde està el baño?

In Sranan Tongo: Pe a wc de?

In Swahili: Choo iko wapi?

In Swedish: Var är toaletten? or Ursäkta mig, men var finns toaletterna?

In Tagalog: Pwede po bang malaman kung nasaan ang banyo? or Saan po ang baño? or Saan po ang CR? (for "comfort room")

In Tamil: Bathroom enga irukku?

In Telugu: Bathroom ekkada?

In Thai: Hong nam yu nai kha/khrab? or Hong suam yuu thi nai? or Hong nam yoo tee nai?

In Tigrinya - Sha'uq abey alo?

In Turkish : Toalet/WC nerde?

In Urdu: Bathroom kidhar hay?

In Vietnamese: Cho hoi, nha` ve^. sinh o da^u va^.y?

In Visayan/Bisaya: Asa ang banyo?

In Welsh - Pardwn ble mae`r ty bach?

In Zulu/Xhosa/Siswati: Celi itoilet? or Ikuphi itoilet?

(note the "c" is a click. sort of like the click in English when chastising, usually spelled "tsk tsk.")

These phrases should help you find a bathroom, wherever you find yourself on Earth. But of course, if you find yourself in outer space, you might need the Klingon phrase from Star Trek: nuqDaq 'oH pacha''e'?

If you have questions or comments, write to me at: annie.thegoteam@gmail.com !

International Outhouse Adventures - Annie

Anyone who has gone backpacking or spent significant time traveling in developing countries knows that going to the bathroom is often part of the adventure. While talking to one friend recently about a trip to Asia, she said that she never really feels like she has fully arrived in a new place until she has sampled a local toilet. I tend to agree -- and if you have read my previous blogs about "squatty potties" versus the complicated electronic Japanese toilets, then you are already familiar with some of the amazing global toilet diversity.

While in Tanzania climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2008, I had the joy of experiencing "long-drop toilets." Really, these aren't toilets at all, but more like a very deep pit dug into the ground. Usually, there is an outhouse-type wooden structure around the pit to provide some privacy. There is sometimes even a seat to sit on, although not always! Occasionally these long drop toilets are "squatty potty" versions of outhouses, if you can imagine such a thing. (I was always extremely careful to avoid falling in!) Fortunately, the pits are usually deep enough so that the experience inside isn't too stinky. Although, again, not always! I'm including a photo that I took of one of my favorite long drop toilets, the day before our summit day on Kilimanjaro. It's quite a scenic location for a potty!

One of my favorite international bathroom stories is an anecdote from my Canadian friend Jeremy, who just wrote to me about a toilet that he encountered while driving in a jalopy across the middle of Australia. Jeremy was traveling with two friends, and they were camping as they made their way across the continent, so they were always in search of reasonably clean facilities. On their 4th day of driving, they went swimming at a reservoir in the middle of the Outback, and were relaxing in the sun. Jeremy suddenly realized that he badly needed to go to the bathroom… so he writes:

"I located a small cinder-block building on top of a small hill, that contained a functional, if somewhat spartan bathroom. One of the many amenities that was missing was a toilet seat, and I was in a situation that normally would have required that particular piece of gear. But, needs must when the Devil drives, so I used the toilet, sans seat (chilly, and somewhat precarious), stood up, turned around, and flushed. And watched in horror as the long, green snake that was coiled around the inside of the toilet, just under the rim, was knocked out of it's perch by the flush water, and began to thrash around. To say that I experienced a "shrinking" feeling is no understatement! I beat a hasty retreat, feeling lucky that I had avoided a worse experience."

As much as I am looking forward to a trip to the southern hemisphere someday, I also have heard that Australia is home to the largest number of poisonous creatures in the world!! I will now always, always, always check under the rim when going to the bathroom in the Australian outback. Every time.

Share your favorite international toilet stories! Write to annie.thegoteam@gmail.com!

-Annie

Potty Talk & Public Health -Annie

While I love finding humorous potty signs in Singapore and interviewing pop stars from Kazakhstan about their favorite toilets, my blog about international bathrooms would absolutely be incomplete if I didn’t address some of the more serious aspects of international potty-going.

Recently, two graduate students from NYU’s program in international development came and talked to me about the over-arching importance of creating sanitary facilities around the world – as well as some of the challenges that result from the lack of clean bathrooms. Here in the United States, we may take our toilets for granted, but the lack of access to safe and clean toilets impacts more aspects of a society’s development than many people realize.

Some statistics:

* 2.5 billion people live without access to a safe and clean toilet. (This is almost two-fifths of the world’s population!)

* Diarrhea kills more children every year than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined.

* Each year, 60 million children are born into households without access to clean sanitation.

* Internationally, 11% more girls attend school when sanitation is available; although in contrast, 1 in 10 girls in Kenya drop out of school because they do not have access to bathroom facilities while attending class.

* Half of the hospital beds in developing countries are filled with people suffering from diarrhea.

The importance of creating clean water and sanitation in developing countries is enormous. Lack of clean facilities cause people to defecate in open public spaces, which results in environmental pollution and widespread diarrhea, both of which greatly inhibit sustainable economic development. In densely populated areas, people without toilets often resort to using plastic bags, and these “flying toilets” are tossed on rooftops or on the ground. For the one million residents of the largest slum in Asia (the Dharavi Slum in Mumbai), the there is an average of 1 toilet for every 1,440 people.

However, fixing the problem can be relatively inexpensive to solve, with broad social and economic benefits. According to the World Health Organization, for every $1 invested in sanitation, there is an overall economic return of $8 due to increased productivity. A $30 donation is enough to help one person gain access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene education.

Increasing international awareness of the importance of improving global sanitation is crucial… but modes of raising this awareness can be fun. In Korea, the World Toilet Association has built a GIANT Toilet-Shaped House to help highlight this issue!

(Many thanks to Crossley Pinkstaff from NYU Wagner's School of Public Service and Katherine Frew of WaterAid, for their contribution to the information and statistics on international sanitation. Their sources include: WHO, UNDP, and the UK Government Department for International Development.)

For more information, or to donate, please visit Water Aid’s website: www.wateraidamerica.org!

- Annie

PS: Please continue to send your international bathroom stories and anecdotes to me at annie.thegoteam@gmail.com

Interviewing Rock Stars from Kazakhstan - Annie

Over the weekend, I was extremely lucky and totally amused to meet Mikhail, my new best friend from Kazakhstan. I was helping Antonio with some interviews for his blog, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a guy with a lone cameraman, who was lip-singing and dancing with the backdrop of the flashing lights of Times Square behind him. I thought that he might be shooting a music video, so I went over and introduced myself. I said, "Hi, I'm Annie, and I'm a Toilet Paper Ambassador. Are you famous?" Mikhail was absolutely thrilled to meet us, and said, "Why yes, I am Mikhail and I am from Shymkent. I am a rock musician, recording my music video here in New York!" I was trying to not think of the movie, Borat, but I couldn't help it.

I was really thrilled. How often in life would I get the opportunity to get paid to interview a musician

from Kazakhstan about toilets from around the world? I asked Mikhail about his favorite toilet, and he immediately told me about one in the capital city of Astana, which was imported from Japan. It had a heated seat, and buttons on the side with which you could control the temperature and pressure of the spray of water for cleaning afterward. (Sound familiar? If you have been reading my blog, you should already know all about these electronic toilets from Japan!) I'm not sure if this particular kind of fancy toilet is common in capital cities in Central Asia, or whether this is just a special toilet for politicians and rock musicians.

In any case, Mikhail then asked me and Antonio if we would dance on his music video. (I'm really not kidding.) So, we took off our overcoats to reveal our Charmin Brand Ambassador jackets and shirts and lapel pins… and we boogied down with Mikhail, right there in Times Square, as his cameraman rolled the camera. I really, really DO hope we make it onto his music video in Kazakhstan!

Check out this small segment of my interview with Mikhail… you can see that we were both very, very excited. (If you don't see the video, click the red link "Read More" to take a look!) Otherwise, please continue to send me your international bathroom anecdotes and stories. Email me at annie.thegoteam@gmail.com!

International Bathroom Discussion: Squatty Potties! -Annie

In all of my travels abroad, I've encountered a pretty diverse array of toilets. The first time I went to Europe when I was twenty, I was puzzled and embarrassed when I had to ask for instructions on how to flush… the solution was a pull cord that used gravity to drop the water down from the ceiling! For me as an American, this was a totally novel idea. Now that I'm somewhat more experienced as an international bathroom user, I pride myself in being able to figure things out. Whether it's a pedal on the floor, a hidden flush button, or throwing a simple bucket of water, I can usually manage to flush successfully without consulting the locals.

Here in the Charmin Restrooms, I keep asking people for their favorite international bathroom stories. Now, after a few days here, I've started to accumulate some pretty interesting anecdotes about restrooms from all over the world! Just the other day, I met a girl from Montana named Hannah. (Not Hannah Montana, but Hannah from Montana.) Anyway, Hannah was explaining to me that she grew up in Taiwan, where the normal toilet is a "squatty potty." I'm including some photos to help you visualize, in case you've never seen one.

I've encountered these lovely toilets in Asia, Africa, and South America, so they're pretty common… but to an American, they can be kind of intimidating the first time you use them. They are basically a porcelain-lined hole in the ground, with pedals for your feet. Yep. You've gotta squat, balance, and not fall over in the process. For men, it's easier, because they can just stand up, but for women, it really exercises our thigh muscles!

In Taiwan, Hannah had regular western toilet in her house, but this was new to many of her Taiwanese friends who had never seen one, and had always exclusively used the squatty potties. Hannah said that frequently after her friends visited, she would find footprints on her toilet seat from their shoes… because they didn't understand that they were supposed to sit down, and they balanced on their feet and squatted instead!

Through the power of the internet, I have discovered that this phenomenon isn't completely unique, and you can actually buy an adaptable toilet seat for people who prefer to squat, rather than sit! I guess when we're looking at the amazing diversity of the world, going to the bathroom is just part of the mix!

Send me your international bathroom stories! You can email me: annie.thegoteam@gmail.com!

-Annie

Opening Week With THE GO TEAM: Seeking International Bathroom Stories!! - Annie

What a fantastic opening week so far in the Charmin Restrooms!! I have literally been bouncing off the walls with excitement! For those of you who have already met me in person, you know that I'm really not exaggerating! Meeting the other members of The Go Team has been such a joy! I feel like we're already a happy little family. We're five very enthusiastic peas in a pod! They're my new best friends. We love each other. It's fabulous! It makes me want to jump high into the air!

The Charmin Restrooms themselves are also truly, truly amazing! Where else on earth can you leap into a big foam pit of toilet paper, sit on (or in) a GIANT commode and have your photo taken, write electronic graffiti on a computerized toilet stall, confess all of your bathroom habits in the "can-fessional" booth, dance the potty dance on stage with pom-poms, AND have ipods and televisions in bathrooms that are cleaned and sanitized after each and every use??! I certainly can't think of anywhere else on Earth!

When I meet and talk to people in the Charmin Restrooms, I always ask: "Where in the world is your favorite place to go to the bathroom?" So far, I've had a lot of people tell me that THESE bathrooms are their absolute favorite restrooms of all time! (How flattering!) But actually, not everyone has said so... when Elvis stopped in on opening day, I asked him where he likes to 'enjoy the go' and he replied, "well, Graceland, of course!"

So, for the next few weeks, I'm going to continue asking everyone that I meet for bathroom stories from around the world! Do you have a favorite international bathroom experience? Or a least favorite? Or a particularly memorable one? Was there ever a toilet that you just couldn't figure out? If you have traveled, then you know that finding a decent bathroom is often part of the adventure. Send your stories my way! Send photos of your favorite international toilets if you have them! You can email me at: annie.thegoteam@gmail.com.

Over the next few weeks, I'll share the stories I hear, as well as some of my own!