Posts by Phlush
New documentary breaks taboos to explore America’s wastewater infrastructure
Documentary filmmaker Karina Mangu-Ward is going to make a splash with FLUSH, which premieres worldwide on November 15th, 2017. Mangu-Ward’s images are captivating, the editing is excellent, and the film features some of North America’s most important sanitation heroes. It will change the way you think about poop. We here at the other PHLUSH (Public Hygiene Lets Us…
Read MorePHLUSH urges Orange County to reopen restrooms in public letter
Dear Orange County Board of Supervisors: Our organization Public Hygiene Lets Us Stay Human (PHLUSH) was appalled at the forced removal of portable toilets located along the banks of the Santa Ana River as reported in a recent article from The Guardian. These toilets were used by hundreds of people, and women and children are…
Read MoreWorld Water Week 2017: Live Blog
Welcome to the PHLUSH live blog of World Water Week 2017. PHLUSH Program Manager Carol McCreary is live blogging (using Twitter) the event in Stockholm, Sweden from August 27th to September 1st. The event program is here. The exhibitors are here. If you want her to discuss a specific topic, please leave a comment on…
Read MoreWhen someone needs a toilet but doesn’t have a home: building support for public toilets
This post is by PHLUSH board member Kyle Earlywine. He also runs his own toilet business and blog. He is a passionate advocate for dignified sanitation for those living without homes. Why do homeless people need toilets? For most people, access to a toilet is a given. Even if your community lacks restroom access, there…
Read MoreHow do you engage government officials on toilets?
Access to water and sanitation are human rights! But saying this is not enough to get a commitment from governments. We need to engage and persuade public officials who are likely to have limited funding and competing priorities. We need to understand their priorities and motivations if we are to influence governments at the local,…
Read MoreAn interview with Anna Preble on Portland’s All-User restrooms
PHLUSH is an all-volunteer organization; our volunteers respond to calls from local agencies and organizations. This ethos brings together a group of motivated professionals working all across North America on diverse sanitation issues. We are proud to feature the work of Anna Preble. Her tireless efforts around public toilet access in Portland have led to…
Read MoreSocial inclusion, toilet rights, and legal protection for transgender Americans
Public toilets have long been at the forefront of human rights advocacy in the United States. During the past year, the transgender community and parents of young children who identify with a gender other than their birth sex have successfully advocated for laws requiring gender-neutral toilet rooms to ensure greater privacy. This expansion of the…
Read MoreInnovative start-up brings waterless ecological toilets to festivals in the Pacific Northwest
When we heard about a company providing portable composting toilets for events in the Pacific Northwest, we wanted to learn more. So we got in touch with Nicole Cousino, founder of Nature Commode. Is this your first start up? Nature Commode is my first venture of this kind. I did a few projects 20 years…
Read MoreTeen leads movement bringing menstrual hygiene supplies to thousands of houseless women.
Editor’s Note We recently had the opportunity to meet 17-year old Nadya Okamoto, who founded the Camions of Care, a 501c3 nonprofit in Portland, Oregon. In the past year Camions of Care team members have distributed more than 6,000 care packages of feminine hygiene products through 25 nonprofit partners. Here is the story in Nadya’s…
Read MoreLorry Drivers Need Loos, Too!
This guest post from Gill Kemp, leader of Truckers’ Toilets UK and committee member of the British Toilet Association, is last in our series to celebrate World Toilet Day – TODAY – November 19 with the launch of PHLUSH Public Toilet Advocacy Toolkit. The UK is getting ready for Christmas. The shelves are beginning to…
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