An estimated 4.5 billion people practice open defecation or use facilities that do not safely dispose of human waste, contributing to waterborne diseases and countless deaths. In 2011, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation launched the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge to fund the development of new technologies to safely manage human waste. Kohler has been involved with the effort since 2012, partnering with the California Institute of Technology. In 2014, the Gates Foundation awarded Kohler a grant to develop prototypes evolving Caltech’s closed-loop wastewater treatment technology for field testing in apartment buildings in the city of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India. My involvement in this effort included an immersive research trip to three Indian cities, collaborating with an interdisciplinary team to design the new system, translating the system into an appealing 3D form, and design strategy.
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