Interesting to note the reply from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on
thier proposal to reinvent the toilet (and it is not an automated reply if
you look at the time delay).
It clearly shows that they will not engage in any debate and have the
attitude, because I have the money and therefore the power, I will tell you
what to do, even when what they are proposing is a physical impossibility
(I stand to be corrected on this).
Also there is no discussion on how to bring water on to site for other uses
and dispose of the greywater afterwards.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: GD WSH Inbox <GDWSHIn...@gatesfoundation.org>
Date: Thu, Apr 26, 2012 at 1:41 AM
Subject: RE: FW: Letters of Inquiry for the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge
Round 2
To: Richard Holden <richarddhol...@gmail.com>
Dear Richard,****
** **
Thank you for your email. The foundation works with a wide range of
partners through our Water, Sanitation & Hygiene initiative, under our
Global Development Program, to reduce the burden of water-borne disease and
to improve the lives of the poor. Please note that the Water, Sanitation &
Hygiene initiative is not accepting unsolicited proposals at this time.
However, we periodically post request for proposals (RFP) on our web site.**
**
** **
We are focusing our efforts on sanitation, particularly in Africa and Asia,
where the burden of poor sanitation is the highest. In particular, our
approach aims to expand and improve the use of sanitation that does not
connect to a central sewer system. Our grants aim to provide people with
safe and sustainable services across the entire sanitation value chain.
For more information, including a fact sheet on our activities in this
sector and a list of grants made to date, please go to
www.gatesfoundation.org/topics/Pages/water-sanitation-hygiene.aspx.****
*From:* Richard Holden [mailto:richarddhol...@gmail.com]
*Sent:* Tuesday, April 24, 2012 4:31 AM
*To:* ecosan...@yahoogroups.com; GD WSH Inbox
*Subject:* Fwd: FW: Letters of Inquiry for the Reinvent the Toilet
Challenge Round 2****
** **
Dear All****
****
I find it interesting how the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is now into
redefining the laws of physics, biology as well as ignoring the well
documented connection between availability of water and public Health.****
****
They envisage a toilet which takes input in the form of excreta and anal
cleansing material (water, paper etc) but has no outputs. As far as I know
this is a pyhsical impossibility. The output will be either a solid,
liquid or gas. If it is a solid or liquid it must be transported away
(take your choice as a pipe or a vehicle) and if it is a gas then it will
be into the atmosphere and I cannot see how excreta can produce the energy
to convert itself into gas (further requirement, no utlities).****
****
On biology and public health no water connection, or is this just to the
toilet and we can still have the water piped in for all the other uses and
pipe it away as well. Humans need water to survive and the ability to keep
the environment clean through adequate quantities of water as well as the
safe removal and treatment is a major public health intervention.****
****
Also the solutions sound mechanically and electrically complex. One of the
beauties of waterborne sewage is the simplicity of operation at household
level so that it gives the required level of reliability (ulike for example
a computer, which crash and fall apart on a regular basis).****
****
For urban areas where on site disposal of greywater and excreta is not
possible I have not seen any viable transportation and treatment solution
other than a pipe and centralised treatment works****
****
Regards****
****
Richard****
****
****
*From:* bmgf-wsh-requ...@list.gatesfoundation.org [mailto:
bmgf-wsh-requ...@list.gatesfoundation.org] *On Behalf Of *GD WSH Inbox
*Sent:* 23 April 2012 10:29 PM
*To:* GD WSH Inbox
*Subject:* Letters of Inquiry for the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge Round 2*
***
****
****
****
Dear Colleagues: ****
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is inviting innovators to send letters
of inquiry for the following opportunity: ****
We are calling for a new set of innovative ideas to support our effort to
reinvent the toilet. Grants will be awarded to exceptionally
highly-qualified research groups interested in contributing to major
advances in human sanitation in the developing world. These R&D efforts
will comprise a new phase of the Foundation’s Reinvent the Toilet
Challenge: fast-paced designing, prototyping and demonstrating-in-operation
of entirely stand-alone, self-contained, eminently-practical sanitation
modules which intake bodily wastes and swiftly dispose of them definitively
– without any incoming water piping, outgoing sewer piping or electric or
gas utility services. These modules must intake all outputs of the serviced
population – ultimately at single-residence scales – with minimal module
footprints and assured biosafety. Thus, chemical and mechanical engineering
approaches are preferred. ****
If you have questions regarding this grant opportunity, please email us at
GDWSHIn...@gatesfoundation.org. Applicants can be at any experience level;
in any discipline; and from any organization, including colleges and
universities, government laboratories, research institutions, non-profit
organizations and for profit companies. We are looking forward to receiving
innovative ideas from around the world and from all disciplines. If you
have a great idea, please apply. If you know someone else who may have a
great idea, please forward this message. ****
Thank you for your commitment to solving one the world's greatest health
and development challenges. ****
------------------------------
*Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. **
***
Yes you are right. It takes time for new starters to realize that
sanitation is first of all a system. And then it is not just a system of
technologies but it involves human beings that behave differently in
various parts of the world with varying attitudes. So as you say the
toilet is only one component. It is therefore misleading or
counter-productive to focus only on "reinventing the toilet". Yes the
toilet is important, no question but it needs to be a tool that allows
for sustainable options. The fixation towards toilets alone has led to
pit latrines (Hide and Forget) and flush toilets (Flush and Forget) and
really no social learning about what the system impacts are, how
expensive they are and what the risks are. These questions become
crystal clear and tragic in disasters where the WASH system fails,
causes widespread disease and mortality especially among small children.
We should be thinking in terms of re-evaluating the sanitation system or
value chain. It could well be that this is what Gates Foundation had in
mind and it will never be to late to expand the horizon.
Best wishes
--Arno Rosemarin/SEI
From: ecosan...@yahoogroups.com [mailto:ecosan...@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of Carol Steinfeld
Sent: den 26 april 2012 20:17
To: ecosan...@yahoogroups.com
Cc: washsanitation@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: EcoSanRes: Fwd: FW: Letters of Inquiry for the Reinvent the
Toilet Challenge Round 2
The problem is with the word "toilet."
We hear "Much of the world's population has no toilet" then a suggestion
that this is why they are prone to disease. But a sizable percentage of
the world's population has a toilet---one that drains to lakes, streams,
rivers, seashore, groundwater or other drinking water sources. And so
those toilets are disease vectors.
A toilet is a collection device. The sanitation deficiency or disease
vector challenge that needs addressing is excreta management.
This framing of the problem as "a lack of toilet" is confusing the
public's and NGOs' understanding of the problem. And so you get Gates
and some research organizations funding research of toilets that drain
to tiny settling tanks with small biogas digesters and little reverse
osmosis systems and and then a burning of the resulting solids. Anyone
who has worked in developing countries knows why this expensive and
maintenance-intensive system would not fly in most places of need. It
also would be a hard sell in a wealthy community in the United States.
We need to use better terms for this problem and get away from the
simplistic and inaccurate term "toilet" when discussing the need for
sanitation. "Excreta management" is accurate but perhaps is not vivid
enough for many.
Let's think about alternative terms to use when describing this
situation to the public.
Interesting to note the reply from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
on thier proposal to reinvent the toilet (and it is not an automated
reply if you look at the time delay).
It clearly shows that they will not engage in any debate and have the
attitude, because I have the money and therefore the power, I will tell
you what to do, even when what they are proposing is a physical
impossibility (I stand to be corrected on this).
Also there is no discussion on how to bring water on to site for other
uses and dispose of the greywater afterwards.
<mailto:GDWSHIn...@gatesfoundation.org> >
Date: Thu, Apr 26, 2012 at 1:41 AM
Subject: RE: FW: Letters of Inquiry for the Reinvent the Toilet
Challenge Round 2
To: Richard Holden <richarddhol...@gmail.com
<mailto:richarddhol...@gmail.com> >
Dear Richard,
Thank you for your email. The foundation works with a wide range of
partners through our Water, Sanitation & Hygiene initiative, under our
Global Development Program, to reduce the burden of water-borne disease
and to improve the lives of the poor. Please note that the Water,
Sanitation & Hygiene initiative is not accepting unsolicited proposals
at this time. However, we periodically post request for proposals (RFP)
on our web site.
We are focusing our efforts on sanitation, particularly in Africa and
Asia, where the burden of poor sanitation is the highest. In
particular, our approach aims to expand and improve the use of
sanitation that does not connect to a central sewer system. Our grants
aim to provide people with safe and sustainable services across the
entire sanitation value chain. For more information, including a fact
sheet on our activities in this sector and a list of grants made to
date, please go to
www.gatesfoundation.org/topics/Pages/water-sanitation-hygiene.aspx <http://www.gatesfoundation.org/topics/Pages/water-sanitation-hygiene.as px> .
From: Richard Holden [mailto:richarddhol...@gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2012 4:31 AM
To: ecosan...@yahoogroups.com; GD WSH Inbox
Subject: Fwd: FW: Letters of Inquiry for the Reinvent the Toilet
Challenge Round 2
Dear All
I find it interesting how the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is now
into redefining the laws of physics, biology as well as ignoring the
well documented connection between availability of water and public
Health.
They envisage a toilet which takes input in the form of excreta and anal
cleansing material (water, paper etc) but has no outputs. As far as I
know this is a pyhsical impossibility. The output will be either a
solid, liquid or gas. If it is a solid or liquid it must be transported
away (take your choice as a pipe or a vehicle) and if it is a gas then
it will be into the atmosphere and I cannot see how excreta can produce
the energy to convert itself into gas (further requirement, no
utlities).
On biology and public health no water connection, or is this just to the
toilet and we can still have the water piped in for all the other uses
and pipe it away as well. Humans need water to survive and the ability
to keep the environment clean through adequate quantities of water as
well as the safe removal and treatment is a major public health
intervention.
Also the solutions sound mechanically and electrically complex. One of
the beauties of waterborne sewage is the simplicity of operation at
household level so that it gives the required level of reliability
(ulike for example a computer, which crash and fall apart on a regular
basis).
For urban areas where on site disposal of greywater and excreta is not
possible I have not seen any viable transportation and treatment
solution other than a pipe and centralised treatment works
Regards
Richard
From: bmgf-wsh-requ...@list.gatesfoundation.org
[mailto:bmgf-wsh-requ...@list.gatesfoundation.org] On Behalf Of GD WSH
Inbox
Sent: 23 April 2012 10:29 PM
To: GD WSH Inbox
Subject: Letters of Inquiry for the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge Round
2
Dear Colleagues:
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is inviting innovators to send
letters of inquiry for the following opportunity:
We are calling for a new set of innovative ideas to support our effort
to reinvent the toilet. Grants will be awarded to exceptionally
highly-qualified research groups interested in contributing to major
advances in human sanitation in the developing world. These R&D efforts
will comprise a new phase of the Foundation's Reinvent the Toilet
Challenge: fast-paced designing, prototyping and
demonstrating-in-operation of entirely stand-alone, self-contained,
eminently-practical sanitation modules which intake bodily wastes and
swiftly dispose of them definitively - without any incoming water
piping, outgoing sewer piping or electric or gas utility services. These
modules must intake all outputs of the serviced population - ultimately
at single-residence scales - with minimal module footprints and assured
biosafety. Thus, chemical and mechanical engineering approaches are
preferred.
If you have questions regarding this grant opportunity, please email us
at GDWSHIn...@gatesfoundation.org. Applicants can be at any experience
level; in any discipline; and from any organization, including colleges
and universities, government laboratories, research institutions,
non-profit organizations and for profit companies. We are looking
forward to receiving innovative ideas from around the world and from all
disciplines. If you have a great idea, please apply. If you know someone
else who may have a great idea, please forward this message.
Thank you for your commitment to solving one the world's greatest health
and development challenges.
________________________________
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation works to help
The fact that this is "Reinvent the Toilet" Challenge Round 2 is very
telling. What was the result of Challenge Round? Obviously, Round 1 did not
yield acceptable solutions so this is most likely why they are on Round 2.
My take on this is that the Gates Foundation is a bit late to the party on
the Sanitation and Water issue because they made HIV/AIDs the most
important issue that needed to be tackled in developing countries when in
fact availability of water and sanitation and related water-borne diseases,
malaria, and TB are far more devastating . Now they want to own the WASH
story without acknowledging the wealth of research and experience that
already exists from organisations like SuSanA and Ecosan Res.
What I suggest is that the leaders of the WASH community reach out to the
Gates Foundation to have a dialogue with them about how best the community
can collaborate with them to make things happen. There is no need for them
to re-invent the wheel or dig their heads in the sand and pretend that
there isn't an ongoing WASH effort.
This is my two cents on the subject.
Warm regards, Audrey
On Thu, Apr 26, 2012 at 12:47 PM, Arno Rosemarin <
> Yes you are right. It takes time for new starters to realize that
> sanitation is first of all *a system.* And then it is not just a system
> of technologies but it involves human beings that behave differently in
> various parts of the world with varying attitudes. So as you say the toilet
> is only one component. It is therefore misleading or counter-productive to
> focus only on “reinventing the toilet”. Yes the toilet is important, no
> question but it needs to be a tool that allows for sustainable options. The
> fixation towards toilets alone has led to pit latrines (Hide and Forget)
> and flush toilets (Flush and Forget) and really no social learning about
> what the system impacts are, how expensive they are and what the risks
> are. These questions become crystal clear and tragic in disasters where the
> WASH system fails, causes widespread disease and mortality especially among
> small children. We should be thinking in terms of re-evaluating the
> sanitation system or value chain. It could well be that this is what Gates
> Foundation had in mind and it will never be to late to expand the horizon.
> ****
> Best wishes****
> --Arno Rosemarin/SEI****
> ** **
> *From:* ecosan...@yahoogroups.com [mailto:ecosan...@yahoogroups.com] *On
> Behalf Of *Carol Steinfeld
> *Sent:* den 26 april 2012 20:17
> *To:* ecosan...@yahoogroups.com
> *Cc:* washsanitation@googlegroups.com
> *Subject:* Re: EcoSanRes: Fwd: FW: Letters of Inquiry for the Reinvent
> the Toilet Challenge Round 2****
> ** **
> ****
> The problem is with the word "toilet." ****
> ** **
> We hear "Much of the world's population has no toilet" then a suggestion
> that this is why they are prone to disease. But a sizable percentage of the
> world's population has a toilet---one that drains to lakes, streams,
> rivers, seashore, groundwater or other drinking water sources. And so those
> toilets are disease vectors. ****
> ** **
> A toilet is a collection device. The sanitation deficiency or disease
> vector challenge that needs addressing is excreta management. ****
> ** **
> This framing of the problem as "a lack of toilet" is confusing the
> public's and NGOs' understanding of the problem. And so you get Gates and
> some research organizations funding research of toilets that drain to tiny
> settling tanks with small biogas digesters and little reverse osmosis
> systems and and then a burning of the resulting solids. Anyone who has
> worked in developing countries knows why this expensive and
> maintenance-intensive system would not fly in most places of need. It also
> would be a hard sell in a wealthy community in the United States. ****
> ** **
> We need to use better terms for this problem and get away from the
> simplistic and inaccurate term "toilet" when discussing the need for
> sanitation. "Excreta management" is accurate but perhaps is not vivid
> enough for many. ****
> ** **
> Let's think about alternative terms to use when describing this situation
> to the public. ****
> ** **
> Carol Steinfeld****
> Ecowaters****
> On Thu, Apr 26, 2012 at 4:42 AM, Richard Holden <richarddhol...@gmail.com>
> wrote:****
> ****
> Dear All****
> Interesting to note the reply from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on
> thier proposal to reinvent the toilet (and it is not an automated reply if
> you look at the time delay).****
> It clearly shows that they will not engage in any debate and have the
> attitude, because I have the money and therefore the power, I will tell you
> what to do, even when what they are proposing is a physical impossibility
> (I stand to be corrected on this).****
> Also there is no discussion on how to bring water on to site for other
> uses and dispose of the greywater afterwards.****
> Richard Holden
> ****
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: *GD WSH Inbox* <GDWSHIn...@gatesfoundation.org>
> Date: Thu, Apr 26, 2012 at 1:41 AM
> Subject: RE: FW: Letters of Inquiry for the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge
> Round 2
> To: Richard Holden <richarddhol...@gmail.com>****
> Dear Richard,****
> Thank you for your email. The foundation works with a wide range of
> partners through our Water, Sanitation & Hygiene initiative, under our
> Global Development Program, to reduce the burden of water-borne disease and
> to improve the lives of the poor. Please note that the Water, Sanitation &
> Hygiene initiative is not accepting unsolicited proposals at this time.
> However, we periodically post request for proposals (RFP) on our web site.
> ****
> We are focusing our efforts on sanitation, particularly in Africa and
> Asia, where the burden of poor sanitation is the highest. In particular,
> our approach aims to expand and improve the use of sanitation that does not
> connect to a central sewer system. Our grants aim to provide people with
> safe and sustainable services across the entire sanitation value chain.
> For more information, including a fact sheet on our activities in this
> sector and a list of grants made to date, please go to
> www.gatesfoundation.org/topics/Pages/water-sanitation-hygiene.aspx.****
> *From:* Richard Holden [mailto:richarddhol...@gmail.com]
> *Sent:* Tuesday, April 24, 2012 4:31 AM
> *To:* ecosan...@yahoogroups.com; GD WSH Inbox
> *Subject:* Fwd: FW: Letters of Inquiry for the Reinvent the Toilet
> Challenge Round 2****
> Dear All****
> I find it interesting how the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is now into
> redefining the laws of physics, biology as well as ignoring the well
> documented connection between availability of water and public Health.****
> They envisage a toilet which takes input in the form of excreta and anal
> cleansing material (water, paper etc) but has no outputs. As far as I know
> this is a pyhsical impossibility. The output will be either a solid,
> liquid or gas. If it is a solid or liquid it must be transported away
> (take your choice as a pipe or a vehicle) and if it is a gas then it will
> be into the atmosphere and I cannot see how excreta can produce the energy
> to convert itself into gas (further requirement, no utlities).****
> On biology and public health no water connection, or is this just to the
> toilet and we can still have the water piped in for all the other uses and
> pipe it away as well. Humans need water to survive and the ability to keep
> the environment clean through adequate quantities of water as well as the
> safe removal and treatment is a major public health intervention.****
> Also the solutions sound mechanically and electrically complex. One of the
> beauties of waterborne sewage is the simplicity of operation at household
> level so that it gives the required level of reliability (ulike for example
> a computer, which crash and fall apart on a regular basis).****
> For urban areas where on site disposal of greywater and excreta is not
> possible I have not seen any viable transportation and treatment solution
> other than a pipe and centralised treatment works****
> Regards****
> Richard****
> *From:* bmgf-wsh-requ...@list.gatesfoundation.org [mailto:
> bmgf-wsh-requ...@list.gatesfoundation.org] *On Behalf Of *GD WSH Inbox
> *Sent:* 23 April 2012 10:29 PM
> *To:* GD WSH Inbox
> *Subject:* Letters of Inquiry for the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge Round
> 2****
> ****
> Dear Colleagues: ****
> The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is inviting innovators to send letters
> of inquiry for the following opportunity: ****
> We are calling for a new set of innovative ideas to support our effort to
> reinvent the toilet. Grants will be awarded to exceptionally
> highly-qualified research groups interested in contributing to major
> advances in human sanitation in the developing world. These R&D efforts
> will comprise a new phase of the Foundation’s Reinvent the Toilet
> Challenge: fast-paced designing, prototyping and demonstrating-in-operation
> of entirely stand-alone,
"Reinvent the toilet" , might not be a the wisest and a bit arrogant description, but its a catchy title, particularly for the media, and through this challenge gates the issue of sanitation has been more in the media.
Sanitation is NOT a high priority theme of Gate, after hiv/ aids, polio , their theme will be now birth control (see recent tedx conference in berlin).
Not only myself, but also other partnes (see catarina de albuquerque's statement at africasan) are not to happy that it the challenge is TOO hardware focused, because acceptance, affordablity, availability and appropriateness for developing countries is often very much in question - Rightly as Arno said before. and these has to go along with software innovations , a theme that Gates hasn't touched much so far.
I am actually quiete suprise that the community here is so opposed of the challenge, and does not rather see it as a good opportunity for dialogue and getting more partners engaged, particularly on solving outstanding issues around the sustainable sanitation chain, something the gates foundation is comitted too! instead of promoting end-of-pipe solutions or simply flush systems, because that would have been a really bad scenario for all of us.
therefor lets appreciate first that activities by the ecosan/ susana group have already yielded to some extend for a shift of thinking of large new donors like Gates. And yes, thereare still gaps and challenges ahead,
But lets rather seek the opportunity to engage better for an upcoming (?) Round 3. And i am sure some people here in the forum are in dialogue with Gates already.
Best Greetings
And p.s. yes, wash united is gates funded, but for software in schools and campaigning.
iNA jURGA
WASH United
Wash in schools Manager
Blücherstr. 22
10961 Berlin- GERMANY
> The fact that this is "Reinvent the Toilet" Challenge Round 2 is very telling. What was the result of Challenge Round? Obviously, Round 1 did not yield acceptable solutions so this is most likely why they are on Round 2.
> My take on this is that the Gates Foundation is a bit late to the party on the Sanitation and Water issue because they made HIV/AIDs the most important issue that needed to be tackled in developing countries when in fact availability of water and sanitation and related water-borne diseases, malaria, and TB are far more devastating . Now they want to own the WASH story without acknowledging the wealth of research and experience that already exists from organisations like SuSanA and Ecosan Res.
> What I suggest is that the leaders of the WASH community reach out to the Gates Foundation to have a dialogue with them about how best the community can collaborate with them to make things happen. There is no need for them to re-invent the wheel or dig their heads in the sand and pretend that there isn't an ongoing WASH effort.
> This is my two cents on the subject.
> Warm regards, Audrey
> On Thu, Apr 26, 2012 at 12:47 PM, Arno Rosemarin <arno.rosema...@sei-international.org> wrote:
> Carol
> Yes you are right. It takes time for new starters to realize that sanitation is first of all a system. And then it is not just a system of technologies but it involves human beings that behave differently in various parts of the world with varying attitudes. So as you say the toilet is only one component. It is therefore misleading or counter-productive to focus only on “reinventing the toilet”. Yes the toilet is important, no question but it needs to be a tool that allows for sustainable options. The fixation towards toilets alone has led to pit latrines (Hide and Forget) and flush toilets (Flush and Forget) and really no social learning about what the system impacts are, how expensive they are and what the risks are. These questions become crystal clear and tragic in disasters where the WASH system fails, causes widespread disease and mortality especially among small children. We should be thinking in terms of re-evaluating the sanitation system or value chain. It could well be that this is what Gates Foundation had in mind and it will never be to late to expand the horizon.
> Best wishes
> --Arno Rosemarin/SEI
> From: ecosan...@yahoogroups.com [mailto:ecosan...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Carol Steinfeld
> Sent: den 26 april 2012 20:17
> To: ecosan...@yahoogroups.com
> Cc: washsanitation@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: EcoSanRes: Fwd: FW: Letters of Inquiry for the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge Round 2
> The problem is with the word "toilet."
> We hear "Much of the world's population has no toilet" then a suggestion that this is why they are prone to disease. But a sizable percentage of the world's population has a toilet---one that drains to lakes, streams, rivers, seashore, groundwater or other drinking water sources. And so those toilets are disease vectors.
> A toilet is a collection device. The sanitation deficiency or disease vector challenge that needs addressing is excreta management.
> This framing of the problem as "a lack of toilet" is confusing the public's and NGOs' understanding of the problem. And so you get Gates and some research organizations funding research of toilets that drain to tiny settling tanks with small biogas digesters and little reverse osmosis systems and and then a burning of the resulting solids. Anyone who has worked in developing countries knows why this expensive and maintenance-intensive system would not fly in most places of need. It also would be a hard sell in a wealthy community in the United States.
> We need to use better terms for this problem and get away from the simplistic and inaccurate term "toilet" when discussing the need for sanitation. "Excreta management" is accurate but perhaps is not vivid enough for many.
> Let's think about alternative terms to use when describing this situation to the public.
> Carol Steinfeld
> Ecowaters
> On Thu, Apr 26, 2012 at 4:42 AM, Richard Holden <richarddhol...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Dear All
> Interesting to note the reply from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on thier proposal to reinvent the toilet (and it is not an automated reply if you look at the time delay).
> It clearly shows that they will not engage in any debate and have the attitude, because I have the money and therefore the power, I will tell you what to do, even when what they are proposing is a physical impossibility (I stand to be corrected on this).
> Also there is no discussion on how to bring water on to site for other uses and dispose of the greywater afterwards.
> Richard Holden
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: GD WSH Inbox <GDWSHIn...@gatesfoundation.org>
> Date: Thu, Apr 26, 2012 at 1:41 AM
> Subject: RE: FW: Letters of Inquiry for the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge Round 2
> To: Richard Holden <richarddhol...@gmail.com>
> Dear Richard,
> Thank you for your email. The foundation works with a wide range of partners through our Water, Sanitation & Hygiene initiative, under our Global Development Program, to reduce the burden of water-borne disease and to improve the lives of the poor. Please note that the Water, Sanitation & Hygiene initiative is not accepting unsolicited proposals at this time. However, we periodically post request for proposals (RFP) on our web site.
> We are focusing our efforts on sanitation, particularly in Africa and Asia, where the burden of poor sanitation is the highest. In particular, our approach aims to expand and improve the use of sanitation that does not connect to a central sewer system. Our grants aim to provide people with safe and sustainable services across the entire sanitation value chain. For more information, including a fact sheet on our activities in this sector and a list of grants made to date, please go to www.gatesfoundation.org/topics/Pages/water-sanitation-hygiene.aspx.
> From: Richard Holden [mailto:richarddhol...@gmail.com] > Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2012 4:31 AM
> To: ecosan...@yahoogroups.com; GD WSH Inbox
> Subject: Fwd: FW: Letters of Inquiry for the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge Round 2
> Dear All
> I find it interesting how the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is now into redefining the laws of physics, biology as well as ignoring the well documented connection between availability of water and public Health.
> They envisage a toilet which takes input in the form of excreta and anal cleansing material (water, paper etc) but has no outputs. As far as I know this is a pyhsical impossibility. The output will be either a solid, liquid or gas. If it is a solid or liquid it must be transported away (take your choice as a pipe or a vehicle) and if it is a gas then it will be into the atmosphere and I cannot see how excreta can produce the energy to convert itself into gas (further requirement, no utlities).
> On biology and public health no water connection, or is this just to the toilet and we can still have the water piped in for all the other uses and pipe it away as well. Humans need water to survive and the ability to keep the environment clean through adequate quantities of water as well as the safe removal and treatment is a major public health intervention.
