Matt Burman
6/20/13
Writers` workshop

Genre: Essay
Audience: Age 10-60 men and women mostly teens.
Purpose: To get clean water to africa
Toilets for the next generation

One of the richest men on earth has paid $100,000 to change the design of the toilet! Now you are probably thinking toilets what is he talking about, but it is true Bill Gates the former CEO of Microsoft has paid over 100,000 to the top designs for toilets. But not only the top design but the most eco-friendly and innovative. The first place design went to California Institute of Technology for building a solar powered toilet that also creates electricity and hydrogen. Second place went to Loughborough University in the U.K. they had built a toilet that creates resources for charcoal and clean water. The rest of the winners had won because of either design or because they have systems of filters for clean water.


There are 2.5 billion people around the world who don’t have access to clean and sanitized waste facilities. Most of these people also don’t have access to clean water. For us it is so easy to get our water but can you imagine if you had to walk five miles for a bucket of water that would last you an entire day. You would bathe drink and cook with that one or two buckets of water. Now all we have to do is go to our faucet and with the flick of the wrist you have an unlimited supply of water. (Which you must pay for of course) now I am writing this on a laptop which is charging but can you imagine if all you had to do was to plug into your toilet and it would charge. Well Bill Gates thinks that the new toilet is just a step into the “next generation”.These toilets can be installed in africa so that they will have access to electricity or be installed in america so that we can cut down on water usage.
To most the toilet is a funny thing but to others they feel that the toilet can change the future. I too believe that the toilet can change the world. With the technology that we have now we can make toilets more efficient.

To most they don’t even really understand the crisis in Africa but most children are starving and dehydrated. Just imagine a toilet that takes one hour to install and costs less than five cents a day to operate and did not need a septic tank, running water or electricity but instead created electricity. This kind of innovation would really create a lot of opportunities for other less fortunate countries. Not to mention would bring in a ton of money for whomever created this revolutionary device.

People all over the world such as Matt Damon, George Clooney and Angelina Jolie are all activists in africa. (They are help in trying to prevent genocide). Also these activists are trying to bring food, shelter, and water. These people are doing a great job they are donating and helping out but they still need help. All it takes is a couple of dollars everyday to those who are less fortunate, or it can be a complicated as building the toilet of the future. Every one U.S. dollar is worth 85.90 kenyan shilling.


These toilets can make life for others so much easier. But also can you imagine if we also invented sinks, bathtubs, showers and more this many possibilities could not only help people who are less fortunate it could also save lives. Think about it you live somewhere they do not have running water or electricity and someone is dying but you remember you have toilet that also creates electricity and you can get the medical treatment you require and they are of on their way.
Everybody can take charge in this situation. Bill Gates for example does not want to build or invent anything on his own so he used what most people know him for his money. He hired people and those people came through for him now he might not have intended when he announced the contest but sure enough this one simple thing has and can affect a lot of people.
All you need to do is donate and spread the word. If we can get the number of people without clean bathrooms and running water down by half that will be a big breakthrough.