World Toilet Day

-- Jane McGough

One’s first instinct is to snicker at the thought of a day devoted to toilets, but on Nov. 19, World Toilet Day received the serious attention of diplomats, educators and scientists the world over.

Each year on World Toilet Day, the Singapore-based World Toilet Organization asks that you think about the impact, good and bad, that public toilets have on your daily life. Are the facilities you use available, accessible, clean and attractive? Are the bathrooms regularly and properly maintained by building management? Do others take care to leave public restrooms in good shape for the next users? Do you?

We expect our public restrooms to be clean, attractive, comfortable and safe. We demand that the number of stalls, sinks and towel dispensers be proportionate to the number of users. We want dry seats, floors and countertops. We appreciate soap, mirrors and locking doors; and we are grateful for bathrooms that are conveniently located and accessible to all users.

Compared to the trials that people in many third-world countries face, such as no sewage drainage systems or no public facilities at all, our concerns about the public bathrooms we use at Metropolitan State University and throughout the Twin Cities seem little more than petty complaints.

But if you think about it, inadequate and unclean facilities can have negative impacts on our health, on our business’ success, and even on our emotions and personal security.

Though this year’s World Toilet Day has passed, remember to keep its issues in mind each day that you use public restroom facilities. Greater care taken at a personal level is bound to have positive impacts on all of us.

Participate in World Toilet Day every day

• Maintain good habits so that others may have clean and comfortable facilities. Always flush, always wash your hands properly and always be considerate of other users.

• Notify Metropolitan State University officials when facilities need attention: Soap and towel dispensers are empty, floors are dirty, toilets are out of order or vandalism has occurred. Call Building Services to report problems at the St. Paul and Midway Campuses at (651) 793-1700. Leave a detailed message if calling after hours that includes the nature and location of the problem.

• Attend Places to Go: Bathrooms of the Twin Cities, a photographic exhibit at the Hennepin History Museum. The exhibit about historic and beautiful Twin Cities public restrooms runs through Dec. 30. Information can be found at http://www.hhmuseum.org.

• Search “bathroom etiquette” and “restroom architecture” for both funny and serious Web sites.

• Visit the World Toilet Organization’s Web site at http://www.worldtoilet.org for information and links about bathroom issues throughout the world.

• Search LexisNexis (on Metropolitan State University’s library database) for articles on World Toilet Day.