--- title: Pipe Dreams TS Book Club Discussion --- ![1800x720](https://webinars.the-scientist.com/hs-fs/hubfs/TS%20Webinars/TS%20Book%20Club%20August%2020th,%202021/1800x720.jpeg?width=1800&height=720&name=1800x720.jpeg "1800x720") # Event Overview Most of us do not give much thought to the centerpiece of our bathrooms, but the toilet is an unexpected paradox. On the one hand, it is a modern miracle: a ubiquitous fixture in a vast sanitation system that has helped add decades to human lifespan by reducing disease. On the other hand, the toilet is also a tragic failure: fewer than half the people on Earth can access a toilet that safely manages bodily waste. That includes many folks right here in the United States. And it is inefficient, squandering clean water as well as the nutrients and energy contained in the waste we flush away. While we see radical technological change in almost every other aspect of our lives, we remain stuck in a sanitation status quo—in part because the topic of toilets is taboo. Fortunately, there’s hope—and *Pipe Dreams* daringly profiles the growing army of scientists, engineers, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and activists worldwide who are overcoming their aversions and focusing their formidable skills on making toilets accessible and healthier for all. This potential revolution in sanitation has many benefits, including reducing inequalities, mitigating climate change and water scarcity, improving agriculture, and optimizing health. Author Chelsea Wald takes us on a wild world tour from a composting toilet project in Haiti, to a plant in the Netherlands that harvests used toilet paper from sewage, and shows us a bot that hangs out in manholes to estimate opioid use in a city, among many other fascinating developments. Much more than a glorified trash can, the toilet, Wald maintains, holds the power to help solve many of the world’s problems. \[Description adapted from Simon and Schuster\] Before and after the webinar, readers are invited to join the discussion in *The Scientist* Social Club [Facebook Group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/thescientistsocialclub/).  **Topics to be covered** Why the author decided to focus her first book on the subject of toilets The process of reporting the book The science behind building a better toilet | ![](https://webinars.the-scientist.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Images/TS/Webinars/calendar%20icon.png?width=50&name=calendar%20icon.png) | **Friday, August 20, 2021** | | --- | --- |   | ![](https://webinars.the-scientist.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Images/TS/Webinars/clock%20icon.png?width=50&name=clock%20icon.png) | **2:00 - 3:00 PM, Eastern Time** | | --- | --- | Speakers ![](https://webinars.the-scientist.com/hubfs/TS%20Webinars/TS%20Book%20Club%20August%2020th,%202021/Chelsea%20Wald%20(c)%20Cathleen%20Owens%20(1)circle.png) Chelsea Wald Chelsea Wald is an award-winning freelance science journalist with more than fifteen years of experience writing about science and the environment. # Register Now ### High Content Phenotypic Screening and Analysis Enhances Drug Discovery You must have Javascript and Cookies enabled to access this webcast. Information you provide will be held in confidence and will be shared with the sponsoring vendor(s) of this webinar. *The Scientist* and sponsor(s) may use the information to contact you about your account and to let you know about related programs and products; you may opt-out at any time. This allows *The Scientist* to keep these webinars free of charge for our readers. The Scientist c/o LabX Media Group 1000 N West Street, Suite 1200, Wilmington, Delaware, United States, 19801 Toll Free: 888.788.0328 | Phone: 705.528.6888 Email: [privacy@the-scientist.com](mailto:privacy@the-scientist.com) [Privacy Policy](https://www.the-scientist.com/privacy-policy) © 1986-2022 [The Scientist](http://the-scientist.com/)   [![The Scientist Logo\_white](https://webinars.the-scientist.com/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Scientist%20Logo_white.png?width=702&name=The%20Scientist%20Logo_white.png "The Scientist Logo_white")](https://www.the-scientist.com) The Scientist needs the contact information you provide to us to contact you about our products and services. You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time. For information on how to unsubscribe, as well as our privacy practices and commitment to protecting your privacy, check out our [Privacy Policy.](https://www.the-scientist.com/privacy-policy)