Ep. 7 - Simon Griffiths on How Toilet Paper Can Save Lives
More About Simon Griffiths
What if every time you went Number 2, you became the number 1 hero for someone in the developing world who doesn’t have access to a toilet?
Today, more than two billion people on the planet don’t have toilets. Why does this matter? Well, not having a toilet is a pain in the butt for a lot of reasons: It’s bad for the environment since the waste goes untreated, and it’s bad for the people without the toilet, leading to all types of illnesses due to poor sanitation and feces-tainted local water.
In fact, toilets drastically improve health, life expectancy, school attendance rates, and more. And this episode, we’ve got someone who says every trip you make to the toilet can be a feel-good experience–since the company Simon Griffiths started, Who Gives a Crap, was founded for one reason: to give people in the developed world toilets.
Discussed In This Episode
2:58 – Colleen’s zero-waste life10:02 – Uncharted in Boulder, CO
37:59 – WaterAid
38:46 – Sanergy
49:40 – Culture Amp
Some companies sell toilet paper to make a profit, whereas Who Gives a Crap sells toilet paper to, well, build toilets. 50% of all profits from their toilet paper–which is 100% post-consumer waste paper, plastic-free, and filled with punny packaging, go to WaterAid.
So enjoy the crappiest interview we’ve ever done–literally. Hear what Simon learned at a school for social entrepreneurs. And about his experience sitting on a toilet for 50 uninterrupted hours–on livestream–in order to raise money for his kickstarter. And why he holds regular “happiness meetings” with his coworkers.
13:13 – Simon Sinek TEDx Talk: Start with why — how great leaders inspire action
15:45 – Jump on their website
42:32 – Toilet paper mogul-ing 101
53:21 – The Lean Startup