Making the World Better, One Toilet At A Time

The Humanure Power Project is based in one of the poorest rural villages in India in the state of Bihar.  Co-founder Anoop Jain began his presentation at the Dell Social Innovation Challenge with the startling statistic that 58 percent of deaths in children under the age of five happen because of disease. And more than one third of those deaths are attributed to infectious diseases like diarrhea. Outdoor sanitation issues have always been a problem in the developing world, and scientists have found ways to tap human waste for energy.  But Jain’s ingenious idea of turning human poop into 12 volt batteries could have a monumental ripple effect throughout the entire developing world.  Humanure placed second in Dell’s Challenge and received $30,000.

Independent producer Deepa Donde talked to Jain about his goals for Humanure. Duane Allen Humeyestewa engineered the interview.

(Disclosure: Donde has been both a board member and a judge for the Dell Social Innovation Challenge).