We are using too much fresh water.

The idea should be to put together a toilet that uses less, or no water, for both developing countries and here in the US & other industrialized nations.

The biggest hurdle here in the US is cultural - the gross-out factor - people have it stuck in their heads that they need to use lots of water to flush that turd away. Nobody wants to use an outhouse when a flush toilet is available, so you'll want to make it LOOK clean, keep it from smelling, and maybe for that extra marketing pizzazz, make it look high-tech. And make it convenient. With existing water toilets, you just do your business and flush. Some of the composting or incinerating toilets get more complicated than that, and that's a big turn-off. Make it so you can just do your business, push a button, wash your hands and you're done!

Some of us still drive that lemon.

It was DISGUSTING!

And it's a serious problem - when people don't have access to toilets, they'll go somewhere, and in India and other countries with high levels of poverty, they'll go about anywhere. They shit and piss in the river, then people downstream take water out of that river and drink it!

Say hello to cholera and dozens of other nasty, but very preventable diseases.

Kudos to Gates for doing something about this.