To prepare for my new role as WEF biosolids director in 2021, I canvassed the biosolids community to gather insights on what our sector is getting right, what isn’t working and how we can course-correct or reinvent ourselves where we are missing the mark.
What I heard was:
- Be Proactive: Lead our story – we know it best. Be a representative voice for biosolids rather than letting others tell our story.
- We Are Poised: Biosolids offer a remedy to global challenges including soil conservation, food security, renewable energy and climate change.
- Make It Personal: Humanize the conversation and engage people beyond our echo chamber to share ownership of this valuable resource we all create.
This was the inspiration for launching a grassroots campaign to build broader partnerships, enhance communications about the benefits of biosolids and take the conversation beyond the water sector to our family, friends, and neighbors.
Enter 2022 Year of Poo, a social engagement campaign inspired by the need to reconnect to the critical role we all play in creating a circular resource society. This approachable platform invites users to learn how everyday conveniences and choices can affect their poo-print. The campaign takes on many poo-related topics with interactive features -- including Fun Fecal Facts and Friday Flushes -- featuring Movement Makers who have made poo a part of their re’poo’toire.
The objective is to lift the lid on talking about the fascinating side of poo and begin a larger conversation to transform the way we connect to our food, our flush and our role as contributors in creating a quality product. A key driver for this type of platform is to focus on connecting with vs. communicating to, moving from outreach to engagement and connecting to producers further up the pipe at the flush. Flushing is a universal act that bonds us all; 2022 Year of Poo is aimed to move beyond public acceptance to public ownership.
Please visit 2022yearofpoo.org and follow us on social media to meet our featured Movement Makers and gather some digestible chunks of pipeline wisdom. Also, if you’re planning to attend WEFTEC 2022, stop by the 2022 Year of Poo booth next to the WEFTEC Studio (booth 6639) to snap a picture at our photo booth and post to your socials. We are all part of this story, so let’s share it!
Maile Lono-Batura is director of sustainable biosolids programs at the Water Environment Federation.