World Toilet Summit Showcases Efficient Toilets

Ah the humble toilet. We mindlessly rely on its function several times a day -- until it stops working or unless we can't find one, which is now the topic of an international symposium.

The 8th annual World Toilet Summit (who knew?) opened Tuesday in Macau, and promises to tackle the sanitation challenges of the world. The meeting will address how to provide affordable, environmentally-friendly and basic access to sanitation for the estimated 2.5 billion people in the world who still do not have access to a hygienic toilet.

While a toilet summit sounds like a punch line (more on that later), health and hygiene are serious issues in developing countries, while water efficiency and clean complete flushing are issues for homeowners and building managers here in the U.S. and other developed countries.