Talking Toilets A Q&A with “Philanthropunk” John Kluge ’01
Photos by Alexandra Westfall ’15, The Phillipian
The Clutch Collaborative, a student organization that promotes social entrepreneurship, hosted its annual conference in April. Guest speakers were Sam Worthington ’76, copresident of InterAction, which works to unite and coordinate international NGOs; Heather White ’76, who premiered her documentary on the Chinese electronics industry; and John Kluge ’01, cofounder of Toilet Hackers, a nonprofit committed to providing access to dignified sanitation to the 2.5 billion people worldwide without toilets. Janine Ko ’14, Clutch cochair, sat down for a chat with Kluge. Following is an edited version of their conversation.
ized that they had better facilities and access to what we take for granted—clean water and toilets—than the local villagers. I wondered why. But the turning point really came a few years later when I wanted to build a fund with some friends Kluge: There are few issues in the world that have the potential to invest in sanitation entrepreneurs. When we didn’t find to positively transform almost every other issue. In that many businesses, we had to ask why. We realized that it’s an way, sanitation is a catalytic opportunity. If you care about underserved market and a hugely neglected opportunity. education, if you care about global health, if you care about That became, in many ways, an impetus for action. the environment, if you care about jobs, if you care about national security, sanitation is where it’s at.
Ko: As chief disruption officer of Toilet Hackers, you’ve put yourself at the forefront of the movement to make toilets and basic sanitation accessible to all. Why?
Ko: In an interview with Ashoka [www.ashoka.org], you said it took you 10 years to find your cause. What was the turning point with toilets and sanitation for you?
Ko: Toilet Hackers has a humorous approach to marketing and advocating. Are there ever any questions or challenges when using humor?
Kluge: [laughs] Well, I know if no one laughs at some of our jokes, then we’ve reached a dead end. We hope we don’t push it too far, but if you try to tailor your messaging to Kluge: It started, maybe, in 2008, while visiting a refugee camp make every constituent comfortable and happy, you’ll never in Central African Republic, on the border of Darfur. I realbecome effective at communicating or advocating on behalf 44
Andover | Spring 2014