Portable Sanitation Association International

WEEKLY EDITION November 9, 2016 Kos Represents PSAI on Project Committee for New International Standard on Nonsewered Sanitation Systems PSAI Member Lothar Vermillion Represents Germany PSAI Executive Director Karleen Kos recently attended the first meeting of Project Committee 305 (PC 305), a group of stakeholders who have committed to the development of a new international (ISO) standard related to nonsewered sanitation systems. The group met in Washington, DC, at the end of October. Kos was one of about a dozen people representing the United States through the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Other nations who sent delegates included Senegal, Japan, Germany, Nepal, Switzerland, Canada, France, Austria, South Africa, and Ghana. Some of these nations are actively participating in the development process, while others are simply observing at this time. PC 305 is using the International Working Agreement (IWA) developed last summer in Singapore as the basis for its work on the new global standard. Kos also represented the PSAI at that meeting, and she serves as both the voice of the PSAI and as a liaison between ANSI/ISO and the portable sanitation industry. Longtime PSAI Member Lothar Vermillion, a retired executive with ADCO in Germany, is also involved in the process through ANSI's German counterpart. In this role, Vermillion brings the views of the portable sanitation industry in Europe to the table. Kos works closely with the PSAI's Standards and Guidance Committee and the PSAI Board to ensure that her views and activities are in the best interests of the portable sanitation industry. The PSAI Board of Directors has determined that it is important for the Association to be represented in global standard- setting processes. Doing so has the benefits of: • Guaranteeing our industry's views and expertise are included when standards are developed that will affect PSAI Members; • Ensuring the PSAI is not "out of the loop" on what is happening globally in the toilet/sanitation industry so that we can keep Members informed and help them prepare for changes that may come; • Raising the visibility and prestige of the organization, which helps in the immediate term as well as having the potential to better position the PSAI for greater influence over important standards and policy issues down the road. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 PSAI Member Lothar Vermillion (left) listens as a stakeholder from Switzerland makes a point.

• Cover