Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/848539
W EEKLY EDITION JULY 12, 2017 Lauren's essay is the last of the five well - written pieces that we've run in Association Insight over the last few weeks. Each paid homage to portable sanitation in a different and interesting way. Just as she summarizes in her essay, we often don't realize just how much we owe portable restrooms – they are the reason we are able to do many of our favorite outdoor activities. It is the men and women in this industry that make going camping or to an outdoor concert a comfortable possibility. We would like to thank our five winners one last time for putting into words just how important this ind ustry truly is. Meet PSAI Scholarship Winner Lauren Wagner …continued I remember my only time working for my stepfather's portable restroom company. The summer day was a blaring 90 degrees and I was fifteen - too young to be hired by any other employer other than a family member. I needed money to fund my new learner's permit, so he offered to take me to work. I remember my stepfather explaining to me what I would have to do at his company at seven i n the morning that day - but I don't think I realized the work that I had coming later. At ten in the morning, it was already a steamy 80 degrees and I started moving portable restrooms from one area to another to scratch off old, cracked stickers to be replaced with new, clean ones. They were heavier than I thought, and I easily needed his help to drag them across the hot gravel. The sun reflected off the plastic as I started to scrape the stickers away, my fingers cramping within seconds. I learned th at working at a portable restroom company was more than just unloading them and loading - it was a large, detailed process. I cleaned around ten portable restrooms that afternoon, wiping the seats clean, refilling the hand sanitizer and hosing the outside walls until they sparkled. That day, I understood and respected the people who committed their time to distribute portable, sanitary restrooms to the public. That summer, everywhere I traveled, I saw portable restrooms. They were the only form of a restr oom at the lake I swam in with my friends every weekend. At parks, recreation areas and when I went camping I saw them; trustfully standing tall, waiting to serve the public. When I went to my first music festival, there were lines of portable restrooms, s hiny and clean and being used constantly. Without portable restrooms, I realized that I wouldn't be able to do a lot of the things I loved. Without sanitary restrooms, going to the lake, camping or going to a music festival wouldn't be as enjoyable. The experience in a dirty, old portable restroom can quickly damper any outing. Also, the absence of one would completely change anyone's schedule. Even though I vowed that summer day that portable restroom work wasn't for me, it gave me an extended insight into his life and the people he served. I gained respect for him and sanitary restrooms - because without them, life would be much more dull and complicated. P AGE 15