Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/851467
W EEKLY EDITION JULY 19, 2017 Time For a Change World Portable Sanitation Day is now November 19. Here ' s why. In 2014, the PSAI hosted its first World Portable Sanitation Day (WPSD) on August 15 with the hopes of turning the celebration into an annual effort to raise awareness for and promote change within the portable sanitation industry. After 3 yea rs of celebration, the PSAI, with support from the Board of Directors, will be making adjustments to WPSD, starting with the date itself. As announced in the November 23, 2016 edition of Association Insight , the PSAI will now hold World Portable Sanitatio n Day in conjunction with World Toilet Day on November 19 each year . Similar to the mission of WPSD, World Toilet Day is "a day to raise awareness and inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis." While this global initiative was not particularly designed to highlight portable toilets, the goals behind World Portable Sanitation Day fall under the World Toilet Day's initiatives. We use WPSD to educate the public on portable sanitation and how it can be part of the global sanitation solution. World Toilet Day is meant to educate the public on all toilets and how the "lack - there - of" is causing the global sanitation crisis. To put it simply, our purposes align – so why shouldn't our date? The benefits of changing our annual celebration date are undeniable. Whil e the PSAI worked diligently to create ways for Members to celebrate in their own communities, WPSD stayed somewhat modest in its reach , rather than taking the world by storm. The World Toilet Organization, on the other hand, worked with the United Nations General As sembly to have November 19 officially designated as World Toilet D ay all across the globe. By co - l ocating our dates, the PSAI's voice in the sanitation conversation will be louder and WPSD will have the opportunity to grow internationally. This change will place more eyes on the industry and will bring the PSAI's efforts to the global stage. Executive Director Karleen Kos saw to this in Durban, South Africa just 3 weeks ago. As she assisted in setting international standards for sanitation, she was able to shed light on how portable sanitation plays a role in the solution. Combining our day with an international day of awareness will open more of these doors for the PSAI. The PSAI first realized that there might be a better way to bring World Portable Sanit ation Day to a global level in 2015 when the PS AI Board of Directors headed to Germany for the annual Industry Tour. As World Portable Sanitation Day was discussed, employees and associates of our German hosts asked a simple question: How can these effor ts be encompassed under World Portable Sanitation Day if there is a lack of engagement in other parts of the world? While the day was certainly growing in North America, it lacked international recognition. It was on this trip where the PSAI was first enco uraged to co - l ocate our celebration with World Toilet Day, considering the global following that the World Toilet Organization had already established. PAGE 3 CONTINUE D ON PAGE 4