THE Mission
The People’s Own Organic Power (POOP) Project uses art, theater, and education to promote critical conversations about sustainable sanitation for the person, planet, and world community.
Founded by Shawn Shafner ("The Puru") in 2010, The POOP Project is dedicated to creating work that:
heals the cultural shame making “potty talk” taboo
transforms waste-making consumers into resource-conscious creators
reconnects audiences to their bodies, communities, and the environment that we all share
WHY TALK ABOUT POOP?
For our bodies. Rather than accepting a culture that makes us feel guilty for doing something everybody does, we could create a world that is hospitable to the reality of having a body and all of its needs.
For our environment. Our culture encourages us to measure our worth solely by what we consume. Meanwhile, the “waste” we’re flushing into our drinking water could be fertilizing fields and fueling our cities.
For our global community. 40% of the world’s population – 2.5 billion people – still live without access to safe toilets. The resulting diarrhea alone kills more children each year than HIV/AIDS, malaria, and measles combined. But this silent crisis presents great opportunities to implement solutions that promote health and prosperity worldwide.