From Mother Nature Network's Matt Hickman:
In a rather clever fundraising stunt revolving around good, old-fashioned potty humor, a humanitarian-minded Australian entrepreneur has taken to the toilet. And he’s not going anywhere until he raises $50,000.
Simon Griffiths is the co-founder of Who Gives a Crap, a recycled toilet paper startup that Smart Planet most accurately describes as being “a bit like TOMS shoes, for your backside.” For every roll of Who Gives a Crap TP sold, 50 percent of the proceeds will be donated, via international charity WaterAid, to toilet-building efforts in developing countries where a lack of access to safe sanitation kills thousands of children every day. In total, 40 percent of the world's population is without something that most of us take for granted: indoor plumbing. "A product that everyone needs is now helping those in need," elaborated Griffiths in a press release.
Griffiths has already partnered with a recycled TP manufacturer with three decades of experience, allowing his fledgling company “to produce a beautifully soft and strong product at a retail price comparable to our competitors ... whilst doing all the good stuff.” In addition to boasting a fluffly texture and 100 percent PCW content, the TP will also be chlorine-free.
The thing is, after two years of development, Griffiths is still in desperate need of funding to help fully launch his do-gooding loo roll operation. To be exact, $50,000 is required to produce the “First Edition” run of Who Gives a Crap TP. And so, Griffiths launched an IndieGoGo campaign to raise funds on Monday afternoon (Tuesday morning in Aussie hours) and until the $50,000 goal is met, he’s glued himself to a toilet. You can actually watch him sit there, pants around his ankles and cushion supporting his back, via a live camera feed on the Who Gives a Crap website. I just checked in and he was fiddling around on his laptop — five minutes later he was sprawled out and taking a nap. And yes, he's wearing boxers.
As of now, Griffiths is super close to meeting his goal (nearly $48,000 has been raised) at which point he’ll be liberated from the john, the poop puns will cease, and the tiolet paper will enter its first round of buik production. And since this is an IndieGoGo campaign, there are various perks involved with helping bring the world's first philanthropic bathroom tissue to market. For instance, when a backer gives just $5, Griffiths will scribble a personal thank you note on a sheet of TP and post a photo of it on the Who Gives a Crap honor roll page (a shout-on on Twitter is also involved). Bigger spenders will receive the TP itself once its manufactured along with various other perks including an invite to the launch party, T-shirts, buttons, etc.
Head on over to the Who Gives a Crap website to watch Griffiths sit on a commode (looks like he’s just woken up!) and help make his vision for charity-supporting bath tissue a reality.
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