Sign the "Public Restroom Renewal Act Petition" Today!
Safer in a Germy World
Safer in a Germy World
"Public sanitation is a right, not a privilege." Learn how to prepare for local epidemics. — because the future pandemic, "The Big One," is coming, let's be ready together.
Choose your favorite podcast player

Are You Prepared for "The Big One"? Don't Wait for the Next Pandemic - Act Now.

"Your hands tell a story, and it's one we all share. Join us as we uncover the science of everyday hygiene and simple, life-saving habits; let's keep our communities prepared for the next global pandemic." "The Big One is coming - let's be ready."

Play Episode

Discover surprising truths about hygiene, design, and disease prevention — stories that change how you see everyday life.

From cars to classrooms, we uncover how hidden risks shape our communities — and how simple habits protect us all.

Whether you’re a nurse on break, a parent juggling errands, or someone who wants cleaner public spaces—thank you for being here.

 

Restrooms Are
Survival Infrastructure

When a pandemic strikes, the difference between containment and collapse often comes down to the simplest acts: washing hands, accessing clean facilities, and maintaining dignity in public spaces. 

  • San Diego: ~26 restrooms per 100k residents (~1 per 3,900 people)
  • Philadelphia and Dallas: Over 20,000 people per restroom
  • New York City: ~8.4 restrooms per 100k (~1 per 11,900 people)
  • Large U.S. cities (avg): ~10 restrooms per 100k (~1 per 10,000 people)

In most major cities, each public restroom serves tens of thousands — a ratio that turns basic hygiene into a public health hazard and dignity into a daily gamble.

If San Diego can do it,
Every city can.

Baseline Standard (Politically Achievable Now)

San Diego, CA proves what’s possible: one public restroom for every 3,900 residents. That’s the baseline every city can and should meet today. A ratio of 1:4,000 is doable— it’s achievable, and it’s urgent.

Gold Standard (Scientifically Necessary, but Politically Impossible)

But science tells us survival requires more. Pandemic preparedness demands one restroom for every 1,000–2,000 people. That’s the gold standard. 

Public Restrooms Become Frontline Defenses. Without them, handwashing breaks down, and contagion accelerates because a single restroom serving thousands becomes a chokepoint for infection. Public Restrooms are not luxuries. They are a survival infrastructure.

"San Diego is the best large city for shielding its taxpayers when the global pandemic the 'Big One' shows up. This is NOT about convenience. It is about survival. Hope in hygiene rules them all—and that hope requires restrooms."
Bruce Bonnett

 Sign the petition. Stand for dignity.

“Armor isn’t optional—it’s survival.” Public restrooms are frontline defenses in pandemics; without them, handwashing collapses and contagion accelerates. Source: UN Water 

“Hope in hygiene rules them all.” Preparedness depends on equitable access to clean facilities; dignity and survival are inseparable. Source: CDC 

“San Diego shows us the baseline.” One restroom for every 3,900 residents proves achievable standards exist today. Source: City Data 

“Gold is the goal, science says so.” Pandemic preparedness demands one restroom for every 1,000–2,000 people. That’s the scientifically necessary ratio. Source: NIH 

“Public restrooms are armor, not luxuries.” They are survival infrastructure—without them, communities fall. Source: WHO 

“This is not plumbing. This is public health.” Every stall, faucet, and lock is a shield against disease and indignity. Source: OSHA 

The Restroom Renewal Manifesto
Bruce Bonnett

We declare: Public Restrooms Are Armor.

Not porcelain, not plumbing, not an afterthought. They are shields forged for everyday life. Shields against disease, against indignity, against the silence that tells us to “hold it” instead of demanding better.

Every stall is a fortress of Resilience. Every faucet is a frontline tool. Every lock, every vent, every flush — armor pieces that protect families, workers, students, and strangers alike.

Neglect is exposure. Broken doors, empty dispensers, and locked facilities strip away our defenses. They leave us vulnerable to pathogens, Stigma, and unsafe alternatives. When restrooms fail, communities fall.

We refuse to treat public restrooms as taboo. We name them, we claim them, we demand them. Because dignity is not optional. Hygiene is not a luxury. Access is not charity.

We call on citizens, not just policymakers, to stand with us. To see restrooms not as cursed spaces, but as civic armor — infrastructure as vital as roads, bridges, and hospitals. This is not plumbing. This is public health. Public Restrooms Are Armor!