Four Years Old

Old enough to run. Young enough to dream big.

This month, Toilet Equity turns four.

Four.

If you’ve ever known a four-year-old, you know that’s a very specific age.

Old enough to walk confidently into a room. Young enough to still ask “why?” about absolutely everything. Capable. Curious. Occasionally chaotic. Full of big dreams and very sticky hands.

Four-year-olds are no longer babies. They’ve found their footing. They have opinions. They test boundaries. They imagine entire worlds into existence.

And they are still very much becoming.

That feels familiar.

When We Were One

At one year old, we were just learning how to stand.

We were figuring out where to place toilets, how to build them, how to maintain them, how to fund them. We were proving — mostly to ourselves — that composting toilets could be reliable, dignified infrastructure in places where flushing simply wasn’t an option.

Like a one-year-old gripping the coffee table to pull themselves up, we held on to community support.

We wobbled. We learned. We kept going.

Two and Finding Our Balance

At two, we were steadier.

We had systems. We had routine. We had regular maintenance schedules and stronger partnerships.

Two-year-olds are famous for independence: “I do it myself!”

We felt that too.

We stopped asking whether this work was possible, and we started asking how far it could go.

Three and Growing Roots

Three-year-olds ask big questions.

They want to understand how things work. They tell stories. They begin to see themselves as part of something larger.

At three, we expanded. More people were using our toilets every day. More supporters were rooting for us. More community members understood that dignity, public health, and environmental responsibility belong together.

We weren’t just installing toilets anymore. We were building trust. We were building credibility. We were building roots.

And roots matter.

Roots hold steady when storms come.

Roots grow quietly before anyone notices what’s happening above ground.

Now We’re Four

Four-year-olds are something special.

They can run. They can imagine entire futures. They can ask impossible questions. They can dream big and mean it.

At four years old, Toilet Equity is no longer brand new.

We know how to do this work. We know how to clean and maintain and compost and serve. We know what it takes to keep toilets open day after day. We know what it means when someone says, “Thank you.”

We also know how much more is possible.

We know that over 200 people use our toilets daily.
We know that every cleaning prevents waste from ending up in alleyways, parks, and waterways. We know that composting is not just about waste: it’s about cycles, about regeneration, about returning nutrients to the earth.

Four-year-olds are brave in a way that adults sometimes forget how to be.

They believe things can change because they haven’t yet learned all the reasons they “can’t.”

We’re holding onto that.

Especially this year, as we work to permit our compost site and pioneer the composting of human waste in Colorado. Like any four-year-old with a big idea, we’re asking a lot of questions, learning as we go, and helping imagine what’s possible.

We believe that everyone deserves access to a toilet, that public health and environmental health belong together, that composting can be practical and dignified.

We believe that small systems can grow into something transformative.

Growing Doesn’t Mean Perfect

If you’ve spent time with a four-year-old, you know growth isn’t linear.

There are big leaps forward. There are days when everything clicks. There are also moments that are loud and complicated and require deep breaths.

We’ve had those moments too.

We’ve navigated logistics, funding gaps, weather, skepticism, learning curves.

Growth isn’t tidy.

But it is real.

And like a four-year-old proudly showing you a drawing that doesn’t quite stay inside the lines, we’re proud of what we’re building, even as we continue refining it.

What Four Years Has Taught Us

Four years has taught us that dignity is practical. Systems matter. Consistency matters. And community makes everything possible.

It’s taught us that composting toilets are not a temporary fix, they are infrastructure.

It’s taught us that showing up every single day to clean, maintain, and care for these spaces is radical in its steadiness.

It’s taught us that when people give monthly — even in small amounts — that stability lets us dream bigger. A few dollars a month might not seem like much, but it’s the kind of steady support that keeps toilets open, supplies stocked, and the quiet work of dignity happening day after day.

Four-year-olds don’t build alone.

They build with whoever is around them.

They invite you into their imagination.

We feel that same invitation.

This work has always been collective.

Still Growing

At four years old, we are rooted. Steadier. More confident. Still curious.

We are still asking “why?”
We are still asking “what if?”
We are still imagining what toilet access could look like in more neighborhoods, more communities, more cities, more countries.

Four isn’t a finish line.

It’s a foundation.

It’s strong enough to stand on. Flexible enough to grow from. Young enough to keep us on our toes.

And like any four-year-old, we are just getting started.

Thank you for growing with us.

If you want to solidify your place as one of the roots that keep Toilet Equity growing, becoming a monthly supporter is one of the most powerful ways to do it. Join our $4 for 4 campaign and help us meet our goal of 16 (4x4!) new monthly supporters.