On Wednesday Stockholm Water Prize was awarded to Bindeshwar Pathak for his work developing eco-friendly and inexpensive toilets to bolster public health.

Pathak, a sanitation expert who founded the Sulabh Sanitation Movement in India in 1970, has worked “to improve public health, advance social progress and improve human rights in India and other countries,” stated the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) jury in a citation.

“The results of Dr. Pathak’s endeavours constitute one of the most amazing examples of how one person can impact the well-being of millions.”

Pathak’s eco-friendly toilet systems require significantly less water per flush at only 1.5 liters. Astounding considering that conventional toilets use almost seven times that amount. This factor had a particularly large impact on drought stricken regions.

A true pioneer in renewable energy, Pathak also developed systemd that convert human waste into biogas that can then be used for heating, cooking and electricity generation. Now we’re cooking with gas!