Six million people living in the United States do not have access to safely managed sanitation. But Amy Kryston is cautiously optimistic that this public health problem can be solved in our lifetimes.

In 2022, Amy began a deep dive into this staggering statistic. Through the UNC Institute for the Environment's Environmental Justice Graduate Research Award, she wrote a systematic review  on the social barriers to adequate wastewater treatment.

Her work was published in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health in 2024. She hopes the review can be a jumping off point for policymakers, municipalities and governments working to address this public health problem.

Sustainable Carolina works within the UNC Institute for the Environment to increase the University energy and water efficiency and decrease waste sent to the landfill. We work with student, staff and faculty to connect University research with these operational efforts.