tagged w/ E-waste
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Like gadgets? Ever stand in line for one or over-consume just to slake your obsession? Yeah, us too. Then prepare for a humorous yet brutal look at yourselves, and the impact of your lifestyle, in the newest Futurama episode that aired tonight on Comedy Central television. [I] suggest curling up into a protective fetal position before [watching] the video scraps.Like gadgets? Ever stand in line for one or over-consume just to slake your obsession?... more
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Currently, more than two billion LCD screens are nearing the end of their lives. Chances are that you have a few yourself, but if you're like most Americans, you probably won't recycle them.
link :http://news.discovery.com/tech/e-waste-could-help-prevent-bacterial-infections.htmlCurrently, more than two billion LCD screens are nearing the end of their lives.... more
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Rapid technology change, low initial cost, and planned obsolescence have resulted in a fast-growing surplus of electronic waste around the globeRapid technology change, low initial cost, and planned obsolescence have resulted in a... more
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Electronic waste is becoming an increasingly pressing problem in developing countries as sales of electronics surge and enforcement of environmental laws remains lax, a UN agency warned Monday.
The United National Environment Program (UNEP) says developing countries like China and India risk serious consequences to the environment and human health unless they institute proper e-waste collection and recycling programs.
The report predicts that by 2020, e-waste from mobile phones in China will be about seven times greater than what it was in 2007, and waste from old computers will be up to five times greater.
The growth in India will be even higher, the report suggests, with e-waste from mobile phones in 2020 being 18 times greater than in 2007, and e-waste from computers six times greater.
The report estimates that in 2010, China will produce 2.3 million tonnes of e-waste, second only the U.S., which produces about three million tonnes.Electronic waste is becoming an increasingly pressing problem in developing countries... more
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http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/dailyloaf/2010/02/16/winter-olympic-medals-made-from-recycled-electronic-waste/
"Last month, I reported on how London’s Olympic Stadium and surrounding Olympic village were being sustainably constructed and how recycled metal from weapons was being used for the construction of the stadium. It seems that Vancouver is following in London’s footsteps by using recycled metal for the games as well.
Those shiny bronze, silver, and gold medals that the athletes will be adorned with during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics are made from some the 140,000 tons of e-waste that Canada prevented from being tossed into landfills. Apparently, Canada has taken great strides to reduce electronic waste and decided that this would be a great way to unite their e-cycling efforts with the honor of hosting this momentous event."
(Go to the original post to read the rest of the article.)http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/dailyloaf/2010/02/16/winter-olympic-medals-made-from-r... more
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Chances are, if you are as immersed in the digital age as I am, you have had to recycle some of your old, obsolete electronics ... computers, PDAs, cell phones ... to replace them with newer models. But did you ever stop to think about what happens to your gadgets (or e-waste) once they get recycled?
Most folks (myself included) assume that recycled e-waste is taken to state-of-the-art facilities where it is broken down safely so the metals and other resources inside can be reused. But as it turns out, our pile of e-waste is growing so rapidly that little attention is paid to where these gadgets are actually going. Some so-called recyclers are shipping the waste overseas. And this is where things go terribly wrong ... for the planet and for the world's children.
People in the West throw away millions of old computers every year. Hundreds of thousands of them end up in developing countries in Africa and Asia where children try to eke out a living by selling the scrap. But the toxic elements in the e-waste are slowly poisoning them. Inside the electronics, lead, cadmium, mercury, chromium, polyvinyl chlorides and other toxic elements are leaching out into the environment, causing health effects that range from brain damage to kidney disease to cancer among the children who work on them.
According to a recent expose in the German newspaper, Der Spiegel, "these children live amid the refuse of the Internet age, and many of them may die of it. They pull apart the computers, breaking the screens with rocks, and then throw the internal electronics onto the fires. Computers contain large amounts of heavy metals, and as the plastic burns, the children also breathe in highly carcinogenic fumes. The computers of the rich are poisoning the children of the poor."
The United Nations estimates that up to 50 million tons of electronic waste are thrown away globally each year. According to estimates by the Environmental Protection Agency, around 40 million computers are discarded each year in the U.S. alone. That's about 130,000 each day. Add that to the 100 million cell phones and countless other electronics that are thrown out annually, and it adds up to one giant pile of e-waste. It costs about $5.30 to dispose of one of these gadgets properly. But it costs less than half of that to stick it on a container ship to Africa.
What can you do to avoid contributing to this pollution? The Basel Action Network, a watchdog group that aims to stop rich countries from dumping toxic waste on poor ones, recommends that all consumers use only certified recyclers (a list can be found on their website) that will not allow such damaging exports. And don't be afraid to ask questions before you hand your gadgets over to a recycling center.
Recycling should be a good thing for the planet and its inhabitants, not a source of pollution that poisons the world's children.Chances are, if you are as immersed in the digital age as I am, you have had to... more
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Excerpt:
"Acrid, black smoke drifts over the huts of the slum. The river, too, is black and thick like used oil, as it carries empty computer cases toward the ocean. Fires are blazing on the bank across the way, fueled by foam and slivers of plastic. Their flames consume the plastic material from cables, plugs and motherboards, leaving behind only metal....
These children live amid the refuse of the Internet age, and many of them may die of it. They pull apart the computers, breaking the screens with rocks, then throw the internal electronics onto the fires. Computers contain large amounts of heavy metals, and as the plastic burns, the children also breathe in highly carcinogenic fumes. The computers of the rich are poisoning the children of the poor.
The United Nations estimates that up to 50 million tons of electronic waste are thrown away globally each year...."
http://www.abcnews.go.com/WN/discarded-computers-poisonous-african-children/story?id=9266722&page=4
They are actually making computers out of hemp now.
Hopefully this will be a solution.
Meanwhile how to stop this?
Recycling programs?
Stricter laws?
What do you think of this tragic situation?Excerpt:
"Acrid, black smoke drifts over the huts of the slum. The river, too,... more
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We worried about the rise in dumped TVs when the switch to digital in the US occurred back in June. The UK is also switching to digital and figures show a frightening rise in dumped TVs, rising by 70% in the past year, with over half of them being upgradable. But they were dumped instead. As more areas switch to digital over the next two years, including London, just how much more of an impact can we expect, and can citizens be convinced that they don't need to dump their TVs at all?
The Guardian reports that the digital switch happened yesterday in the north-west of England. "This year, the council has recycled 50,000 analogue TVs thrown away by households, of which 30,000 could have been upgraded to receive digital TV signals with a simple £20 set-top box."
As in the US, most TVs don't need to be replaced - only a new box is needed. Yet many consumers are upgrading to new TVs anyway. Simon Birch, who is investigating the environmental impact of the digital switchover for Ethical Consumer magazine, blames Digital UK for the crush of discarded TVs, saying it isn't doing a good enough job telling consumers that they don't have to toss their televisions.
The eco-impact of televisions is under debate, though, as the Energy Saving Trust notes that a TV with a built-in digital tuner requires only one power supply and can save £7 and 20kg of carbon each year compared with an equivalent analogue TV combined with a set-top box.
However not factored in is the environmental cost of recycling a television, or worse, seeing it head to landfill, or worst, seeing it head to e-waste dumps in developing nations. In the US, only about 18% of the 23.9 million toxic CRT TVs thrown out in 2008 were recycled. And Sarah Westervelt, a Basel Action Network official, said about 80% will actually be shipped abroad to be "recycled" in China and Africa - and that is a violation of provisions of the Basel treaty that ban the shipment of toxic waste from the rich countries to poor ones. The same problems are to be expected in the UK, where e-waste in landfills is already a significant problem.
Over the long run, it is likely better to have an extra set-top box and not a new TV. It's just a matter of actually telling people this, and encouraging them to keep what isn't broken.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/11/the-digital-tv-switch-causes-70-rise-in-electronic-trash.php?dtc=th_rssWe worried about the rise in dumped TVs when the switch to digital in the US occurred... more
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As the North-west of England kick-off their digital switchover, figures from Cumbria county council reveals that the number of TV's in landfill's has increase by 70% in that area, 3 out of the 5 of those would've been upgraded with a set-top box.
More on this story: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/nov/04/tv-dump-digital-switchoverAs the North-west of England kick-off their digital switchover, figures from Cumbria... more
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*This is an excerpt from a report I did based on one of the great Vanguard productions by Laura Ling* - http://current.com/items/76355482_pollution-to-protest.htm
As the production of electronics has increased, so has the amount of electronic waste. One of the biggest problems with e-waste is that much of it is shipped from developed nations to third-world countries. Approximately 50 tons of e-waste is produced globally every year. In towns like Guiyu and Nanyang of Southern China, people work to dispose of electronic waste, not in factories, but near their own homes, earning around $12 a day, these workers, of various ages, often burn the waste, which creates harmful exposure to toxic chemicals.
Assuming that exportation will continue, there are still positive changes that can be made to alleviate the level of health risks faced by e-waste disposers. There still needs to be strict ratification and enforcement of laws regarding the setting and process of disposing, recycling or repairing electronics, if there is expected to be any turnaround in the negative effects of the current process. There needs to be laws requiring that electronics be treated in a factories, rather than in residential areas; and workers should be provided with gear and equipment that will ensure there safety and well being while working.*This is an excerpt from a report I did based on one of the great Vanguard productions... more
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The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic organisers have just unveiled the medals that will be handed out duing the Olympic and Paralympic games.
The twist is... it is made out of metals recovered from e-waste (as in broken TV's, computers and circuit boards) and they are not flat at all as they are ridged. Over 1,000 medals are made and they were produced by metal giant 'Teck Resources' along with the Royal Canadian Mint.
Let's hope London can match that or better for 2012...The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic organisers have just unveiled the medals that will... more
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Excerpt:
"Concern is growing that failure to manage this waste is exposing Kenya to long-term and costly environmental damage whose impact will be felt in the emergence of new diseases, change in weather patterns and food insecurity and will take many decades to reverse.
Often left to rot in informal dumping sites, electronic gadgets are made up of some of the most lethal toxins such as cadmium, mercury and lead that are known to contaminate water sources, reduce fertility of land, and damage human tissues and organs.
In Nairobi, the impact of this carefree disposal of e-waste is already beginning to be felt in Dandora estate where contact with dumpsite material has seen a steep rise in the number of children diagnosed with lead poisoning.
Dandora is the host of Nairobi’s biggest dumpsite that takes most of the 4,000 tonnes of garbage that the city residents generate daily."
All this electronic material, when burned, is mostly housed in a plastic casing that releases toxic and carcinogenic substances like dioxins and polyaromatic hydrocarbons making it worse.
These companies should be responsible for this e-waste, they should use material that is eco-friendly and make these products last longer as well.
What do you think?Excerpt:
"Concern is growing that failure to manage this waste is exposing... more
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The world is consuming more and more electronic products every year. This has caused a dangerous explosion in electronic scrap (e-waste) containing toxic chemicals and heavy metals that cannot be disposed of or recycled safely. But this problem can be avoided.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of old computers and mobile phones are dumped in landfills or burned in smelters. Thousands more are exported, often illegally, from the Europe, US, Japan and other industrialised countries, to Asia. There, workers at scrap yards, some of whom are children, are exposed to a cocktail of toxic chemicals and poisons.
The rate at which these mountains of obsolete electronic products are growing will reach crisis proportions unless electronics corporations that profit from making and selling these devices face up to their responsibilities.
It is possible to make clean, durable products that can be upgraded, recycled, or disposed of safely and don't end up as hazardous waste in someone's backyard.
LINKS:
Learn more about e-waste go to: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/toxics/electronics/the-e-waste-problem,
What happens after it is thrown away: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/toxics/electronics/where-does-e-waste-end-up
Which companies are top and bottom of the toxic product class: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/toxics/electronics/how-the-companies-line-up
Solutions to the problem: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/toxics/electronics/solutionsThe world is consuming more and more electronic products every year. This has caused a... more
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See Links to vote below:
Please vote daily through August 30, 2009 for story about Rev. Jon Magnuson's nonprofit environment projects in Michigan's Upper Peninsula: Vote for the story by Donna Kumpula about the EarthKeeper Initiative and the Zaagkii Project
It was weekly winner in April but now its competing against about 19 others for the big prize . Money that would help fund the projects for a year.
You'll need to register - or login if you have voted before.
Its entitled:
Creating numerous environment projects that bring together diverse groups, students, American Indians
Link to story is near end of list on lower right hand side of page.
http://www.friendsofelsie.com/friends.asp?action=register
Or go directly to story – and register or log-in:
http://www.friendsofelsie.com/SingleSensations.asp?action=readStory&story=70
Brief summary of projects your vote would support:
The interfaith Earth Keeper Initiative:
The interfaith EarthKeepers planted twelve thousand (12,000) trees across northern Michigan for Earth Day 2009 thanks to over 100 churches/temples from 12 religions.
During past Earth Day projects, the EarthKeepers have recycled or properly disposed over nearly 400 tons of waste including cellphones, computers (and related equipment), printers, car batteries, poisons, pesticides, oil-based paint, pharmaceuticals and much more.
The Zaagkii Project:
This summer Native American youth and at-risk teens are repairing the ecosystem along a Lake Superior beach, built dozens of Mason Bee houses including some to be placed at the U.S. National Gardens in D.C.; Native American teens this month are helping build a greenhouse for native species plants on the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community reservation.
Last summer the teens built dozens of butterfly houses for migrating Monarchs.See Links to vote below:
Please vote daily through August 30, 2009 for story about... more
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It's a common complaint that technology advances so rapidly, new products hitting the shelves are outdated the second they arrive there. Before we even purchase a device, new versions and varied models are under production. Consumers are easily overwhelmed and confused with the differences in manufacturers' crowded product lines. We're especially experiencing that now in the realm of netbooks and smart phones, but it's true for all consumer devices. However, we also see that consumer whim has a lot of influence - perhaps all the influence - over how manufacturers introduce and carry on release of new gadgets. So, how do we exercise that clout to get manufacturers serious about creating heirloom devices that can adapt to new technology without all of the e-waste? Or is it even possible?
We might think that technology advances too rapidly for gadgets to really keep up. In the case of e-readers, this may be true. The screen technology is too new and improving too fast to release a device that can be expected to be top of the line in even a year. Suppose the screens could be swapped out in current devices; the design of the entire product itself is slated for some serious changes, rendering a screen swap a very ho-hum upgrade. Does it have to be this way though?
Exactly how small, how fast, how thin, how interactive can our products possibly get and still be useful? For instance, cell phone styles have changed quite a lot over the last ten years, but not to the point where they're unrecognizable - save perhaps the iPhone and its touchscreen. Even with touchscreen technology, it is possible to create cell phones now that people can be happy with in another ten years, with just changing software and some hardware components as needed, but not the whole device.
How can we make that a universal truth, and spare the massive amount of materials and energy that goes into creating, recovering, and recycling products, and the massive environmental footprint of the majority of products that end up in landfills or toxic e-waste dumps?
When there is no "away," how do we make what we have stick around, even in the face of improvements? Here are five options to mull over (at the link).It's a common complaint that technology advances so rapidly, new products hitting... more
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First EarthKeeper High Def. Video
Marquette, MI - The Northern Michigan EarthKeepers will plant 12,000 trees in three hours this Sunday, May 3rd at thousands of locations across Michigan's Upper Peninsula including 100 churches and temples.
The trees will be distributed Saturday morning.
Bishops and leaders from northern Michigan's largest faith communities planted the first of 12,000 trees during an Earth Day 2009 ceremony on the shores of Lake Superior.
Standing on a hillside surrounded by huge pine trees two bishops and several other faith leaders blessed a three-foot native species white spruce tree and took turns putting shovels full of dirt into the hole.
Anticipating the cold April weather, organizers earlier decided to plant the rest of the trees on Sunday, May 3 when the weather is more appropriate for planting the 12,000 12-to-16-inch seedlings at numerous locations across northern Michigan including 100 churches and temples.
The EarthKeeper team includes ten faith traditions (Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Methodist Church, Unitarian Universalist, Baha'i, Jewish, Zen Buddist, Quakers) with over 150 participating churches/temples, nonprofit Superior Watershed Partnership (SWP), nonprofit Cedar Tree Institute (CTI), and the Northern Michigan University EarthKeeper (NMU EK) Student Team.
The concept of "EarthKeeping goes beyond the Upper Peninsula" because throughout the Great Lakes states "we're having a ripple effect" as people and groups "are replicating the work that the EarthKeepers have done here," said Carl Lindquist, SWP executive director. "They’re patterning their events after some of the successful programs we have had here."
Michigan faith leaders favor protecting the environment.
"This is very much a marvelous moment in the life of our work together as faith communities," said Rev. Jon Magnuson, CTI executive director and EarthKeeper Initiative co-founder. "This is another step in our interfaith work. We have found an expression of our faith in very, very hands-on work like this the EarthKeeping Tree Project."
All humans "are called to be steward's of God's creation and no matter what faith tradition we come from that responsibility lies with us human creatures," said Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette Bishop Alexander Sample.
"Those of us endowed with intelligence and with the ability to choose good and avoid evil," said Bishop Sample, who oversees 94 U.P. parishes and missions with 61,000 members.
Bishop Sample said the book of Revelations "speaks of the life-giving power of water and how the tree draws its life from the water." Bishop Sample said he grew up in the desert southwest and "didn't see a lot of water" or the "beauty of the forests and trees."
Sample said "I truly thought I had entered paradise" when his family moved to the Upper Peninsula at the age of 17.
"This whole movement has focused on how the faith communities can work together to preserve this great gift that we have here in the Upper Peninsula, this great watershed and it's wonderful combination of lakes and streams, and forests everywhere," said Northern Great Lakes Synod Lutheran Bishop Thomas Skrenes.
"Trees cover the earth and trees are part of healing the earth," said Skrenes, the head of 94 U.P. Lutheran congregations with 40,000 members
The Earth Keeper's ten faith communities have "various ways of doing things and looking at life" but "come together for this important task," said United Methodist Church (UMC) Marquette District Superintendent Grant Lobb.
"We are glad to be part of EarthKeepers," said Lobb, whose district has 8,372 parishioners and 60 northern Michigan congregations.
Full story:
http://www.upearthkeepers.org
http://www.superiorwatersheds.org
http://www.cedartreeinstitute.orgFirst EarthKeeper High Def. Video
Marquette, MI - The Northern Michigan... more
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Marquette, MI - The bishops/leaders from northern Michigan's largest faith communities planted the first of 12,000 trees during an Earth Day ceremony on the shores of Lake Superior.
The Earth Day 2009 blessing of the trees ceremony was held on Presque Isle in Marquette.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette Bishop Alexander Sample said all humans "are called to be steward's of God's creation and no matter what faith tradition we come from that responsibility lies with us."
The EarthKeeper movement is "focused on how the faith communities can work together to preserve this great gift that we have here in the Upper Peninsula” and its lakes, streams and forests, said Northern Great Lakes Synod Lutheran Bishop Thomas A. Skrenes.
UMC Marquette District Supt. Grant R. Lobb said "planting a tree is a gift for the next generation and beyond that."
The EarthKeeper team includes ten faith traditions ( Jewish, Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Methodist Church (UMC), Unitarian Universalist (UU), Baha'i, Zen Buddist, Quakers) with over 150 participating churches/temples, the nonprofit Superior Watershed Partnership (SWP), the nonprofit Cedar Tree Institute (CTI), and the NMU EK Student Team.
Throughout the Great Lakes states, people and groups "are replicating the work that the EarthKeepers have done here," said Carl Lindquist, SWP executive director.
"This is very much a marvelous moment in the life of our work together as faith communities," said Rev. Jon Magnuson, CTI executive director and EarthKeepers co-founder.
The next day April 23, several faith leaders spoke about the project and protecting the environment to students at Northern Michigan University in the final of numerous "Sacred Planet" events on campus sponsored by the NMU EarthKeeper (NMU EK) Student Team.
On May 3, the 12,000 12-to-16-inch White Spruce and Red pine seedlings will be planted in all corners of the U.P. including at 100 churches and temples.
The trees were purchased or donated by the U.P. EarthKeeper team, SWP, Holli Forest Products, the Forestland Group, Plum Creek Timber Company and Meister's Greenhouses, said Carl Lindquist, SWP executive director.
From 2005-2007, over 15,000 U.P. residents turned in more than 360 tons of household hazardous waste at U.P. collection sites.
Some of the items were properly disposed but most was recycled including computers, cell phones, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, oil-based paint and vehicle batteries.
Last year the EarthKeepers provided a household energy conservation checklist that resulted in over 3 million pounds of carbon being reduced.
"The trees, in effect, will be planting us, said Reverend Tesshin Paul Lehmberg, head priest for the Marquette Zen Buddhist Temple Lake Superior Zendo and EarthKeeper Implementation Team co-chair.
Baha'is believe that "nature is to be respected and protected as a divine trust for which we all answerable," said Dr. Rodney H. Clarken, chair of the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Marquette.
Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan employees reflected on what the project would've meant to late Bishop James Kelsey, the first signer of the interfaith EarthKeeper Covenant, killed in a June 2007 traffic accident.
"He'd try to find a place for a tree in his own yard" plus at the Page Center and office, said Jane Cisluycis, EDNM Operations Coordinator.
Kelsey would be "pleased that the EarthKeepers are getting stronger and more people are getting involved," said Kathy Lenten, EDNM Ministry Support Team.
UU member Nancy Irish said "the image of people of all ages and faiths across the Upper Peninsula planting 12,000 trees in their respective sacred spaces is a most beautiful and fitting one."
Some groups and individuals have donated money to help the tree project including Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Western U.P. Chapter 30918 in Ironwood, Michigan.Marquette, MI - The bishops/leaders from northern Michigan's largest faith... more
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