| It probably says a lot about how far we have come | | | | Money is a powerful and persuasive tool and like |
| as a society that in 2008, environmental policy across | | | | many of our business problems we face today, we |
| business and government is not an afterthought or a | | | | outsource it. For the better part of this decade, old |
| footnote on an agenda to bear in mind. However | | | | computers particularly have been shipped to 3rd |
| when you consider that it has taken the erosion of | | | | world countries like Asia where cheap village labor |
| our selfish liberties like how much water we are able | | | | strips the old parts for usable materials like tin or |
| to use and how much it is now costing us at the | | | | copper causing both visable and untold damage to |
| petrol bowser for us to reevaluate our priorities. This | | | | the local environment and ultimately the inhabitants. |
| combined with the guilt of a movie like an | | | | While steps have been made as the decade has |
| 'Inconvenient Truth' and a Generation Y screaming | | | | progressed to recycle old devices, the energy and |
| for change now reach both voting age and positions | | | | pollutant costs in establishing such facilities may |
| of influence and financial clout that a true picture can | | | | outweigh the overall benefit. |
| really be seen. | | | | What can you do? |
| We have now signed The Kyoto Protocol. Many say; | | | | Well you can control where you make your |
| "So What" as these two poignant questions still | | | | purchases as 2006 Greenpeace study showed that |
| remain; Have we really done anything more than | | | | Nokia and Dell rated most highly for eliminating toxic |
| cosmetic change? And are we implementing change | | | | waste in their products and having sound e-waste |
| at a fast enough pace given our tardy start? | | | | management policies. Surprisingly Apple, often lauded |
| If we examine the technological industry minus the | | | | for being innovative and cutting edge, rated near the |
| hysterics that often accompany these debates, one | | | | bottom along with Lenovo (IBMs notebook partner) |
| could draw the conclusion that little progress is being | | | | and Motorola. Australian company 1800 EWaste |
| made at all. One of our biggest issues is e-waste and | | | | claims to be the nations biggest computer recycler |
| we are all guilty of this pleasure fueling this problem. | | | | and come to your place of business or home to |
| If you ponder a moment the 2000s and your own | | | | pickup old devices. As mentioned with these types of |
| home circumstances as best as you can recall. | | | | services earlier, you should bear in mind the recycling |
| In your household, how many TVs, mobile phones | | | | policies of the company and where and how things |
| and computers have you owned collectively in this | | | | are done. Alternatively donating old devices to |
| decade? As a rough guide the average modern | | | | schools, community centers and groups, charities |
| middle class family averages a mobile phone per | | | | (both national and international) and even within your |
| person in a home and replaces a phone once every | | | | family or social groups can put perfectly good |
| two years. Then houses these days tend to have | | | | devices to continued use. |
| almost as many computers (particularly if you include | | | | Finally using resources like Greener Computing, |
| gaming consoles like Nintendo Wii or Sony Playstation) | | | | organisations, government bodies and individuals can |
| as household members and updating these every 3 | | | | develop longer term e-waste management solutions |
| years or so. Finally TVs, partly due to the lowering of | | | | so the entire purchase, usage and disposal cycle is |
| costs over the past 15 years and the rapid advances | | | | following an overall environmental plan to ensure that |
| in technology, are also being replaced more often | | | | other important issues like energy efficiency and |
| than 15 years ago. | | | | pollution levels are also accounted for in your |
| In the case of mobile phones and computers | | | | decisions. |
| particularly, the resale value of an 'old' device (i.e. 2 | | | | If nothing else, the most pertinent point to digest |
| years for phone, 3 years for computer) is so low and | | | | from all of this is that, Kyoto means little without |
| technology advances so rapid that devices | | | | individual and collective action. This action as stated |
| themselves become redundant means that in the | | | | does not need to be that much or even that |
| most part this all becomes E-Waste! So if you | | | | revolutionary and begins with just awareness of the |
| extrapolate all those figures across all the households | | | | issue. Ask yourself if that $1.50 per hour that the |
| in your neighbourhood, let alone Australia wide or | | | | villagers in Asia are being reportedly paid to sort |
| globally, it equates to a lot of sizeable and toxic | | | | through your Waste is something you want to live |
| waste and you may wonder where this all ends up. | | | | with now and for your children's future? |