| Advancing technology
has given birth to computers that are revolutionizing our world,
yet the speed of their innovation also reduces their life
span. While unwanted computers are piling up as hazardous waste,
there is a worldwide population of children whose lives could
be significantly changed by them.
Recognizing the problem as a case of mismanaged supply and
demand, there is a growing trend in business to correct this
global imbalance. By investing little more than the time it
takes to dispose of out-dated computers, companies are seeing
remarkable gains from simply finding new homes for them.
Lifespan gone to waste
High-tech development has quickly become one of the world's
largest growing manufacturing industries and the competitive
demands for continuous progress has reduced the PC survival
rate down to two years. Last year, the amount considered obsolete
exceeded the number of new ones being shipped. According to
the US National Safety Council, the number of discarded computers
will climb to 315 million by 2004.
Environment Canada also estimates there will be 12,000 tonnes
of computer waste by 2005 in Toronto alone, of which 7,000
tonnes will be suitable for reuse or recycling. In the UK,
an annual 1.5 million computers are dumped into landfill sites
and another 1.5 million are sitting unused. Locked away in
storage, improperly recycled, exported as trash or left for
the dead, abandoned electronics is the fastest growing waste
stream threat to our planet. Emitting toxic substances such
as lead, cadmium and mercury, e-waste contaminates land, water
and air and can ultimately negatively affect human health.
The digital divide
Estimating that employers will force over 600 million perfectly
usable computers into retirement over the next five years,
and recognizing that education and high-tech training is essential
to long-term prosperity, many business leaders are beginning
to see a connection.
Established by the Prince of Wales International Business
Leaders Forum, the Digital Partnership is a worldwide collaboration
set up to collect discarded computers and deliver them to
schools all over the world. A minimal cost solution to maximize
potential job creation, the programme is a private sector,
non-profit initiative partnering international companies and
community organizations with governments who need affordable
access to IT equipment, learning and development.
With the first project well underway, the Digital Partnership
South Africa hopes to transfer 170,000 computers from the
US, Europe and Asia and install them in 4000 South African
schools over the next year. To ensure the project's sustainability,
the partnership will also provide industry-approved training
to prepare trainers and facilitators for the establishment
and maintenance of the e-learning centers.
Similar organizations, such as the UK-based Computer Aid
International and the US-based Gift of Kind International,
are also bridging the gap by delivering tools for education
to developing countries.
Domestic
donors… and recipients
Efforts to connect the digital divide have also become a national
phenomenon. Starting with US federal initiatives such as "Computers
for Learning", which places old government computers
into state schools, other "funneling" companies
are popping up throughout North America.
Explaining the objectives behind their activities, John Houck,
General Manager for "Computer For Schools (CFS)"
in Canada, illustrates the vital role of such organizations.
"By encouraging donations to all K-12 schools, we ensure
a broad base of the community will benefit from valuable learning
tools. As the middle-man, we are responsible for targeting
which schools have the greatest need for the equipment and
we work with the best recyclers available to ensure the hardware
that schools can't use isn't dumped in local landfills or
shipped to countries where environmental safeguards are nonexistent."
With donations from corporations such as Telus, BC Hydro,
IBM and Microsoft, CFS has already delivered 400,000 computers
to schools across Canada.
The largest of several US organizations, the Detwiler Foundation
is a "funneling" company that has placed over 37,000
computers into Californian schools and is now branching out
into at least nine other US states. While there are many Australian
refurbishing services, Solvepoverty.com is a company with
a slightly different approach. Promoting national and international
recognition for companies posting ads on their website, they
donate ten per cent of each ad towards the education of underprivileged
children in Australia and abroad.
Good global citizens
Aside from the fact that throwing out computers is already
illegal in parts of Europe and the United States, there are
other incentives for donating them.
Houck explains that with organizations such as Computers
for Schools, companies can make a cost-free donation that
will also benefit their business in other ways. "Corporations
understand that an educated workforce is crucial to long term
prosperity, and organizations that actively support schools
are more likely to be seen as responsible corporate citizens
by customers, employees and the general public."
In addition to the economic and environmental incentives,
ethical recycling is more than just a good deed. It can help
provide the education to generate an income thus giving other
people access to nutrition, health, housing and promoting
their self-esteem. If finding a new life for your computer
means improving someone's quality of life, then that truly
is the gift of giving.
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