Unit 1-Health and Environment Issues

1. Unit 1-Health and Environment Issues

2. Unit 1-Health and Environment Issues Table of Contents What Is Information and Communication Technology? ICT and the Environment

3. What Is Information and Communication Technology?

4. What Is Information and Communication Technology? • Information and communication technology, or ICT, describes a range of technologies that are used for gathering, storing, retrieving, processing, analyzing, and transmitting information. • What do you think is an example of ICT? • Anything that help you access, use, and share information is ICT: • from computer or household devices, such as electronic calendars, clocks, timers, to cell phones and PDAs.

5. What Is Information and Communication Technology? • How has advances in ICT affected our relationship with people? • ICT has even affected relationships among people by allowing them to communicate in new and different ways. • How do you communicate with your friends? • How do people communicate in the world of work. • Whether it is through voice mail, text messaging, instant messaging, or e-mail, people rely on ICT to keep contact.

6. What Is Information and Communication Technology? • Discussion: • With the person beside you: • Identify five examples of ICT in your home. • Identify five examples of ICT in your school.

7. ICT and the Environment

8. ICT and the Environment • Discussion: • What effects do your electronic activities have on the environment?

9. ICT and the Environment • To find out more information on this topic, lets read the PDF article in the 0836-STU Folder: • “ICT and The Environment” • Read only the first page • Discussion: • The three categories of environmental impact are raw materials used to make the ICT device, energy use, and waste. • When you bought your ICT device, did any of these categories have an impact on which device you bought?

10. ICT and the Environment-Disposal Lets get more into the third category, waste. Computer hardware disposed of at landfills has serious implications on the environment. We export enough e-waste each year to fill 5126 shipping containers (40 ft x 8.5 ft). If you stacked them up, they’d reach 8 miles high – higher than Mt Everest, or commercial flights. But what really happens to your old computer or broken printer or fried cell phone?

11. ICT and the Environment-Disposal Digital Dumping: Disposal of Obsolete Equipment tons of these and other electronic items are loaded onto barges and shipped off to developing countries, where the recycling processes are so substandard that they actually contribute to air and water pollution. Whatever isn’t salvageable ends up in their landfills. North American recyclers say it’s not cost efficient to fix broken items, so they often donate these goods to developing nations to help “bridge the digital divide.” Many countries, though, report that up to 75% of this equipment is not usable, nor do they have the technology to repair or recycle it properly.

12. ICT and the Environment-Disposal • Read the following article: • “Tossing your computer? Read this first” • http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/pre-2007/files/environ/hitech_trash/index.html • Answer the following questions: • What happens to computers when they reach the end of their useful lives? • What did Jim Puckett find when he shot his video in China? • What were the consequences of the tech debris (e-waste)? • According to Jim Puckett, Canada shouldn’t be shipping e-waste to China for what reason? • Explain this treaty.

13. ICT and the Environment-Disposal • Read the following article: • “What happens to old computers?” • http://computer.howstuffworks.com/discarded-old-computer.htm • Answer the following questions: • What is a growing number of advocacy groups doing? • Define e-waste. • Why shouldn’t old computer go to the landfill? • What problems do the hazardous chemicals and toxic substances in the computers cause to humans? • How should old computers be recycled? • In reality how are they recycled? • What is one of the main reasons that e-waste is transported? • Name two ways that e-waste is dismantled.

14. ICT and the Environment-Disposal • Video • Ghana: Digital Dumping Ground • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkpBcFDjk7Y&feature=related • Ghana: A Digital Dumping Ground Feat. Jim Puckett of BAN • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7HvdVpevIg

15. ICT and the Environment-Disposal What are the disposal policies in Canada? What environmental policies do computer manufacturers have?

16. ICT and the Environment-Disposal • Read the following summary: • “Disposal policies in Canada” • http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/pre-2007/files/environ/hitech_trash/disposal.html • Discussion: • Based on this information, what changes would you make to policies for computer disposal in these cities?

17. ICT and the Environment-Disposal • Check out the environmental policies of at least two computer manufacturers, such asApple, IBM, MDG Computers, and Dell. • In pairs, compare their environmental policies with respect to manufacturing and recycling computer hardware. Which computer manufacturer has a better environmental policy? Explain why.

18. ICT and the Environment-Solution • What do we do with our old electronic equipment? • Most charitable groups won’t take it – it’s too old. • The city dump won’t take it –your old machine is full of toxic substances. • You don’t want it sitting in the closet for eternity.

19. ICT and the Environment-Solution • Video: • The Story of Electronics • The Story of Electronics explores the high-tech revolution's collateral damage—25 million tons of e-waste and counting, poisoned workers and a public left holding the bill. Host Annie Leonard takes viewers from the mines and factories where our gadgets begin to the horrific backyard recycling shops in China where many end up. The film concludes with a call for a green 'race to the top' where designers compete to make long-lasting, toxic-free products that are fully and easily recyclable. • http://www.storyofstuff.org/movies-all/story-of-electronics/

20. ICT and the Environment-Solution • The Story of Electronics Continued • The Story of Electronics Questions: • What is the main issue that the video presented? • What does “Designed for the dump” mean? • What is the solution? • What does “Extended Producer Responsibility” or “Product Takeback” mean?

21. ICT and the Environment-Solution • The Story of Electronics Continued • Answers: 1. What is the main issue that the video presented? • What terminology did the host use? • Designed for the dump: means making stuff to be thrown away quickly. • Today's electronics are hard to upgrade, easy to break, and impractical to repair. • This is a key strategy of the companies that make our electronics. • a key part of our whole unsustainable materials economy.

22. ICT and the Environment-Solution • The Story of Electronics Continued • Answers: 2. What is the solution? • What terminology did the host use? • Making companies deal with their e-waste is called Extended Producer Responsibility or Product Takeback

23. ICT and the Environment-Solution • Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), (also called "Producer Takeback,“) • is a product and waste management system in which manufacturers – not the consumer or government – take responsibility for the environmentally safe management of their product when it is no longer useful or discarded.

24. ICT and the Environment-Solution • EPR Continued • When manufacturers take responsibility for the recycling of their own products, they no longer pass the cost of disposal of these toxic products to the government or the tax payers. • Also, they will have a financial incentive to: • Use environmentally safer materials in the production process • Design the product to be more easily recycled • Create safer recycling systems • Keep waste costs down

25. ICT and the Environment-Solution • Which companies are making progress? • Many companies are moving in the right direction. • For example, some companies have removed specific toxics from their products, like PVC and flame-retardants. • These are great steps, but they're still too small to really turn things around. Electronics need to be - and can be - made much more safe and more durable. • A toxics free computer that only lasts a year isn't good enough. • Some companies are doing a good job in taking back and recycling their old products. • Check out ETBC's Electronics Recycling Scorecard to find out who's leading the way to greener electronics and who's playing catch up. • http://www.electronicstakeback.com/hold-manufacturers-accountable/recycling-report-card/

26. ICT and the Environment-Solution • What can I do? • How can I be sure my old stuff isn’t getting exported? • Send a message to electronics companies • Let's turn this toxic mess around! You can send a strong message to electronics companies today, demanding that they "make 'em safe, make 'em last, and take 'em back." • http://www.electronicstakeback.com/home/

27. ICT and the Environment-Solution • What can I do? continued • Donate for reuse • If your product can be reused, donate it to a reputable reuse organization, that won't export it unless it's fully functional. • Some good organizations include • Electronic Recycling Association www.era.ca • Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation www.call2recycle.org • Salvation Army www.tstores.ca

28. ICT and the Environment-Solution • “What can I do?” continued • Find an e-Steward. If your product is too old or too broken to donate, recycle it. But many recyclers simply export your old products, dumping them on developing nations. • So your best option is to use a recycler who is part of the “e-Steward” network; they don’t export to developing nations, and they follow other high standards. • e-Stewards http://e-stewards.org/ • City of Toronto http://www.toronto.ca/garbage/bluebox/index.ht • City of Toronto http://www.toronto.ca/target70/electronics.htm • Electronic Recycling Association www.era.ca • Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation www.call2recycle.org

29. ICT and the Environment-Solution • “What can I do?” continued • Manufacturer takeback programs. • If there is no e-Steward near you, then use the manufacturer’s takeback program. Many have voluntary takeback programs where they will recycle your old products for free. Some offer trade-in value for your products. • Discussion: • What did you find when you compared the environmental policies of computer manufactures with respect to manufacturing and recycling computer hardware?

30. ICT and the Environment-Solution • “What can I do?” continued • Discussion: • According to the Marketplace article, in 2002 the Canadian computer industry wanted to add a $25 fee to the cost of computers to cover recycling. Now that this fee has been added, in your opinion, do you think the problem of e-waste has been resolved?

31. ICT and the Environment-Solution • “What can I do?” continued • Freecycling Article • This is a new alternative to bringing your unwanted stuff to a landfill by trading things through a network of people online. • For example, if you have something you no longer want, you would post it on the freecycling website. Someone who wants that item would then contact you and arrange to get it. • How do you think this concept can be applied to computer waste in your community? • http://www.emagazine.com/archive/2297 • http://www.freecycle.org/

32. Check Your Understanding What are the main reasons there is so much computer waste in our society? What should computer manufacturers do to reduce waste? What should consumers do to reduce waste and prolong the use of their computers? Identify two possible solutions for this waste. When you purchase your next computer, how will you decide which one is the most environmentally friendly?