E-Waste: our community, the earth, and the lives of others

By: Hailey Hennessy, Intern for the Center for a Sustainable Future

When thinking of Ewaste it is hard to not think of System Condition number 4 from The Natural Step Framework.  To fulfill this condition is to not subject people to conditions that systemically undermine their capacity to meet their needs.  The bottom line, we need to care about others and the conditions they are placed in.  In a business or factory, an employer needs to consider the conditions that their workers are exposed to.  Are there hazardous fumes present?  Is a task dangerous?  Would the employer do that job in the conditions it is in?  If people are in constant contacts with toxins they could develop cancers, asthma and breathing issues, and many other negative consequences.  

In my internship at the Center for a Sustainable Future, I have been given the task of keeping in contact with businesses that are planning on donating to the annual IU South Bend E-Waste Fest.  When we accept the community’s used electronics we are taking hazardous toxins out of their home and our community for good.  Some of these toxins found in electronics include lead, cadmium, mercury, PVC, and flame retardants.  These can poison us, bring on cancers of all kinds, and many are neurotoxins.  Once the ewaste gets to us at IU South Bend, it gets packaged, sealed, and placed in an Apple truck.  Then this truck drives back to Chicago to a secure facility that shreds the waste and recycles the materials that can be recycled.  Doing this keeps our water clean, our landfills lighter, and gets us closer to closing the loop and eliminating wastes.  If these materials are thrown into our local landfills, the poisons in the soil and water will affect us and our children.  But by bringing them to be recycled, we eliminate all of that!  We also clear up much needed space in our homes.

After reading Bridging the Green Divide I realized that not everyone has access to an ewaste pick-up or may not be plugged into a resource that announces when and where they may be.  That’s why we need to spread the word and tell everyone we know in this area.  This reading elaborates on the subject of lower income and minority families having to deal with hazardous conditions just because of money.  Low income workers are often in conditions with little regulation and more exposure to toxins in order for the employer to cut costs.  The author, Van Jones, suggests more green-collar jobs for people.

Without this internship opportunity, I wouldn’t fully grasp the importance of this event to our community, the earth, or the lives of others. We are helping others and helping ourselves for now and in the future.  I am happy and lucky to have an opportunity to work on such an impactful internship project!