Unit 1-Health and Environment Issues

Unit 1-Health and Environment Issues

Table of Contents What Is Information and

Communication Technology? ICT and the Environment

What Is Information and Communication Technology?

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.

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.

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.

ICT and the Environment

ICT and the Environment

Discussion: What effects do your electronic activities

have on the environment?

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?

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?

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.

ICT and the Environment-Disposal Read the following article:

“Tossing your computer? Read this first” http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/pre-2007/files/envi

ron/hitech_trash/index.html

Answer the following questions:1. What happens to computers when they reach

the end of their useful lives? 2. What did Jim Puckett find when he shot his video

in China?a. What were the consequences of the tech debris

(e-waste)?

3. According to Jim Puckett, Canada shouldn’t be shipping e-waste to China for what reason?

a. Explain this treaty.

ICT and the Environment-Disposal Read the following article:

“What happens to old computers?” http://computer.howstuffworks.com/discarded-old-comput

er.htm Answer the following questions:1. What is a growing number of advocacy groups doing?2. Define e-waste.3. Why shouldn’t old computer go to the landfill?4. What problems do the hazardous chemicals and toxic

substances in the computers cause to humans?5. How should old computers be recycled?

a. In reality how are they recycled?b. What is one of the main reasons that e-waste is

transported?

6. Name two ways that e-waste is dismantled.

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=I7Hv

dVpevIg

ICT and the Environment-Disposal What are the disposal policies in

Canada? What environmental policies do

computer manufacturers have?

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?

ICT and the Environment-Disposal Check out the environmental policies

of at least two computer manufacturers, such as Apple, 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.

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.

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/

ICT and the Environment-Solution

The Story of Electronics Continued Answer the following questions:1. What is the main issue that the video

presented?a. What terminology did the host use?

2. What is the solution?a. What terminology did the host use?

ICT and the Environment-Solution The Story of Electronics Continued Answers:1. What is the main issue that the video

presented?a. 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.

ICT and the Environment-Solution

The Story of Electronics Continued Answers:2. What is the solution?

a. What terminology did the host use? Making companies deal with their

e-waste is called Extended Producer Responsibility or Product Takeback

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.

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

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/

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/

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

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

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?

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?

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/

Check Your Understanding1. What are the main reasons there is so much

computer waste in our society?2. What should computer manufacturers do to

reduce waste?3. What should consumers do to reduce waste

and prolong the use of their computers?4. Identify two possible solutions for this waste.5. When you purchase your next computer, how

will you decide which one is the most environmentally friendly?