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Some of you may recognize this post. It’s actually a new version of an email I sent out to my friends and family a while back that I just recently found while cleaning out my old emails. I’ve updated it to be more applicable to a larger audience, and to have a little broader motivation.

E-Cycling is a goofy name, yes. But, hey, this isn’t about poetry. It’s about living smart and aggressively addressing the climate crisis. Seems like many of us are really starting to get the idea that the planet is in real danger. That means we’re in real danger. Here are a few ways to do something about it.

1. Find places to get rid of your e-waste (electronic waste) here, here or here! If you find a place that “recycles” old technology in your area, ask them if they’re not actually sending them off to China, India or Pakistan. That’s not recycling. Not by a long stretch. Of America’s waste, 50% to 80% of the approximately 10% that we actually recycle goes to developing nations to be mined for precious metals. The remaining materials just seeps into the ground, air, and water. Much of it gets burnt in large piles releasing tremendous amounts of toxins and pollutants into the air.

Though they are sometimes ridiculously hard to find, try your darndest to track down a local recycler. The further you have to send your electronics for recycling, the less likely you are to do it, the more carbon emissions it will take to get there, and the more packaging it will require to ship. It’s very possible that your city or county has a program!

2. There are many, many places that would love to take your donated old computers. Go here to find someone to donate your computer to.

3. There are also many places to recycle your cell phone, pagers and PDAs. Try here, or here. Or go to RIPmobile and get a little in return.

4. Ink cartridges are deceivingly innocent little things. But that ink isn’t exactly free of toxins. Nor is the packaging. In fact they’re almost as bad as a cell phone. Recycle your ink cartidges.

5. Remember CD-Rs are good only once. Buy CD-RWs if you can. They can be re-used many, many times and are more reliable than people say they are.

6. There are many places on the internet to find ways to live cleaner, more sustainable lives. But lately I’ve been reading the book World Changing. Amazing (and very well designed) book put out by the good people at WorldChanging.com. There is so much helpful and insightful information there. Highly recommended. Probably the best book in depth and breadth of pertinent modern-day green living. It is an educational tool as much as how-to. Order it here from your local bookseller (recommended) or if no such thing exists, get World Changing at Amazon.

7. Also, some interesting information from the greatest “recyclers” on the planet, Ebay and Rethink.

E-cycling is a silly name but it’s amazingly important! Do it! There are fewer and fewer excuses not to recycling your gadgets and computers. Find out about your community’s resources. Then share it because every environmental issue is a community issue and justice and rights issue. The more we share what we know, the better we are.

Once again:
Enviro Yellow Pages
Earth 911
UsedComputer.com
Collective Good
Charitable Recycling
RIPmobile
WorldChanging.com
Order WorldChanging from your local bookseller
World Changing at Amazon
Ebay and Rethink

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