“Waste is the failure to take advantage of an opportunity…” (wastetowonder.com)
Sky’s the Limit is committed to the environment.
The average functional lifespan of a desktop computer is roughly 2 to 5 yrs. Burning them creates carcinogens. Burying them contaminates the ground and water. Sky’s the Limit diverts used computers from landfills.
The Single Computer Effect
How does one computer from STL impact the security of our environment?
“The average 24 kg desktop computer with monitor requires at least 10 times its weight in fossil fuels and chemicals to manufacture, much more materials intensive than an automobile or refrigerator, which only require 1-2 times their weight in fossil fuels. Researchers found that manufacturing one desktop computer and 17-inch CRT monitor uses at least 240 kg of fossil fuels, 22 kg of chemicals and 1,500 kg of water – a total of 1.8 tonnes of materials.” – United Nations
University, 2004.
STL has saved (2100 computers)…
56,700kg of fossil fuels or 77,700L of gas
5,250kg of chemicals
350,700kg of water
The energy described in the above quote translates to over 300 litres of gasoline, and that is just for the energy used to get the product ready for sale. The raw materials, many of them dangerous, pose additional environmental costs not completely paid for by the direct consumer. With an estimated 70% of toxic garbage in US landfills from electronic waste (source: http://motherjones.com/environment/2007/03/iwaste), it is clear that technology and toxic waste are linked.
At STL, our redistribution of used computers is a direct contribution to combat this growing problem. Assuming a 3 year life cycle for the computers that we donate, we aim to provide as least a 50% extension to the usable lifespan of these devices by placing them with under-resourced recipients. This 50% increase in the amortization period of the resources used to create the computer, implies a total savings contribution per computer of:
yearly amortization of fossil fuels used in production is reduced from 80kg/year to 53kg/year -> 27kg/year savings
yearly amortization of chemicals used in production is reduced from 7.3kg/year to 4.8kg/year -> 2.5kg/year savings
yearly amortization of water used in production is reduced from 500kg/year to 333kg/year -> 167kg/year savings
So for every 100 computers we redistribute a year, we are saving 2700kg of fossil fuels or about 3700L of gasoline, 250kg of chemicals, and 16700kg of water consumption.
In addition to:
the educational and social benefits of placing computers with kids who need them;
the environmental impact of keeping a computer out of a landfill;
and increasing the productivity for a piece of hardware,
we at STL hope that our efforts help re-enforce the importance of being environmentally responsible and that unlike their computers, that message lasts throughout the recipient’s lifetime.
You can make a difference without much difficulty. The most important thing is to educate yourself and take individual responsibility.
• Think carefully about whether you really need a new computer. Could upgrading your existing computer serve the same purpose?
• Upgrade the memory or hard disk space as much a possible;
• Many small offices now have networks, which store documents so that the computer on your desk doesn’t need as much computing power;
• Older laptops and desktop computers will usually support the use of a USB wireless stick – a small gadget like a USB memory stick which plugs in when needed to provide fast Wi-Fi access;
• Strip your software down to the essentials – don’t use valuable space or processor memory on programs and files you don’t use;
• Keep your computer well-tuned. You’re more likely to want to keep a computer longer if it runs better.
• Become a workplace champion, and educate your colleagues
• Make sure PCs are turned off at night and especially weekends
• Don’t forget to turn off printers and other equipment
• Make sure occasional and casual users of equipment are aware of need to shut down when they are finished
• Set PCs to go on stand by if they haven’t been in use for five minutes
• Use technology instead of travel
• Print material only when necessary, and always use both sides of the page
• Make greener computing part of your policies and future strategies
• When purchasing new ICT equipment, choose energy-saving devices that have been manufactured in an environmentally-conscious fashion.
• Dispose of old hardware responsibly; send old PCs to be reconditioned and recycled.
•Find out how much energy your ICT systems use and monitor ongoing consumption levels.
More environmental information from Environment Canada
In 2005, the amount of disposed computers and peripherals totaled more than 67,000 tons in Canada.
Canadians bury or incinerate 158,000 tons of dead and obsolete computers, monitors, printers, fax machines, TV’s, mobile phones and similar products every year.
An estimated 4,740 tons of lead is contained in personal computers and televisions thrown away each year in Canada. In 2005, discarded PCs contained an estimated 4.5 tones of cadmium and 1.1 tones of mercury.
Environmental Impact
Sky’s the Limit is committed to the environment.
The average functional lifespan of a desktop computer is roughly 2 to 5 yrs. Burning them creates carcinogens. Burying them contaminates the ground and water. Sky’s the Limit diverts used computers from landfills.
The Single Computer Effect
How does one computer from STL impact the security of our environment?
“The average 24 kg desktop computer with monitor requires at least 10 times its weight in fossil fuels and chemicals to manufacture, much more materials intensive than an automobile or refrigerator, which only require 1-2 times their weight in fossil fuels. Researchers found that manufacturing one desktop computer and 17-inch CRT monitor uses at least 240 kg of fossil fuels, 22 kg of chemicals and 1,500 kg of water – a total of 1.8 tonnes of materials.” – United Nations
University, 2004.
STL has saved (2100 computers)…
The energy described in the above quote translates to over 300 litres of gasoline, and that is just for the energy used to get the product ready for sale. The raw materials, many of them dangerous, pose additional environmental costs not completely paid for by the direct consumer. With an estimated 70% of toxic garbage in US landfills from electronic waste (source: http://motherjones.com/environment/2007/03/iwaste), it is clear that technology and toxic waste are linked.
At STL, our redistribution of used computers is a direct contribution to combat this growing problem. Assuming a 3 year life cycle for the computers that we donate, we aim to provide as least a 50% extension to the usable lifespan of these devices by placing them with under-resourced recipients. This 50% increase in the amortization period of the resources used to create the computer, implies a total savings contribution per computer of:
yearly amortization of fossil fuels used in production is reduced from 80kg/year to 53kg/year -> 27kg/year savings
yearly amortization of chemicals used in production is reduced from 7.3kg/year to 4.8kg/year -> 2.5kg/year savings
yearly amortization of water used in production is reduced from 500kg/year to 333kg/year -> 167kg/year savings
So for every 100 computers we redistribute a year, we are saving 2700kg of fossil fuels or about 3700L of gasoline, 250kg of chemicals, and 16700kg of water consumption.
In addition to:
we at STL hope that our efforts help re-enforce the importance of being environmentally responsible and that unlike their computers, that message lasts throughout the recipient’s lifetime.
IT and Environment Initiative
What can I do to reduce my carbon footprint?
You can make a difference without much difficulty. The most important thing is to educate yourself and take individual responsibility.
• Think carefully about whether you really need a new computer. Could upgrading your existing computer serve the same purpose?
• Upgrade the memory or hard disk space as much a possible;
• Many small offices now have networks, which store documents so that the computer on your desk doesn’t need as much computing power;
• Older laptops and desktop computers will usually support the use of a USB wireless stick – a small gadget like a USB memory stick which plugs in when needed to provide fast Wi-Fi access;
• Strip your software down to the essentials – don’t use valuable space or processor memory on programs and files you don’t use;
• Keep your computer well-tuned. You’re more likely to want to keep a computer longer if it runs better.
• Become a workplace champion, and educate your colleagues
• Make sure PCs are turned off at night and especially weekends
• Don’t forget to turn off printers and other equipment
• Make sure occasional and casual users of equipment are aware of need to shut down when they are finished
• Set PCs to go on stand by if they haven’t been in use for five minutes
• Use technology instead of travel
• Print material only when necessary, and always use both sides of the page
• Make greener computing part of your policies and future strategies
• When purchasing new ICT equipment, choose energy-saving devices that have been manufactured in an environmentally-conscious fashion.
• Dispose of old hardware responsibly; send old PCs to be reconditioned and recycled.
•Find out how much energy your ICT systems use and monitor ongoing consumption levels.
More environmental information from Environment Canada
In 2005, the amount of disposed computers and peripherals totaled more than 67,000 tons in Canada.
Canadians bury or incinerate 158,000 tons of dead and obsolete computers, monitors, printers, fax machines, TV’s, mobile phones and similar products every year.
An estimated 4,740 tons of lead is contained in personal computers and televisions thrown away each year in Canada. In 2005, discarded PCs contained an estimated 4.5 tones of cadmium and 1.1 tones of mercury.
Toxins in Computers – Impact on Health
* Barium (CRT): Intestinal illness, muscular weakness
* Beryllium (electronics): Can damage bones, cause cancer
* Cadmium (batteries and circuit boards): Kidney, liver, bone, and blood damage
* Hexavalent chromium (steel): liver, kidney, nerve tissues and kidney disease, brain disorders in young children
* Mercury (LCD, flat panel displays, batteries): kidney damage
* Phosphorus (CRT): skin, eye, and stomach irritation
* Brominated flame retardants (plastics, cables, CRTs): endocrine disruptor, neurotoxin
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