What should I do with my old computers?

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PC or Mac, the time comes when we have to say goodbye to our old computer equipment. Before you throw away that computer, a few facts.  In 2009, the EPA* reported that discarded TVs, computer equipment, peripherals (including printers, scanners, fax machines) mice, keyboards and cell phones totaled about 2.37 million short tons in landfills.  Throwing away your old electronics or e-waste instead of recycling can lead to corrosive chemicals seeping into the ground.  An estimated 70% of metals filling landfills come from e-waste.  Recycling one million laptops saves the energy equivalent to the electricity used by over 3,500 homes in the US in a year.  In an effort to be more “green” here are a few tips to dispose of your equipment in an environmentally friendly manner.

Reuse: If your computer works why not donate to an organization that can put your old laptop to good use.  Non-profit organizations like MacRecycleClinic and Project Reboot  will take your old computer, refurbish it and place it back in the community.  Needy users can expect to pay a nominal fee for the refurbished equipment.

Recycle: If your old trusted equipment is done for.  You can use organizations like Turtle Wings and E-end.  They will pick up and can ensure the secure destruction of your company’s data.  Other certified e-recyclers nationwide can be found at www.r2solutions.org and www.e-stewards.org.  

Reduce: More information can be found through your state or county.

Sustainable DC, Virginia Department of  Environmental Quality, Maryland Department of the Environment:

Volunteer Opportunities Abound

"Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love."  -   Martin Luther King Jr.

It’s great to volunteer in service to help other.  This year during Montgomery County’s Day of Service at the Universities at Shady Grove Wendy Howard and other friends of WH Consulting volunteered their time to a good cause.  Wendy revived her crocheting skills to make blanket squares for Project Linus.

Volunteering can do a lot for your business. It can bring your employees together, teach them new skills and even help them to discover skills they never knew they had!  Volunteering can give you and your organization a chance to make a difference.  It’s also a great way to prove your commitment to your staff and to your corporate social responsibility obligations in a meaningful way. Getting involved in volunteering projects not only contributes positively to the community but can be a better way to do business; creating sustainable businesses through the best possible relationships with their communities and stakeholders.

Welcome

On September 20, 2011 Bethesda Green (www.bethesdagreen.org) hosted the first Sustainable Office Seminar.  An alliance of 5 experts in their fields provided tips and strategies to improve an office’s personal, physical, mental, technological and environmental health.  The seminar focused on why growing people, greening the environment, and earning good profits are the foundation of a sustainable office environment (People + Planet + Profit = Sustainability).  Discussions centered on the first steps to making an office a “best place to work”.  

Members of the alliance included Dave Taghipour, founder of All Eco Design Center (http://allecocenter.com/),  a sustainable, full service design/build company with a showroom in Wheaton, Maryland and is both a talented designer and a visionary whose passion for the planet and good design fuse to provide simple, affordable and beautiful solutions for every lifestyle.  Dr. Naomi Abrams of Work Site Health and Safety Consultants (http://www.worksitehealthandsafety.com/) holds a Doctorate degree in Occupational Therapy and a certification as an ergonomic assessment specialist, holding the firm belief that prevention is the least expensive cure.  Wendy Howard of WH Consulting (http://whconsults.com/) has over 25 years of experience working in the Information Technology field specializing in streamlining IT systems to conserve natural resources and increase productivity.  Unyong Kim of Stressburner Yoga (http://www.stressburneryoga.com/ ) has a Masters degree in Psychotherapy with an emphasis on the contemplative traditions of Buddhism in exploring mind through meditation and promoting continuous learning from one's life, as the path to deepening one’s understanding.  John Buck of Governance Alive LLC (http://www.governancealive.com/), an international consulting organization headquartered in Rotterdam, Netherlands, coauthor of We the People: Consenting to a Deeper Democracy, about dynamic governance, a sustainable system for organizing and running organizations believes that such basic values as equality and liberty can make our work places dramatically more sustainable, elegant and profitable. 

Questions about further seminars can be addressed to sustainable.office.alliance@gmail.com.