Community Technology Empowerment Project

Community POWER Presentation15 Oct 2008

CTEP Members are placed at 20 different partner organizations in the Twin Cities

• non-profits librariescommunity centers

• that have community technology centers serving low income and new immigrant youth and adults.

2008-2009 CTEP Members

Workforce Readiness Skills

Improving Academic

Skills

Media Production

DigiDaze EventAugust 2008

Earth Day E-Waste Recycling EventApril 2008

What is E-Waste?

• Any waste that has a circuit board or cathode ray tube (CRT)

• Includes– Televisions– Computers: central processing units (CPUs),– monitors, laptops– Computer keyboards, speakers, printers, and – other peripherals– VCRs and DVD players– Fax machines

Hennepin County Department of Environmental Services

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Hennepin County Consumer Electronics Program

Hennepin County Department of Environmental Services

State of e-waste Now

• Where is it currently going? Still a huge backlog, stored in closets, basements, and garages.

Many more convenient and low cost or free recycling options for residents

• Retail drop-off• Private recyclers• Manufacturer-sponsored programs• Government-sponsored collection programs and special events

Hennepin County Department of Environmental Services

What are the Concerns?

• Most old TVs and computer monitors contain cathode ray tubes (CRTs)

• CRTs are the largest source of lead in Minnesota’s garbage

• Cadmium, chromium, mercury, beryllium, brominated flame retardants, plastics

Hennepin County Department of Environmental Services

The Insides of a CRT• Lead is in the phosphorescent coating of the tube - fused between 2 pieces of glass - an unbroken CRT is relatively safe.

• Crushing CRT glass releases solid lead into the environment

• Lead in the “frit” which joins the face plate glass to the funnel glass leaches readily when subjected to TCLP test

Hennepin County Department of Environmental Services

Other Concerns?

• Lost resources

Precious metals, engineered plastics, glass, other materials

UN study: average PC requires 10 times the product’s weight in fossil fuels to manufacture.

• 530 lbs. fossil fuels• 48 lbs. chemicals• 2,500 lbs. water

Hennepin County Department of Environmental Services

Hennepin’s Consumer Electronics Program – Cost History

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$0$200,000$400,000$600,000$800,000$1,000,000$1,200,000$1,400,000$1,600,000$1,800,000

Net Cost Net Revenue Tons

Our Plan for Community POWER

CTEP members will lead one or two community action projects around the issue of electronic waste in 2008-2009

75 hours per member

OUTLINE FOR CTEP PROJECT

MEMBERS….

• Sept-Oct 08 Learn about E-Waste• Nov Choose Issue Areas• Dec Write Project Charters• Jan-July Carry Out Project• Aug 09 Publicly present findings and

reflect on project

Visited Asset Recovery CorporationOctober 2008

Planned Grant Activities

#1 develop programming and resources to be incorporated into classes, one-on-one mentoring, and community events at our partnering community technology centers that help community participants learn how to fully utilize technology resources available to them, and subsequently reduce household electronic waste in the process.

Goal 1: 500 community residents at a minimum of six CTEP partner agencies will participate in classes that incorporate our waste reduction curriculum

• create paper-based as well as online curriculum that will be incorporated into new community classes, under the review of county staff to use pre-approved language.

• based directly on questions that our AmeriCorps members often hear at their community technology centers: If I want to get a cheap computer-- used is fine-- where can I get one? I have a computer that has some problems, how can I get it fixed cheaply? How do I take better care of my computer so that I can keep it for a longer amount of time? How do I dispose of my computer when there is no hope for repair? Culturally appropriate and low-level literacy materials and class programming will be created to address these questions.

• include information on how to access online resources that educate about additional hazardous waste issues such as reducing exposure to toxic household chemicals, curbside recycling, acquiring used goods, composting, etc…such as www.greenguardian.com, www.eurekarecycling.org/, www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/solid-waste/, and www.twincitiesfreemarket.org/

Measurement

• Community residents report that they recycled their e-waste, fixed or updated their current electronics so that their lifespan would be extended, received refurbished electronics so that new electronics would not need to be purchased, or reduced their use of other hazardous household waste beyond e-waste.

Evaluation

Residents will complete an evaluation at the end of class in which they commit to performing certain actions in the coming weeks. AmeriCorps members will then contact residents one month after the classes have finished to document the changes have been made, and to answer questions.

Challenge of Language Barriers

Current waste reduction materials are quite limited in the Twin Cities.

• hotlines in Spanish and Hmong (Ramsey)

• 2 page PDF documents highlighting curbside recycling options on the Eureka Recycling website, but no information on e-waste reduction in any language other than English.

• Goal 2: 5000 community residents will utilize multi-language resources that will be distributed at CTEP partner agencies, other interested organizations, online presences such as www.greenguardian.com, and existing community events

Measurement

CTEP agencies will keep track of how many publications have been distributed by language as well as work to measure the number of times multi-language materials are accessed on the internet.

• create flyers highlighting the strategies to reduce e-waste. These print materials could be based on www.greenguardian.com’s Top Questions for Electronics Recycling which is part of the SWMCB’s online electronic toolkit.

• create online streaming videos in multiple languages that highlight local waste reduction processes and options, on major video websites such as YouTube, local Cable Access television, on www.greenguardian.com

• Translation and final products will be created and shared freely in collaboration with other interested parties such as the District 1 Community Council, the Cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and other partners as they arise.

• These print resources will be available in the Community Technology Centers at our CTEP partner agencies

• CTEP members will distribute print materials and create presentations at community events such as Home & Garden Fairs, the Living Green Expo, as well as cultural fairs such as the Hmong New Year or Cinco de Mayo where a higher degree of non-English speaking residents would participate. Presentations could include partial disassembly of CRT monitors and other hardwire (in a safe manner) that will help educate community members about the nature of toxic e-waste.

QUESTIONS,

FEEDBACK, ADVICE?