globalbriefs


News and resources to inspire concerned citizens to work together in building a healthier, stronger society that benefits all.


Junk Piles UN Helps Developing Countries Handle E-Waste


Although they receive far less foreign e-waste than Africa and Asia, Latin America and the Ca- ribbean are significant and growing destinations for the industrialized world’s discarded refrigera- tors, small home appliances, televisions, mobile phones, computers, e-toys and other products with batteries or electrical cords.


Adding to the problem, the region’s fast-growing middle class is emulating


American consumers by buying more electronic and electrical equipment. Accord- ing to the World Bank, economic “climbers” grew 50 percent in the last decade and represent 32 percent of the area’s population, surpassing the number of poor for the first time in regional history. The United Nations’ Bonn, Germany-based Solving the E-Waste Program


initiative establishes e-waste academies as valuable resources for researchers, government decision-makers and recyclers. Experts share their experiences and knowledge in developing countries. Academy Coordinator Federico Magalini, Ph.D., notes, “What’s called a ‘best of


two worlds’ approach is needed: efficient pre-processing in developing countries and maximized recovery of materials with proper treatment of residual waste in countries with the best technologies for the job, with proceeds shared fairly and equitably.”


Source: EWasteAcademy.org


Cash Mobs Collective On-the-Spot Buying Revives Local Businesses


In most areas of the country, small, locally owned retail businesses are the lifeblood of local econo- mies, but the rising costs of doing business often means they cannot compete with the lower prices of big-box retail giants that negotiate in volume. For several years, the growth and frequency of cash mobs have been breathing new life into


struggling mom-and-pop businesses. Like a flash mob performing a dance or social protest, a cash mob gathers people together to have a tremendously positive effect on hometown businesses that may have served them and their families for decades. Most cash mobs agree to meet on a particular day, with each participant com- mitting to spend a specified amount, typically $20 or more. The benefits for local businesses far exceed a one-day influx of cash—new customers are found, previ- ous customers become active ones again and a new appreciation for businesses that fuel a local economy is realized. Participants can also have a little fun while further benefiting their communi-


ties as many cash mobs gather with old friends and new after a shopping frenzy at a local establishment for food and drinks.


Source: CashMob.com 10 NA Twin Cities Edition NaturalTwinCities.com


Shark Snooping Sea-Surfing Robot Tracks Marine Life


An unmanned, solar-powered Wave Glider robot has been deployed off the U.S. coast near San Francisco as part of an arsenal of ocean-ob- serving technologies revealing in real time the mysterious journeys of great white sharks and other marine creatures. A new network that also includes data receivers on fixed buoys picks up signals from acous- tic tags on animals passing within 1,000 feet and transmits information to a research team on shore, led by Stanford University Marine Sciences Professor Barbara Block. The technology is central to


Block’s Blue Serengeti Initiative, which builds on the Tagging of Pacific Predators project, part of the international Census of Marine Life (2000-2010). “The use of revolu- tionary technology increases our capacity to observe our oceans and census populations, improve fisher- ies management models and monitor animal responses to climate change,” says Block.


Shark Net is a free IOS app


available at the Apple store, creat- ed by Block and her colleagues to enable a direct, personal connection between the public and wild marine animals, and to raise awareness of the teeming ocean life just off North America’s West Coast.


Source: SierraClub.org


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