ecotip


Erase E-Waste Regift or Recycle Smart Phones


role is to step aside, stay in infinite pos- sibility, heal my own wounds, fill my own bucket and let my child fly.


How can closer, awakened families co-create a better world via the ripple effect? When children grow up feeling con- nected with their parents and deeply seen by them, they march into the outer world feeling self-confident and aware of who they truly are, secure in their own inherent inner-connec- tivity. Children raised in this manner naturally help advocate for peace and harmony in all of their relation- ships; incidents of bullying, anxiety and discrediting one’s self and others decrease exponentially.


Judith Fertig is a freelance writer from Overland Park, KS (JudithFertig.com).


When replacing holiday purchases of smartphones and other electronic devices, don’t just trash the old ones. Manufacturing electronics consumes many resources and discarded waste can leak harmful chemicals into ecosystems. There are far better ways to redirect and repurpose them. Besides trading in phones for a rebate, another good option is transferring them to an official recycling program that makes sure all components are dealt with properly. Some states offer special provisions. Check the E-Cycling Central website at eiae.org. Major phone makers and carriers offer recycling programs, and some retailers accept select electronic devices. Best of all, give a device a new life by gifting it. RecyclingForCharities.com accepts obsolete personal electronic devices by mail; the donor selects a charity to receive the proceeds. ShelterAlliance.net, CellPhonesForSoldiers.com and Phones4Charity.org are kindred organizations. AmericanCellPhoneDrive.org lets users find nearby charity recycling initia-


tives via zip code. It provides scholarships for U.S. children that have lost a parent through warfare or terrorism, feeds malnourished children in Asia, builds low- income housing and donates prepaid calling cards to military personnel. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, other unwanted electronic devices can be recycled so that incorporated copper, steel and glass can be recovered and reused. Other materials like lead (in circuit board solder, glass cathode ray tubes of many TVs and computer screens, and batteries) and mercury (in fluorescent backlights of many flat-panel screen displays) can be captured and recycled, instead of polluting the environment.


Small appliances like toasters, coffee makers and clothing irons aren’t considered


e-waste and generally aren’t recyclable because they are made of a mix of plastic and metal. Using them for many years helps.


natural awakenings December 2017


15


Jack Frog/Shutterstock.com


Sunny studio/Shutterstock.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32