As technology advances, we cannot help but be in awe of what we create. From the iPhone to driverless cars, our progress shows no sign of slowing. But that is all just half of it. What happens to last year’s technological marvel? What about yesterday’s?
As quickly as we create something new, we also create a proportional amount of waste. In Silicon Mountain, the reality of technological waste is brought into sharp focus. “Waste is a design flaw,” iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens explains. Silicon Mountain presents the facts about what we are doing wrong and how we can redesign the way we approach the jetsom of progress.
When you buy a new computer, what purpose does your old one serve? For most of us, that old device is simply taking up space so we literally put it in the garbage to take up space somewhere else. Ionut Georgescu, founder of End of Waste Foundation, clarifies the stakes: “The moment we decide to drop it and it becomes waste, it becomes hazardous waste.”
These devices can improve the quality of our life but there is a price beyond the dollar amount. We create an impact with each earth metal we mine, with each old phone we throw in the garbage. That changes only when we grow cognizant of our actions and choose to find better ways to manage the way we think about the physical technology we use.
Joel Patterson and The Vested Group have gathered experts and innovators from around the world to show how we can be both on the cutting edge of technology and advocates for preservation.
“We are so fascinated and inspired by the electronics recycling industry, we have to share this story with the world,” Patterson says.
Take a look at how the electronics recycling industry is converting harmful waste into things that the world needs.