Youth Taking Action: Making a Difference in E-Waste

by James Bach

category: Young Leaders

Published August 12, 2009 @ 11:15AM PT

Ashoka's Youth Venturer and 2007 Brower Youth Award winner Alex Lin, 15, started Westerly Innovations Network (WIN), an e-waste recycling project that has refurbished and donated hundreds of computers to people at home and abroad, while also influencing Rhode Island's state legislation on e-waste disposal. Alex continues to provide refurbished computers to those in need, raise awareness of the harmful effects of e-waste, and has recently started to mentor and coach a team, Turning Grease into Fuel (T.G.I.F), which converts used cooking oil from restaurants and households into biodiesel to help heat shelters. We spoke with Alex about e-waste, how to influence legislation, and his plans for the future.

The harmful effects of electronic waste are not commonly known or misunderstood, what are the most important things that you want everyone to know about electronic waste?

Electronic waste cannot be treated as ‘normal' waste. Unlike what someone would put on the curb, electronics contain chemicals that require disposal as ‘hazardous waste.' These chemicals, such as lead, mercury and cadmium, pose no threat while being used. However, when dumped into landfills or otherwise improperly disposed of, these chemicals have the opportunity to seep into the environment and cause environmental damage as well as damage to humans. For example, lead causes developmental damage in the brain, especially to children. Also, polybrominated diphenylethers, which are present in the plastic casings, are known to cause various types of cancer.

Instead, consumer electronics should be either recycled or reused. Reusing is the best option; it is seven times more efficient than recycling. Reuse prolongs the life of electronics without expending the resources needed to break it down into raw materials. Responsible recycling is the next best choice. However, some ‘recycling' companies are fraudulent in that they do not actually recycle the products; they just export them to be dumped. The best way to find a ‘responsible' recycler is to look at here. Reusing and recycling are the two ways that you should always dispose of your electronics.

You were able to influence state legislation in your home state of Rhode Island. What kind of legislation passed and how can each of us make our voice heard to influence our state and national leaders to enact more environmentally sustainable laws?

The legislation that was enacted in my state put a general ban on the dumping of e-waste. In conjunction with the recycling program established by my project, this ensured that almost all electronics in Rhode Island were either being reused or recycled. Later, a manufacturer responsibility law was passed, requiring that all electronics manufacturers pay a portion of the cost (based on market share) of recycling the electronics.

To best make your voice heard, raise awareness and gather a following of people. Also, signing petitions for a particular piece of legislation can show public support for a bill or law. In addition, at both the state and town levels, making presentations to the lawmakers can be an effective strategy. This makes the legislators themselves more aware of the problem, which will make them more likely to pass the bill. Once they know about the environmental devastation and the contamination of land and water supplies, they will be more inclined to pass a law.

You've accomplished great things with your e-waste initiative, now as a mentor and coach for T.G.I.F. what are the most import lessons and skills that you want to teach others?

In my opinion, the most important lesson that I've learned through my ventures is to coordinate different parties towards the same goal. There is no reason to do something yourself when there are already established organizations that are dedicated to doing a certain task. However, it is key to have these organizations work together to achieve a greater goal. For example, for the TGIF project, the efforts residents, restaurants, grease collectors, biodiesel refiners, and aid distributors were woven together into a self-sufficient program to refine biodiesel for heating assistance.

In following with this, the next skill would be coordinating people. On your own venture team, like in the larger community, people should be doing what they do best. This makes for the most efficient program.
Another skill that would greatly help to create a successful venture is public speaking. ‘Selling' your project and raising awareness will be key to rallying a group of people to support you, which is crucial for expanding the venture and creating long-term action.

In relation to the previous skill, one lesson I've learned is to think sustainably. When working with businesses, some may be worried about what happens if and when your venture ceases to exist. Also, sustainability makes for lasting impact, which should be a goal for any venture.

Finally, set goals, schedules and deadlines. It's easy to get off track without a guide dictating the next step towards the final goal. With some sort of outline, you know exactly what to do.

Monitoring and evaluation are important processes to include in any successful project, how do you measure your projects' successes? What lessons have you learned along the way?

I can measure my projects' successes by the numbers. Most of what I do can be quantified; the amount of electronics recycled, the amount of biodiesel produced, the number of computers donated can all be simplified to numbers. In addition, more intangible accomplishments can also be calculated, such as the number of people I've informed about the problem, a center that was set up, a system established, a bill passed. Each has a different significance in the larger picture.

Out of the many things I have learned from my work, Murphy's Law is one that comes to mind. It states that ‘anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.' With good planning, hopefully most events run smoothly, but you always have to prepare for multiple aspects of a particular event failing spectacularly. Sometimes, Plan Fs are necessary, not just a Plan B. In addition to that, I feel that improvisation is an integral skill to have. In the middle of a project or event, thinking on your feet to find a solution at hand can turn a mediocre event into a roaring success.

What are your plans and hopes for your projects going forward?

As of right now, I am seeking to expand both of my projects as much as possible. For my e-waste project, I look to continue to send computer centers to areas around the world to raise awareness about the e-waste problem. However, my main focus will be with the TGIF project. I hope to help the team move their project to nearby towns, which they have already started to do.

Above all, I hope to turn both my projects into modules that can be replicated anywhere. Almost like ventures-in-a-box, for younger students who would like to create their own ventures but do not know where to start. This way, I can maximize impact of a specific project while at the same time inspiring others into action and giving them valuable experience working with their communities.

Get to know other young social entrepreneurs by reading their stories and seeing videos of them in action at http://genvcampaigns.org/

If you are a young person between the ages of 12-20 and want to create positive change in your community join the global movement of young changemakers at http://genv.net/

Photocredit: National Geographic.