Friday, 28 Feb 2003

The Motherboard of Invention

As Grist reported Monday, discarded electronic equipment poses a serious environmental and health hazard in the developing world, where obsolete computers and other products are stripped and recycled. Now, we have some good news to add; 16 electronics recyclers in the U.S. and Canada have committed to keeping monitors, cables, and motherboards out of the hands of impoverished Third World workers, who enjoy few if any labor protections. In addition, the recyclers said they would keep track of recycled parts, do business with environmentally conscious companies, and keep toxic products out of landfills, incinerators, and prisons, where inmates are paid next to nothing to dismantle them. It is unclear how many electronics recyclers there are; Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition Executive Director Ted Smith said the 16 signers were "less than half, but more than a token number."

Encore! Encore!

What do the Les Miserables soundtrack and an anthology of French feminism have to do with environmental protection? Plenty, thanks to Jesse Putnam, founder and director of Eco Encore. This new Seattle-based nonprofit collects donations of used CDs, videos, DVDs, and books, then hawks them online and directs the proceeds to Pacific Northwest environmental groups. Jump into the game yourself by patronizing Eco Encore's online store, or by making a donation of used items that will be sold to benefit Grist. As this week's diarist, Putnam discusses his trusty canine sidekick Ripken, Eco Encore's clever new intern Michelle, and the organization's very first grant -- only on the Grist Magazine website.

New Sours Review

Opposition to the Bush administration's efforts to weaken the Clean Air Act is growing, with California, Wisconsin, and Illinois yesterday joining 10 Northeastern states in filing lawsuits against the U.S. EPA. At issue is a decision to weaken the act's New Source Review rules, which historically have prohibited aged power plants from upgrading their facilities without installing state-of-the-art pollution controls. California Attorney General Bill Lockyer called the move by the administration "one aspect of a continuing effort by the federal government to roll back and eviscerate California's strong environmental laws." Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle (D) said he had decided to sue "to protect our citizens and our environment from the hazards associated with air pollution." Aside from Illinois, most other Midwestern states, which are power-plant powerhouses, support the Bush plan.

New King Coal

Coal has a reputation as the dirtiest fuel around, but the U.S. Department of Energy hopes to reinvent the stuff as clean energy by building an experimental, coal-fired, emissions-free power plant. The project, known as FutureGen, will be built within 10 years and will cost just 10 percent more than an ordinary coal plant to run, DOE officials predict. Currently, coal-fired power plants are responsible for about 40 percent of total global carbon dioxide emissions. "There is no doubt coal is going to be a principal fuel source in the 21st century," said Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, who added that FutureGen would "help turn coal from an environmentally challenging energy resource into an environmentally benign one." The project is expected to cost $1 billion, money that will be provided by the federal government, private companies, and cooperating nations. Some environmentalists expressed enthusiasm about the plan, but said cleaner coal plants would only work if use of the new technology is eventually mandated by the government.

He Kamen Through the Bathroom Window

Dean Kamen, inventor of the much-ballyhooed Segway Human Transporter, has come up with a new innovation: a portable water purifier he says can help mitigate the lack of clean, freshwater sources in impoverished parts of the world. Kamen unveiled a prototype of his creation at the annual cutting-edge "Technology, Entertainment, Design" conference, being held this week in Monterey, Calif. Used in conjunction with a portable power generator, the purifier can produce 10 gallons of clean water per hour from seawater or contaminated water, according to Kamen. The purifier requires little maintenance and uses no chemicals or filters. Last year, the World Health Organization reported that more than 1 billion people lack access to potable water.