LibGuides: ISTC Sustainability Film Festival 2014: Terra Blight

Terra Blight Synopsis & Trailer

Terra Blight is a 55-minute documentary produced by Jellyfish Smack Productions exploring America's consumption of computers and the hazardous waste we create in pursuit of the latest technology.

The film traces the life cycle of computers from creation to disposal and juxtaposes the disparate worlds that have computers as their center. From a 13-year-old Ghanaian who smashes obsolete monitors to salvage copper to a 3,000-person video game party in Texas, Terra Blight examines the unseen realities of one of the most ubiquitous toxic wastes on our planet. This documentary examines the intricacies of American consumerism through the story of the computer. It exposes some of the harms of its existence, but it also celebrates the positive changes it has brought to us.

By the film's end, the audience will never look at their computer the same way again.

The DVD of this film should be used for non-commercial educational purposes only. For more information on the film please see http://www.terrablight.com/.

Learn More

Use the resources below to learn more about the issues surrounding electronic waste.

Cleaning Up Electronic Waste (E-Waste)
While EPA continues to build upon its domestic efforts of improving management of discarded used electronics to minimize the growing stream of e-waste and to increase the recycling and reuse of these materials, EPA's international efforts focus on addressing the problems caused when used electronics are exported to developing countries that lack the capacity to manage them safely, causing human health and environmental impacts amongst workers and communities.
Electronics Recycling Coordination Clearinghouse (ERCC)
The Electronics Recycling Coordination Clearinghouse (ERCC) was launched in 2010 by two leading non-profit organizations advancing recycling efforts across the country - the National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER) and the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC). The ERCC is a forum for coordination and information exchange among the state/local agencies that are implementing electronics recycling laws and all impacted stakeholders.
Electronics TakeBack Coalition
The Electronics TakeBack Coalition (ETBC) promotes green design and responsible recycling in the electronics industry. Its goal is to protect the health and well being of electronics users, workers, and the communities where electronics are produced and discarded by requiring consumer electronics manufacturers and brand owners to take full responsibility for the life cycle of their products, through effective public policy requirements or enforceable agreements.
Frontline: Ghana: Digital Dumping Ground
On the outskirts of Ghana's biggest city sits a smoldering wasteland, a slum carved into the banks of the Korle Lagoon, one of the most polluted bodies of water on earth. The locals call it Sodom and Gomorrah. Correspondent Peter Klein and a group of graduate journalism students from the University of British Columbia have come here as part of a global investigation -- to track a shadowy industry that's causing big problems here and around the world.
High Tech Trash: Digital Devices, Hidden Toxics, and Human Health
The Digital Age was expected to usher in an era of clean production, an alternative to smokestack industries and their pollutants. But as environmental journalist Elizabeth Grossman reveals in this penetrating analysis of high tech manufacture and disposal, digital may be sleek, but it's anything but clean. Deep within every electronic device lie toxic materials that make up the bits and bytes, a complex thicket of lead, mercury, cadmium, plastics, and a host of other often harmful ingredients. High Tech Trash is a wake-up call to the importance of the e-waste issue and the health hazards involved.
High-Tech Trash
National Geographic article on the scope of the e-waste problem from January 2008.
iFixit.org
Articles from iFixit on how repairing devices relates to rights, job creation, and sustainability.
Illinois EPA: Electronics Recycling
Information on IL Electronic Products Reuse & Recycling Act, 2013 manufacturer rankings based on pounds recycled, lists of registered collectors, recyclers, and refurbishers, list of devices banned from IL landfills, and more.
Made to Break: Technology and Obsolescence in America
If you've replaced a computer lately--or a cell phone, a camera, a television--chances are, the old one still worked. And chances are even greater that the latest model won't last as long as the one it replaced. Welcome to the world of planned obsolescence--a business model, a way of life, and a uniquely American invention that this eye-opening book explores from its beginnings to its perilous implications for the very near future. "Made to Break" is a history of twentieth-century technology as seen through the prism of obsolescence. America invented everything that is now disposable, Giles Slade tells us, and he explains how disposability was in fact a necessary condition for America's rejection of tradition and our acceptance of change and impermanence.
National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER)
The National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization formed in 2005 that is dedicated to the development and enhancement of a national infrastructure for the recycling of used electronics in the U.S.
National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship
Details the federal government's plan to enhance the management of electronics by: 1) incentivizing greener design of electronics; 2) leading by example; 3) increasing domestic recycling; and 4) reducing harmful exports of e-waste and building capacity in developing countries.
Quantitative Characterization of Domestic and Transboundary Flows of Used Electronics
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Materials Systems Laboratory and the US National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER) released a report analysing the United States’ generation, collection and export of some types of used electronics The study was published in tandem with the StEP E-Waste World Map, an online interactive tool that allows users to explore the international data about e-waste generation and flows.
SEI: US State & Local Legislation
State comparison list, with links to state environmental departments, passed and proposed bills, dates of bill passing and date of enactment, as well as a description of which electronics are covered under each ewaste and disposal law.
StEP E-Waste World Map
This first-of-a-kind e-waste world-map provides comparable, country-level data on the amount of electrical and electronic equipment put on the market and the resulting amount of e-waste generated in most countries around the world. In order to ensure comparability of data across countries, the data upon which this map is based has been assembled according to a common definition of electrical and electronic equipment, as well as of e-waste. The data will be updated regularly to incorporate additional data (e.g. imports and exports) and enable up-to-date comparisons. Additionally, as a supplement to the primary data, this e-waste world-map also provides links to relevant e-waste rules, regulations, policies, and other useful resources.
StEP Initiative (Solving the E-waste Problem)
StEP's work is founded on scientific assessments and incorporates a comprehensive view of the social, environmental and economic aspects of e-waste. StEP conducts research on the entire life cycle of electrical and electronic equipment and their corresponding global supply, process and material flows. StEP's research and pilot-projects are meant to contribute to the solution of e-waste problems. StEP condemns all illegal activities related to e-waste including illegal shipments and re-use / recycling practices that are harmful to the environment and human health. StEP seeks to foster safe and eco- and energy-efficient re-use and recycling practices around the globe in a socially responsible manner.
Sustainable Electronics Initiative
The Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI) at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) is dedicated to the development and implementation of a more sustainable system for designing, producing, using, and managing electronic devices. Includes a wealth of information on responsible electronics ownership and disposal.
Terra Blight Discussion Guide
Developed by Kirsten Walker of ISTC for use in classroom or group discussions of the documentary, Terra Blight.
Toxic 'e-waste' dumped in poor nations, says United Nations
Millions of tonnes of old electronic goods illegally exported to developing countries, as people dump luxury items. (The Guardian, December 2013).
US EPA: eCycling
This site offers: basic Information about reducing and recycling electronics; "Where You Live" provides information about regional and State eCycling programs; "Where Can I Donate or Recycle My Old Computer and Other Electronics?" lists organizations and retailers with donation and recycling programs; statistics on the management of used and end-of-life electronics; regulations/standards for handling electronic equipment; frequent questions and answers about electronic waste; resources, publications, and links that offer additional information on the management of electronics

What You Can Do

Buy Greener Electronics
Links to and summary of purchasing tools on the Electronics TakeBack Coalition web site.

Below are links to resources to help you purchase, use, and dispose of electronics responsibly.

Champaign County Electronics Recycling Guide
Includes information on the devices which may not be thrown in residential trash under IL law, local businesses that accept electronics for recycling (including contact information, items accepted, restrictions, etc.), and information on any upcoming county electronics collection events.
Community Electronics Recycling Resources
Presentation by Joy Scrogum of ISTC which provides some information on recycling on the UI campus (for UI owned electronics) and resources related to electronics recycling in the Champaign-Urbana community (meant for personally owned, non-university electronics). Battery and fluorescent lamp recycling resources included.
Conflict Mineral Company Rankings
Raise Hope for Congo ranks companies on their efforts toward using and investing in conflict-free minerals in their products. This consumer action guide will help you understand what actions companies are (or are not) taking to contribute to the creation of a clean minerals trade in Congo, and ultimately, the reduction of conflict there.
Electronic Take-Back and Donation Programs
Sustainable Electronics Initiative fact sheet including information on retailer and manufacturer take-back programs, donation opportunities, electronics trade-in programs, and state collection information.
Electronics Use and Disposal
EPEAT Product Registry
EPEAT is a global rating system for greener electronics. The EPEAT system combines strict, comprehensive criteria for design, production, energy use and recycling with ongoing independent verification of manufacturer claims. EPEAT was developed through a stakeholder consensus process and is managed by the Green Electronics Council, a non-profit organization based in Portland, Oregon, USA.
Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics
This guide evaluates leading consumer electronics companies based on their commitment and progress in three environmental criteria: Energy and Climate, Greener Products, and Sustainable Operations.
iFixit: The free repair manual
Consider repairing your devices instead of replacing them. The greenest electronic device is the one you already own, made to last as long as possible. iFixit is a global community of people helping each other repair things. Find step-by-step guides to fix your electronics, contribute your own guides, buy tools, and find reports on repairability of electronics before you buy them.
Recycle it Right:Guide to Recycling Your Electronics
If you want to get rid of electronic equipment that you no longer use and want to protect the environment, follow these steps.
SEI: Certification
Information on e-stewards, R2, and R2/RIOS certifications for electronics recyclers.
State Electronics Challenge
The State Electronics Challenge (SEC) encourages state, tribal, regional, and local governments, including schools and other public entities, to responsibly manage office equipment, by:
-- Purchasing greener office equipment.
-- Reducing the impacts of these products during use.
-- Managing obsolete electronics in an environmentally safe way.
Tell the Retailers to Help Us Recycle Electronics
Electronic TakeBack Coalition recommendations on actions to encourage retailers that scored poorly on their Retailer Report Card to launch a consumer recycling program.
The Good Guide: Cellphones
GoodGuide was founded in 2007 by Dara O'Rourke, a professor of environmental and labor policy at the University of California at Berkeley. Its mission is to help consumers make purchasing decisions that reflect their preferences and values. The GoodGuide science team includes specialists in life cycle assessment, environmental engineering, chemistry, nutrition and sociology; this team rates a wide variety of consumer products. Currently cellphones are the only products listed on the GoodGuide web site.
US EPA: Electronics Donation and Recycling
Search by electronic device or company for donation and recycling options.

Film evaluation

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