Global Wire Associates Launches New “Recharge E-Waste” Campaign

January 9, 2012 1 Comment

As many of you are still gushing over all the new tech gadgets you received over the holidays, you probably didn’t give a second thought about the “old” gadgets you just threw away.  According to the United Nations Environmental Programme, it is estimated that 20-50 million tons of discarded electronics – electronic waste or e-waste – are dumped into landfills around the world, mostly in developing countries, every year.  Electronics include old mobiles, televisions, microwaves, computers and more.  However, most of the time it’s not because these gadgets are broken; they’re being dumped in favor of newer versions.

For example, many of you may have traded in your iPhone 4, which came out in June 2010, for the iPhone 4S, which was released just last October.  According to Greenpeace, “the average lifespan of computers in developed countries has dropped from six years in 1997 to just two years in 2005, and mobile phones have a life-cycle of less than two years in developed countries.”

Landfills with e-waste create serious problems in the long run.  Toxic chemicals in electronics can leach into the land over time or are released into the atmosphere, creating severe health and environmental hazards in nearby communities.

Global Wire Associates is launching a new awareness campaign called “Recharge E-waste.”  Throughout the year, we will have special posts about the problem and possible solutions – reduce, reuse and recycle.  Check back here for more discussions about proper recycling, donating and/or selling of used electronics, turning electronics into art and design models and, most importantly, why you should resist the urge to buy any of the latest gadgets featured at the Consumer Electronics Association’s (CES) trade show this week in order to extend the life of the gadgets you already have.

We believe environmental hazards affecting marginalized communities is a social justice concern for all.  Also, because we take green business very seriously, we are going the extra mile with this e-waste campaign. Over the years, we have spoken to many of you through our trainings about the problems you are having with e-waste and other tech disparities in your communities.  We will be launching our own e-waste management program later this year with some other like-minded groups on how to effectively deal with this problem and bridge some gaps within our network.  More information will come on this program in the next few weeks.

In Solidarity,

Talia, Marjane, Philip and Maria

Filed under E-Waste, Global, Mobile Phones, Tech Disparities, Tech Life Tagged with , , , , , , ,

New Year, New Digital Activism Ideas for 2012

January 2, 2012 Leave a Comment

A new year means new beginnings in many ways.  A few weeks ago we asked you about your predictions on digital activism trends for 2012.  Below are the winners of our contest who will be receiving a Flip UltraHD Video Camera.

“I think citizen journalism will begin to be seen as just as valuable and legitimate as mainstream journalism in the new year.  When you look at all the movements from [the previous] year like Occupy and Arab Spring, much of the news was coming from protesters reporting from the ground with pictures and Tweets.  If it weren’t for the brave protesters in Syria recording the atrocities being committed by the government on YouTube, nobody would know what was really happening there.  I can see more professional journalists wanting to collaborate with citizen journalists on reporting stories.”

- Anjula Bhratt, Bangalore, India

“I am exciting about the growth of mobile technology and how it can help those of us in the developing world.  I have seen how mobile entrepreneurship has really taken off in my community, and online business in the developing world will only grow in 2012.  It is so easy for anyone to start their own business today with the lowered barriers for selling products and services.  For the past year I have been thinking about starting my own pocketbook business, and after doing the research, I realized how easy and inexpensive it would be to manage my website, social media and online purchases.  I will be officially starting my business later this year!”

- Lelia Rye, Paramaribo, Suriname

“I think more collaboration will happen in 2012, thanks to tools like cloud computing.  I use a lot of Google products like Gmail and Google Docs and Drop Box to collaborate with other activists in my local community.  But the recent global movements such as Occupy Wall Street and Egypt protests have made me think out loud why can’t activists worldwide collaborate more in the cloud on the same issues more often.  We can organize our own movements without the help of already established NGOs.”

-Fikru Abate, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

“The digital divide will become smaller in the new year.  I am excited about the development of tablet devices like the Aakash.  These tools make technology more accessible to everyone.  I am excited about the new developments in bringing this technology to Africa and Asia and young students being exposed to ideas they wouldn’t have had access to otherwise.  I would like to see that world governments see the investment in supporting more mobile devices for our youth.  People need to understand that a digitally literate world is a better world for everyone.”

- Hugo Batko, Kiev, Ukraine

Filed under Africa, Americas, Asia, Mobile Phones, Online Journalism, Tech Disparities, Tech Life, Twitter, YouTube Tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

Final Thoughts on the Year in Digital Activism 2011

December 27, 2011 Leave a Comment

A milestone year in digital activism is finally coming to a close.  A few weeks ago we asked you what your thoughts were on the best acts of protest this year.  Below are the winners of our contest who will be receiving a Flip UltraHD Video Camera.

“The love in my heart I felt for my brothers in Tunisia was amazing.  Watching from far away, I felt I was right there with my brothers in the streets [on YouTube].  The images were powerful because it showed the frustration of the people and their determination to see political change immediately.  I am sad everyday that Mohamed Bouazizi is no longer with us and died the way he did, but I will always be grateful for him for starting the revolution for change.  Mohamed must remind us that it only takes one person to get the ball rolling.”

- Nassir El-Bahri, Beirut, Lebanon

“I was incredibly touched by the protests this year on behalf of the socially and economically disenfranchised.  When I learned about the story of Troy Davis, I was so profoundly touched by his story, that I told my friends and family on Twitter and Facebook and my blog to sign the e-petition to keep him alive.  It was the first time in my life I felt motivated to be an online activist because I knew deep down in my heart that he wasn’t guilty of the crime.  And I think watching the Arab Spring from my TV and following it on Twitter showed me how simple it was to stand up against injustice.”

- Monique Lynn Johnson, Mobile, Alabama, USA

“I was laid off and have been unemployed for two years, and I felt really angry at my government and big corporations right now.  So there was something about the Occupy Wall Street movement that moved me.  I visited the tent city in my area a few times on my way to my temp job and talked to people there who were also like me.  I wasn’t able to camp out there, but I stayed in touch with everything going on there on Live Stream, YouTube and Facebook, and felt like I was there in spirit.  I also talked with others online about my predicament, and felt I was doing my part in the smallest way I could.”

-Drew Fatton, Vancouver, Canada

“I am excited to see what happens on the Korean peninsula now that Kim Jong-Il has passed.  A major protest this year that went under the radar was the mass anti-FTA protest in South Korea.  I am originally from Seoul, but currently go to university in Washington DC, when protests began.  I was amazed to see such little attention the American media gave to KORUS because in my opinion, it is the worst thing in US trade policy since NAFTA.  Many of my Korean friends are worried about how the policy will affect both Koreans and Americans negatively in the long run.  However, when the video footage of the thousands of people protesting the FTA in Seoul got on YouTube, I retweeted them to my American friends to let them know how US policy decisions affect others around the world.  My American friends were shocked because they didn’t even know about the FTA.  This year in social media and revolution has really opened many eyes.  I want to see the next online battle go to North Korea.”

- Esther Lee, Washington D.C & Seoul, South Korea

Filed under Accountability/Transparency, Americas, Asia, Facebook, Global, Middle East, Mobile Phones, Online Journalism, Tech Life, Twitter, Video, YouTube Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

North Korea: The Next Social Media Revolution?

December 20, 2011 2 Comments

With the recent death of Kim Jong-Il, many analysts have begun to discuss the future of North Korea.  Reportedly Kim’s 27-year-old son Kim Jong-un will be his successor.  Among the many concerns with the totalitarian regime is its blatant lack of free speech and human rights.  However, with this sudden changing of the guard, is there a window of opportunity for radical social change?  Despite the disturbing images of “crying” North Koreans mourning Kim’s death, there might be possible ( and we do say this consciously) signs that the “Twitter/Facebook Revolution” can move from Egypt to North Korea.

According to Reporters Without Borders (RWB), North Korea has been ranked last or second from last (with Eritrea) in their annual press freedom index for nearly a decade.  Most North Koreans are not able to freely use mobile phones or the Internet. Only the political elite and foreign tourists in Pyongyang are granted Internet and mobile access, but even that access is limited.  All media in North Korea gets its news (or propaganda) from the Korean Central News Agency.

UCLA professor Ramesh Srinivasan made some interesting points about the future of free expression in the country.

Srinivasan said Kim Jong Il recently extended “small olive branches to the rest of the world,” which possibly included greater access to technology and social media.  And here is where the “vacuum” exists.

“A vacuum may allow activists potentially within the country to reach out to the outer world,” Srinivasan said. “It may not be the government that takes the initiative, but instead underground factions within North Korea who reach out to the rest of the world. This may influence the establishment of social networks with other parts of the world.”

In the Reporters Without Borders report North Korea: Frontiers of Censorship, “the growth of an underground economy and the permeability of the Sino-Korean border are two key factors for the prospect of a gradual opening-up in North Korea.”  The report says that North Korean defectors are sending CDs, DVDs and USB flash drives with political content about democracy and human rights from South Korea and the Chinese border via balloons to North Korea.  Sometimes radio sets are sent on these balloons.  North Korean defectors have also launched shortwave radio stations aimed at broadcasting to North Korea, like Free North Korea Radio and Open Radio for North Korea, which are regularly jammed by Kim’s regime.

Dissident journalists also risk their lives to get information out of North Korea.  Rimjin-gang, “a North Korean magazine founded jointly by the Japanese journalist Ishimaru Jiro and a North Korean journalist who uses the pseudonym of Lee Jun, uses information and photos obtained from a network of North Korean journalists.” In addition, “the Associated Press announced in June that it had signed a series of accords with North Korea that will increase its access to the country.”

Although there are many North Koreans who may not have even heard of the Internet, clearly the network of dissidents working to establish more freedoms are at an opportune time in history to take advantage of the “vacuum” and to create a revolution.

Filed under Accountability/Transparency, Asia, Online Journalism, Tech Life Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

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