No, this isn’t about the mould on my keyboard – must give it a clean some day.
I don’t normally post ‘political’ stuff, but these two articles from UBC’s e-Strategy Update newsletter are well worth looking at; definitely food for thought. I’d be interested in any other articles about how to reduce the carbon footprint of e-learning.
Dr. Ron Dembo is the founder and CEO of Zerofootprint, an organization dedicated to a mass reduction in global environmental impact. On April 28th he will speak on “The Role of IT in Tackling Climate Change” at the BCNET Conference on Green Technologies for Research and Learning
Steve Dotto writes:
‘Free Geek is the brainchild of some very concerned environmentalists in Portland, Ore., who felt that a dedicated network of concerned volunteers was just what the world needed to deal with the mounting problem of techno-waste.
They established an organization that would accept all old computer gear; they put it though a process that first evaluated it as far as still having useful life. If it still has value it is then reclaimed and rebuilt into a working system. If it is beyond its useful life it is then dismantled, all the parts that can be reused are salvaged, and the rest is responsibly disposed of.
The Vancouver chapter, the first in Canada, now processes more than 25 tonnes of e-waste every month. Scores of volunteers man the stations evaluating, dismantling, rebuilding and recycling a mountain of computers, printers and monitors.’
Read the whole article here
Dr. Tony Bates is the author of eleven books in the field of online learning and distance education. He has provided consulting services specializing in training in the planning and management of online learning and distance education, working with over 40 organizations in 25 countries. Tony is a Research Associate with Contact North | Contact Nord, Ontario’s Distance Education & Training Network.
