Anabel Davis

Who’s Concerned About E-Waste?

 

There are many environmental problems facing our planet.  Consumerism has become a major cultural way of living leading to depletion of natural resources, water pollution, air pollution, climate change, and waste.  People living in developed countries impact the planet in a much bigger way than those in highly populated developing countries.  For example, “one child born in New York City, Paris or London will consume, waste and pollute more in a lifetime as many as 50 children born in the average developing country” (Zoubkov, et al, 2004). When I first began my research I was curious about how consumer electronics led to addictive behaviors.  I eventually became more interested in how the demand for electronics was impacting the earth.  I am also curious if college students, who are heavy users of electronic devices and media have concern or awareness about this highly toxic industry. Are people aware of or concerned about the toxic pollution generated by electronics like cell phones and computers?

 

As a consequence of Internet addiction and excessive consumption patterns we have created a mountain of electronic waste. Through my Internet research I came across a 7 minute video by Annie Leonard called The Story of Electronics.  Leonard made this video in 2011 to promote the manufacturing of safer, recyclable electronics.   In her Story of Electronics video she uses her signature butcher paper and stick figures to make it easier to understand the complicated subject of e-waste (this was her 3rd video production). In her educational video she describes all the different factors of how electronic wastes even starts. There are companies that build all the pieces, then these pieces are sent to the main one to be put together. Then they are shipped off to the stores around the world.  She argues that the big companies who make these electronics create products that are “designed for the dump.”   Electronic products are designed to quickly become obsolete and hard to upgrade.  This design strategy causes us to keep buying new products and cultivates our addiction to cutting edge technology.  Our old products end up in landfills, recycle centers, or dumped on third world countries.  She claims that every year 25 tons of e-waste gets dumped, burned, or recycled. Leonard describes how toxic e-waste is to the people who try to dismantle it and how horrible e-waste is to the communities that become polluted from it. What I like most about Annie Leonard’s short film is that she sheds light on the electronics industry’s role in pollution creation and not just the consumers. Do Americans even care?

 

 In an April 2013 survey, Gallup reported that most Americans still prioritize concern about the economy over the environment.  This organization assesses public opinion on a wide range of political, social, and economic issues, including the hopes and fears of people around the globe, their leisure-time activities, their morals and manners, and their religious beliefs.  For the 5th consecutive year, more Americans are interested in protecting economic growth than in protecting the environment. This year's 48% to 43% split represents a relatively narrow advantage for the economy and was similar to previous reports.  This national survey also looked at party affiliation, age, and gender and found differences in each groups’ views.  For example, Democrats show majority support for environmental protection.  Women and people aged less than 50 are evenly divided in their views on whether the environment or the economy is more important.  In contrast, men, Republicans, and older adults favor the economic growth over environmental protections.

 

In another Gallup poll reported in April 2012, worry about U.S. pollution was at historical lows.  This poll charts level of concern about 7 key environmental issues such as contamination of soil and water by toxic waste, pollution of drinking water, and pollution of rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, loss of tropical rain forests, extinction of plant and animals, climate change, and air pollution.  In this 2012 national poll Americans expressed record-low concern about both air pollution and pollution of drinking water. Thirty-six percent said they worry a great deal about air pollution and 48% about pollution of drinking water. These statistics are down more than 20 percentage points from the year 2000.   There seems to be the greatest level of concern for contamination of soil and water by toxic waste  (Fukushima?) and pollution of drinking water are the biggest concerns by Americans but only around 50 percent show a great deal of concern in 2012.  Surprisingly, the lowest level of concern was climate change with only 30 percent showing a great deal of concern.

 

In another study Aaron M. McCright looked at eight years of Gallup data on climate change knowledge and concern in the U.S. general public and separated the data by gender. Overall I was surprised that in general most Americans express a low level of concern about climate change. More surprising was women convey greater scientific knowledge of climate change than men yet they underestimate their knowledge more than men. McCright believes this gender divide is explained by “gender socialization” and that boys in the United States learn that masculinity emphasizes detachment, control, and mastery. He argues a feminine identity, on the other hand, stresses attachment, empathy and care – traits that may make it easier to feel concern about the potential dire consequences of global warming.  This information is disturbing because everyone has a role to play in protecting the environment and there should not be a gender divide on environmental issues. The big question is how do we teach men to care when woman bare the effects of climate change much more than men on a global level.

 

These national polls are interesting to me because there are many serious environmental issues on our planet and people don’t seem to really notice.  These polls gave me some ideas about looking at environmental issues and concerns by gender, age, and politics.  Women, younger people and Democrats seem to care more about these issues.  I would also like to know if people are concerned about plastic pollution and electronic waste.  I am curious if college students recycle their electronics, how many cell phones they have owned, or if they purchase single use plastic bottles every day.  I would like to see if they have any concern about the pollution they create and if students are motivated to refuse, reuse, and recycle or even bike or bus to school instead of driving.  Based on the 2012 Gallup Poll survey, I created my own research on a small sample of CSU, Chico college freshman and separated the data by gender (see Table 1).

 

Table 1.  Level of Environmental Concern Among 43 College Freshman

How concerned are you about the following:		Great deal of concern Percent		Some concern Percent		Not very concerned Percent
		M (n=14)	F (n=29)	M (n=14)	F (n=29)	M (n=14)	F (n=29)
Pollution of drinking water		64	72	36	21	0	7
Food quality and safety		64	83	29	17	1	0
Population pressures		43	21	43	69	14	10
Climate change		21	45	64	48	14	7
Air quality		79	72	21	17	0	10
Pesticides in food, air, water		64	59	36	38	0	3
Electronic waste		7	28	57	48	36	24
Plastic pollution		43	69	5	24	7	7
How important are the following:		Very important		Somewhat important		Not very important
Shopping at farmers’ markets		29	38	5	52	21	10
Community cleanups		36	79	57	17	7	3
Electronics made safely and fairly		21	66	57	24	21	10
Mean Age Male	Mean Age Female	Mean lifetime number of cell phones owned		Mean lifetime number of computers/tablets owned		Mean lifetime number of game consoles owned
19	19	4	6	2	2	5	3

 

Both male and female survey participants had a mean age of 19.  Interestingly, women had higher level of concern among 8 out of 11 categories.  Women were more concerned about pollution of drinking water, food quality and safety, climate change, electronic waste, and plastic pollution.  They also felt shopping at farmers’ markets, community cleanups and electronics made safely and fairly as very important in higher numbers compared to men.  Undergraduate men on the other hand were more concerned about population pressures, air quality, and pesticides in food, air, and water.  However, most disturbing was the low level of concern among men and women about electronic waste and electronics made safety and fairly was least important among men reported even no concern.  In these students’ young lives, men have owned 4 cells phones, 2 computers, and 5 gaming consoles and women have owned 6 cellphones, 2 computers, and 3 gaming consoles.  It is clear there is a disconnect between the pollution generated by the electronics industry and our role in purchasing these products.  Students showed more concern about issues that affected them directly like pollution of drinking water, food safety, air quality, and pesticides in food, air, and water and less concern about population pressures, climate change and electronic waste.

 

When comparing my study to the 2012 and 2013 Gallup polls, Chico State freshman scored similarly to the nation on low level concern about climate change but much higher about their concern about air quality and pollution of drinking water.  Like McCright’s analysis of gender on climate change, women showed twice the level of concern and women overall showed a greater level of care and concern in most categories.  McCright believes the way men are socialized plays a role in lack of concern about environmental issues.  In this small study, I was surprised to see so many similarities to the national Gallup studies.  Why is there so little awareness and concern about these issues?

 

Even though I’m aware of the tremendous burden of electronics have on the planet, I want the latest iPhone. In an article written by Annie Leonard, “The iPhone and Consumer Guilt,” she points out that  “that companies target consumers by creating desires we didn't know we had and meeting them with cheap shiny gadgets we didn't know we needed. And when the companies get caught trashing the environment or mistreating their workers, everyone blames the customers -- that's us -- for demanding cheap shiny gadgets.” This makes sense to me. I feel guilty that I want these things but have been unaware how manipulative these companies are. For example $130 billion was spent on advertising in the United States in 2010. Apple alone spent almost $1 billion on advertising to get us to upgrade or purchase that the latest iPod, iPad, MacBook, or iPhone version. They add new features and “tweak the designs just enough that the hippest users can tell at a glance if you're a loser who's still using last year's model.”  According to Leonard, “that's not just planned obsolescence, it's perceived obsolescence.”  The author gives a few examples where people claim consumers are responsible child labor, poor working conditions, and pollution.  We have all heard that we should vote with our pocketbook and make smart consumer choices like fair trade and green products.  The pressure on the consumer to change or care will great.  Some research shows that U.S. children aged 8 to 18 spend an average of more than seven hours daily using some kind of entertainment media (Tanner, 2013). It is estimated that 75% of youth aged 12 to 17 own cell phones most with texting and many with Internet access. According to the report young people now spend more time with media than they do in school.

 

Leonard does not say we are powerless to make ethical choices with our purchases or that our choices can't influence the marketplace. She does claim “the problem with believing the best way to make change is by voting with our pocketbooks is that it defines us as consumers, not citizens. It implies that the most important choices are made in the supermarket aisles rather than in the halls of government and corporate towers.”  I agree with Leonard “the most important ethical choice is not the decision to buy an iPhone, but the decision made on how to make, market and sell it.”  She challenges us to stop thinking like consumers and think like citizens. She says we should shun products from companies whose behavior offends us but also “realize we can work to change not just the way they act but the way they're allowed to act. Only when every manufacturer of Stuff is required to make it safely and fairly will we know that no matter what we buy, the important choices have already been made.”

 

Her article made me think about how to find greener electronics and to find out who the most toxic companies are.  She also challenged me to find ways to donate or recycle my products.  My biggest challenge will be to resist the advertising machine that pushes me to want more, bigger, and better.  I have also noticed that electronic waste is rarely discussed and needs to be a part of media literacy.

 

I don’t ever see a world without cell phones or computers or flat screen TVs, but I would hope that cleaner, longer lasting, and fixable products would be promoted. It would be interesting conduct a large study to find out how much people know about e-waste or if they are concerned about disposal.  Are people frustrated about the short life and the expense of consumer electronics? Are people aware of the impact of e-waste India, Nigeria, and China?

 

We need more attention at the local, national, and international level to address the toxic e-waste industry and to find solutions for a safer and fairer product manufacture and disposal.  There are a number of committed organizations that works to expose the toxic trade in toxic wastes, toxic products and toxic technologies that are exported from rich to poorer countries such as the Basel Action Network and Greenpeace. Basel Action Network works to ensure national self-sufficiency in waste management through clean production and toxics use reductions and in support of the principle of global environmental justice — where no people or environment is disproportionately poisoned and polluted due to our addiction to technology and electronics. There are many ways we can help end global toxic trade and dumping of e-waste by ensuring e-waste is recycled responsibly (use an e-Stewards recycler), encourage electronics recyclers in your area to become e-Stewards certified, plan an e-waste collection event in your school, company, or town, and finally spread the word on the global impacts caused by improper recycling of electronics.

 

Work Cited

 

Aaron McCright. Effects of Gender on Climate Change Knowledge and Concern in the American Public. 4 September 2010

http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2010/study-women-mor e-likely-than-men-to-accept-global-warming/

 

Annie Leonard. The Story of Stuff. 2007.

http://storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-stuff/

 

Jones. Jeffrey M.   Worry About U.S. Water, Air Pollution at Historical Lows.  Gallop. 13 Apr. 2012

http://www.gallup.com/poll/153875/Worry-Water-Air-Pollution-Historical-    Lows.aspx retrieved Oct. 17, 2013

 

Leonard, Annie. The Story of Electronics. November 2011

http://storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-electronics

 

Lindsey Tanner. Docs to Parents: Limit Kids’ Texts, Tweets, Online. October 2013. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/28/doctors-kids-media-use_n_4170182.html

 

Saad, Lydia. More Americans Still Prioritize Economy Over Environment.  Gallop.  3 Apr. 2013. http://www.gallup.com/poll/161594/americans-prioritize-economy-environment.aspx  retrieved Oct. 17, 2013

 

Zoubkov, P., Johnson, S., Young, N., Fletcher, H. & Thomas, B. (2004) Global Bits: Corporate

influence in the media.