From the Sustainability Director's desk: Electronic Waste

Here's the question I received today:

Q.
I was hoping to learn more about your e-waste recycling program.  I am currently a student at Saint John's University and am researching an e-waste recycling program on campus.

A. 

You can see the details of our recycling program, which includes e-waste, here: http://www.champlain.edu/sustain-champlain/sustainable-operations/recycling-guidelines.html

You can also read an article from a couple years ago when we started the program that explains a bit more. http://www.champlain.edu/news-and-events/news/e-waste-collection.html.  

Hope that helps!

From the Sustainability Director's Desk: Sustainability & Business

Nearly every day (if not multiple times a day) I get emails from students, faculty, staff, and others with questions.  I love this!!  To me, this means that I am being the resource person I want to be.  In hopes of sharing these pearls of wisdom (or what I hope are at least helpful tips) with others, I'll try and post relevant Q&As.

Today's question, from a student:

Q.  I am doing a “multimedia” project in my technical writing class. My partner and I have taken on the clash of capitalism and sustainability. I am researching how to dismantle the stigma that sustainability is a cost and cannot be a source of profitability. My partner is taking on a political aspect exhibiting how entities that profit from anti-sustainable practices effectively leverage against sustainability at large. 

My underlying goal (and over achieving for this class) is to develop a viral video that invigorates consumers to demand sustainability from the companies they patronize as well as indirectly persuading business owners, large and small, to include sustainability into their business models.

Any articles, TED Talks, videos or anything at all would be helpful.  

A.   Great project!

Here are some of the resources I'd recommend:

1. Any books/talks, etc. by Hunter Lovins. See her website here http://www.natcapsolutions.org/  - especially the resource area, which looks like there is a ton of good stuff there.

2. Climate Counts http://www.climatecounts.org/, the Good Guide http://www.goodguide.com/, and Oxfam's Behind the Brands are three organizations/initiatives that are getting consumers more savvy about what they are purchasing, which is also pushing back on the producer/manufacturers as well. 

3. State of the World 2010 http://blogs.worldwatch.org/transformingcultures/contents/ is focused on consumption - a lot of great stuff there...