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May 4, 2004
Club uses Earth Day to gather old ‘cells’
Club recycles cell phones on Earth Day
Francesca van der Feltz
Mesa Legend
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Jamar Younger Mesa
Legend |
Environmental Action Club
member Nadim Islas-Ruther explains the importance of recycling cell
phones to an interested student. |
MCC’s Environmental Action Club offered people on campus the chance
to help the environment, citizens of developing countries, animals and
children with one action – getting rid of an old or broken cell
phone.
The EAC celebrated Earth Day April 22 by setting up tables to collect
unwanted cell phones and their accessories.
“Most people would just throw them in the landfill. So what we’re
doing here is actually sending them off to a company called American Humane
and what they’re doing is working in collaboration with another
company called CollectiveGood,” said Nadim Islas-Ruther, the EAC
member who discovered the program.
CollectiveGood refurbishes the cell phones and sends them to developing
countries, primarily in Latin America and the Caribbean, to help bridge
the communication gap, said Islas-Ruther.
A portion of the proceeds is given to American Humane, an organization
dedicated to helping and protecting children and animals, Islas-Ruther
added.
“The way ... the Environmental Action Club benefits from it is just
to help save the environment and keep the cell phones out of the landfill,”
said Islas-Ruther.
“Because it’s Earth Day, we’re going to use this opportunity
… to pass out a little bit of information,” said Diana Burlew,
another EAC member.
Recycling cell phones is the latest of the many projects and events the
EAC has provided for Earth Day since the club’s beginning in 1989,
explained Ron Dinchak, a faculty adviser for the EAC.
“I think it’s mostly important to live a lifestyle. That’s
more important than honoring Earth Day,” said Burlew.
“To live your lifestyle in a way that leaves the smallest footprint
… I think that’s probably the most important thing. But the
importance of Earth Day I think is in education, outreach…getting
people’s attention,” Burlew said.
“This is a good opportunity to just kind of plant some seeds. That’s
why it’s important to do something on Earth Day,” Burlew added.
Islas-Ruther said she hopes the project will increase people’s awareness
about what they are throwing away and what alternatives they have when
discarding unwanted materials.
“You have to respect your resources, your life-giving resources,”
Burlew said, adding that respect is the key to successful relationships
with both people and the environment.
“We’re hoping to keep this as a permanent Environmental Action
Club project,” said Islas-Ruther.
Although Earth Day is over, the EAC will continue to accept donations
of cell phones and their accessories, all of which are tax deductible,
at the life sciences faculty offices in the nursing building. The EAC
collected seven cell phones on April 22, according to Dinchak.
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