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PEOPLE DEMAND good data, especially when it comes to matters of human health and the environment. They get frustrated when it isn't easily available or if they feel it's incomplete or not organized in a way that's useful. So, not surprisingly, Environmental Protection Agency Chief Information Officer Molly O'Neill is intrigued by the new crop of Web 2.0 technologies that could help better deliver information and establish forums for the resulting discussions. O'Neill spoke with GCN about a successful wiki-based pilot involving the Puget Sound Leadership Council in addition to the challenges agencies face handling large amounts of data.

From energy efficiency to toxics used in manufacturing to end-of-life issues, the road to truly green electronics faces a steep climb. Although most companies are taking these issues very seriously, it will surely be a slow process. Every three months, the international environmental group Greenpeace rates these companies on how well they're doing -- and raises the bar a little higher. In this, the tenth quarterly Guide to Greener Electronics, Greenpeace calls on manufacturers to up their company-wide commitments to steep and rapid cuts in overall greenhouse gas emissions. Nokia maintains its top score in the ranking, earning 6.9 points out of 10 possible for its takeback program and reducing the use of toxic chemicals like PVC, brominated flame retardants and antimony trioxide. Rounding out the top four is a three-way tie between Sony Ericsson, Toshiba and Samsung, all with 5.9 points. Sony earned high marks for its new environmental warranty for responsible takeback, Toshiba gains ground with its reporting of and goals toward renewable energy use and emissions reductions, and Samsung earned praise for reducing toxic chemical use and building energy-efficient products.

How does a company sell more cell phones in a cutthroat, competitive market? Launch new so-called "green" models. This morning Korean consumer electronics giant Samsung said at the World IT Show in Seoul that it will start selling two eco-friendly handsets this month. The first is the W510 (pictured on the left) which is made out of a corn-based bioplastic and doesn't contain any heavy metals, like lead, mercury and cadmium. This is Samsung's first bioplastic phone, but Samsung is not the first big-name consumer electronics maker to work with the alt-material - in January Fujitsu touted a laptop with a bioplastic case at CES. And Nokia has the 3310 Evolve , which is made partly out of biomaterials .

Recycling indeed feels like a big scam . Zero waste is our ultimate goal. And yet, in the mean time, we have to be sure we can trust who it is we're taking our e-waste to since we are taking the time and care not to dump the toxic junk in a landfill in the first place

Have you converted? If you haven't, you might want to start hustling. The USA becomes an all-digital TV market on Feb. 17. When it happens at midnight more than 70 million analog TVs that use antennas to receive over-the-air signals will need help...

The typical American home contains 24 consumer electronic products, the latest statistics show: Televisions, computers, cell phones, digital cameras, game consoles, plus all their beeping cousins. Holiday gift-giving doesn't just widen the stream of gadgets and gizmos. It makes orphans of the old stuff. Got a great deal on an LCD television for Christmas? Upgraded to a faster PC? Unwrapped a Blu-ray to replace that standard DVD player? Each item likely displaces another, leaving behind a heap of electro-rubble. Last year, Americans shoved aside an estimated 27 million outdated or unwanted televisions, and 205 million computers and chunks of related hardware (printers, mice, etc.), according to the Environmental Protection Agency. We crammed most of this e-waste inside a million basements, or stuffed it in the trash.

Scott County's electronic demanufacturing facility hopes holiday digital TV purchases will translate to analog TVs being recycled. To encourage e-waste recycling, Scott County residents can drop off electronic waste at no charge from now until Feb. 27 at Waste Commission of Scott County, 1048 E. 59th St., Davenport. In 2007, more than 15,000 pounds of e-waste -- anything with a circuit board or cathode ray tube -- was recycled between Thanksgiving and Jan. 4, said Erin Robinson, communications coordinator. Officials anticipate even more as many residents replace analog TVs to coincide with broadcasters' switch to digital broadcasting. However, all e-waste is accepted. Computers, monitors, videocassette recorders, DVD players, stereos, cell phones, cameras, printers and scanners are included. When the waste commission opened its e-waste facility in 2005, 560,000 pounds of materials were recycled. In 2007, the amount of material recycled jumped to 1.1 million pounds. Recycling e-waste saves space at the Scott County landfill and prevents toxic materials from entering it.

With electronic items high on Christmas shopping lists, a new report is calling on the government to ensure that manufacturers collect and recycle unwanted computers and mobile phones to protect environmental and human health. This is the motherboard of all problems. Federal and state governments must act to stop the dumping of millions of electronic items in landfill each year," says Jeff Angel, director of the Total Environment Centre (TEC), an independent Australian green organisation.

Oregon health officials are advising people to wait until a new law takes effect Jan. 1 to recycle electronic gear for free, but several local refuse collection services are accepting old TVs, computers and monitors now without charge.

The program is operated by the Washington Materials Management and Financing Authority, a quasi-governmental agency created by the legislation to work with the 200 or so manufacturers that sell computers and televisions in Washington state. In addition, the state Department of Ecology has certified four electronic waste processing firms - two in this state, one in Oregon and one in California - to disassemble the electronic equipment into separate materials for reuse or safe disposal, including glass, plastic, metal and toxic chemicals. The program is designed in part to stem the flow of electronic waste to Third World countries, where it is often dismantled crudely, threatening the environment, public health and the health of workers.

SEATTLE - Hong Kong intercepted and returned 41 ship containers to U.S. ports this year because they carried tons of illegal electronics waste from the U.S., according to the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department. By turning the containers away, Hong Kong thwarted attempts by U.S. companies to dump 1.4 million pounds of broken TVs or computer monitors overseas and an estimated 82,000 pounds of lead, a known toxin, in the devices. But thousands of other shipments probably slipped through, says Jim Puckett, head of the Basel Action Network, or BAN, a three-employee environmental non-profit that over eight years has become a respected watchdog over the rapidly growing electronics recycling industry.

In the midst of a show dedicated to birthing new technology and gadgets, there was some serious thought Tuesday about where consumer electronics go when they die. "The things that are on display right now are new and shiny at the moment, but somewhere down the road they're going to be obsolete and ready to be recycled," said Brian Taylor, editor in chief of Recycling Today Media Group, who moderated a panel discussion at the International Consumer Electronics Show. "The recycling of electronic goods, in particular, is being pushed by environmental advocates and by governments around the world," Taylor

The European Union (EU) has selected Nigeria as one of the 14 African countries that have the capacity to manage e-waste, according to the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday. the Basel Action Network (BAN), a nongovernmental organization, estimated that about 400,000 used computers were being imported into Nigeria every month out of which 25 to 75 percent was junks.

Jefferson City, MO - infoZine - "This past year has been an outstanding one for Missouri's environment," said Doyle Childers, director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. "I'm proud of all that our agency, our partners and Missouri's citizens have accomplished."Jefferson City, MO - infoZine - "This past year has been an outstanding one for Missouri's environment," said Doyle Childers, director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. "I'm proud of all that our agency, our partners and Missouri's citizens have accomplished."

It's that time of year again to dust of the old crystal ball and put forth some predictions as to what 2009 holds for the world of green technology. Rather than leaving the speculation to myself, however, I once again decided to tap experts at a host of organizations on how they envision green IT evolving in the year to come. Suffice to say that no one has dismissed the green-tech movement as a mere passing fad. Both economic and political conditions (e.g. President-Elect Obama's vision of a cleaner energy economy) will continue to drive vendors to develop greener wares and organizations across the board to embrace greener practices -- be it in the name of cutting costs, meeting environmental regulations, or simply "doing the right thing."

The Basel Action Network and the Electronics TakeBack Coalition have joined with Electronic Recyclers International of Fresno to create the "e-Stewards Initiative" - a certification program for North America's most responsible e-waste recyclers. The e-Steward Initiative is described as the first independently audited and accredited electronic waste recycler certification program forbidding the dumping of toxic e-waste in developing countries, local landfills and incinerators; the use of prison labor; and the unauthorized release of private data.The Basel Action Network and the Electronics TakeBack Coalition have joined with Electronic Recyclers International of Fresno to create the "e-Stewards Initiative" - a certification program for North America's most responsible e-waste recyclers. The e-Steward Initiative is described as the first independently audited and accredited electronic waste recycler certification program forbidding the dumping of toxic e-waste in developing countries, local landfills and incinerators; the use of prison labor; and the unauthorized release of private data.

Chances are you'll be replacing some tried-and-true piece of personal electronics with a newer, faster, better model. Whether it's replacing an MP3 player with a new one, or replacing an old computer or laptop, what do you do with the old stuff? Hopefully you don't just throw it away, especially if it still works! FreeGeek in Portland, OR, founded in February 2000 and now duplicated around the country , accepts donations of old computers. Donated systems are cleaned up, loaded with GNU/Linux, and given for free to folks who volunteer there.

Text of e-waste legislation signed by mayor of New York City 4/1/08. New York City is the first municipality to pass an e-waste recycling bill; the law requires manufacturers of certain electronic equipment to create a collection program for any person in the City who wants to properly discard of their electronics. The bill also bans e-waste from disposal into the City's solid waste stream. Devices covered include: CPUs, computer monitors, computer accessories including keyboards and mice, laptop computers, TVs, printers, and portable music players.