Green Chemistry – Electronics TakeBack Coalition - 0 views
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Karyn on 24 May 20This article discusses a solution to the toxic chemicals that are used in technological products and its effect on the environment due to lack of recycling and toxicity hazards. The current solution to the hazardous chemicals leaking into the environment and its human rights issues has been a management solution only. Products are made with these chemicals without, possibly for decades, knowing the true harm that coming into contact with them can cause to humans and the environment, so scientists simply try to decipher this and contain the problem. This has led to huge amounts of money trying to clean the damage already done by this tech trash. We are now learning (especially with the rejection of trash from poorer nations), that there needs to be a better solution to this problem. The article points out a plan with a few strategies, but which center more around prevention, than cleaning up after a mess. This is where "green chemistry," comes in. Technological products of all kinds can be redesigned with prevention of toxicity in mind. This has to do with not only using less toxic chemicals, but using chemicals that break down in certain ways, testing new methods to see how they break down before using them, designing safer chemicals, using renewable raw material, design for better energy efficiency, and more. The article states that it is important for the electronics industry to take responsibility and to design with green chemistry. Green chemistry is a very new science, brought about by the realization of the overwhelming issue of toxic tech trash. A smattering of universities are now developing these green chemistry programs, or in the least, requiring chemistry students to take courses on toxicity which were not requirements previously.
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Karyn on 24 May 20The hospitality industry can contribute to this movement by recycling hardware, reducing hardware usage, and purchasing technology that becomes developed that is considered to be "green." This way, the industry can produce less waste that is driving this huge international problem.