Out with the old, in with the new

With GITEX Shopper going on it seems the perfect time to talk about what to do with electronic or e-waste. What's GITEX, you ask? Only the biggest tech exhibition in the Gulf. Well, that's what the press releases and Wiki page say. I haven't visited the actual venue, so I can't comment on the size.
Commerce and trade are good things, the backbone of the global economy. But what happens to the waste generated by an increase in commerce? (And trade.)
Ah. The million dollar (or 10000 AED which I did not win) question.
There are companies that offer exchanges: you drop off an old phone or other device and get a voucher in exchange, or a discount on a new gadget. Jacky's and Carrefour here offer such exchanges.
I know that Nokia promises to plant a tree for every phone that is returned to them- but that could be in India only. Yes, people still use Nokia phones. Forgive us for not being able to afford iPhones. (I'm sticking my tongue out at you for judging me.)
What happens to the old gadgets? The old monitors, Blackberries (or is it BlackBerrys?), external Hard Drives (I'm still amazed by the existence of 1TB HDs) etc?
I don't know. But I do know that there are people who are authorised to collect such stuff. Perhaps you could give it to them and not risk heavy metals and chemicals leaching into the earth. 
And that is today's shade.
Gandhi Jayanti today (the birth anniversary of M.K. Gandhi, also known as the Mahatma). He was the one who said "Be the change". Just be it! (Nike can't sue me, can they?)

Cos that have something to do with E-waste: Enviroserve, UAE (corporate); Bee'ah, UAE; Group TenPlus, Goa, India.

Revelling in the world we live in

I'm not a fast food junkie. I'm more of a junk food fastie (ha ha?)
Having said that, and having tried to inject some humour into this post, I would like to introduce today's shade. But first, a little background so that you see why I mentioned junk/fast food: I chanced upon an advertisement that spoke of our reliance on-nay, our addiction to technology. This ad called for A Day Offline on September 28th. It's an initiative by McDonald's Arabia. I like the message. And yes, I am aware of the irony of the fact that I saw an online ad recommending time offline.
So that is the background. (As the sister of a Comp Sc grad, I should lay this out logically. Train of thought: fast food-> McDonald's-> A Day Offline -> today's shadeofgreen)
Now that I have explained that, flowchart -errr- line and all, I present shade #6: Spend an hour in and with Nature everyday. The Day Offline is a nice idea, but I highly doubt many of us would be able to disconnect entirely for the rest of our lives. One hour a day though- that's manageable. It's proven that time spent in a natural environment is beneficial to your health. Plus you remind yourself what it is that you are trying to save, to safeguard.

a hoopoe I saw near The Dubai Mall/Burj Khalifa, on the lawn at Emaar Square

And by switching off and logging out for an hour, we are saving at least a small amount of energy. Hoorah!
For people in South Goa: Shree Damodar College of Commerce & Economics is launching an e-waste collection drive from  today to September 28th, 2012 from 8 am to 12 noon. It's in collaboration with Group Ten Plus.