Sustainable Electronics Initiative Blog

The International E-Waste Design Competition has changed its name, categories, & judging criteria. The competition, now known as the International Sustainable Electronics Competition, is part of the Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI) at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC). It originated in 2009, when it emerged from a class on e-waste issues taught by industrial design Professor William Bullock, an affiliated faculty scientist at ISTC. The competition was focused entirely on reuse of electronic scrap during that first year. What began as a local UIUC event became an international competition in 2010, with submissions being made online by college students and recent graduates from around the world. The competition has evolved a bit each year, and grew to incorporate the entire life cycle of electronics, rather than focusing solely on reuse. Organizers noticed that recent entries seemed to incorporate both prevention of e-waste generation (through design modifications to extend the useful product life cycle of electronic devices) and reuse of electronic scrap, regardless of whether or not they were submitted for the “Prevention” or “Reuse” category. So for 2013, categories have been changed to “Product” and “Non-Product,” with the concepts of prevention and reuse integrated throughout the revised judging criteria. The new name and judging criteria are part of the continuing effort to better focus the competition on ideas for a sustainable system for the design, manufacturing, use, and end-of-life management for electronics. The competition has always been open to students in any discipline, but most entries were from engineering or industrial design students. The new categories will make the multidisciplinary nature of the competition more apparent, as “non-product” entries could more obviously be made by students from other fields.

To learn more about the competition and new categories, visit www.ewaste.illinois.edu. Entries include, among other elements, a brief project description paper and YouTube video summarizing the concept. Expert jurors award cash prizes to the top three projects in each category. Registration is free and will open on September 1, 2013. For more information, contact Joy Scrogum at jscrogum@illinois.edu or 217-333-8948.

As of April 2, 2013 high definition televisions are part of the greener electronics family of EPEAT. LG and Samsung, who contribute to one third of the global shipments and revenues, are  major participating companies.  Televisions must meet 24 performance evaluation criteria to be included in the EPEAT registry. Some of the criteria include life cycle basis, elimination of toxic substances, use of recycled and recyclable materials, design for recycling, product longevity, energy efficiency, corporate performance and packaging. The inclusion of TVs comes shortly after the approval of imaging equipment like scanners or copiers.

According to the EPEAT blog, “Since 2006, purchasers choosing EPEAT-registered electronics over products that don’t meet the system’s criteria have eliminated greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 11 million U.S. vehicles’ annual impact, avoided more than 394,000 metric tons of hazardous waste and reduced solid waste by nearly 167,000 metric tons – equivalent to  nearly 86,000 U.S. households’ annual waste.”

For more information, visit the the EPEAT blog, Green Tech Advocates, and Environmental Leader

As more and more legislation passes related to landfill bans on electronics and electronics recycling and collection, one can certainly imagine an increase in crimes related to that legislation.

Recently, British Columbia officials charged electronics recycling company, Electronics Recycling Canada, for illegal exports of cathode ray tube monitors to China.

In the U.S., the State of Colorado has already prosecuted Executive Recycling for allegedly exporting cathode ray tubes to foreign countries, including China.

The State of California  received a plea agreement from the Tung Tai Group Inc. for 13 felony charges including forgery, false documents, filing false payment claims with the State, and illegal storage of hazardous electronic and residual waste. They collected over $1 million dollars from the State and their return punishment was to withdraw as certified recyclers and collectors, stop all recycling activities, perform 100 hours of community service, and pay $125,000.

According to Andrea Warren of Alston & Bird LLP,  “over 70 U.S. companies called the Coalition for American Electronics Recycling has pushed for legislation with stricter controls for e-waste exports, calling for e-waste recycling with better security protections and sustainability practices.”

Federal legislation known as The Responsible Electronics Recycling Act, HR2284 and companion bill S1270 were introduced and died with the 112th Congress. Will these bills be revived and passed in the 113th Congress? Only time and action will tell.

SEI’s Professor William Bullock and Joy Scrogum will guest edit a special issue of the journal Challenges, entitled “Electronic Waste–Impact, Policy and Green Design.”  From the issue’s rationale:

“Electronics are at the heart of an economic system that has brought many out of poverty and enhanced quality of life. In Western society in particular, our livelihoods, health, safety, and well being are positively impacted by electronics. However, there is growing evidence that our disposal of electronics is causing irreparable damage to the planet and to human health, as well as fueling social conflict and violence.

While global demand for these modern gadgets is increasing, policy to handle the increased volumes of electronic waste has not kept pace. International policy governing safe transfer, disposal, reclamation, and reuse of electronic waste is nonexistent or woefully lacking. Where laws do exist about exporting and importing hazardous waste, they are routinely circumvented and enforcement is spotty at best. While European Union countries lead the way in responsible recycling of electronic and electrical devices under various EU directives, most industrialized nations do not have such policies. In the U.S., for example, most electronic waste is still discarded in landfills or ground up for scrap.

It is imperative that we consider how green design practices can address the growing electronic waste problem. This special issue is meant to do just that and spur discussions on how electronic products can become greener and more sustainable.”

If you are interested in submitting a paper for this special issue, please send a title and short abstract (about 100 words) to the Challenges Editorial Office at challenges@mdpi.com, indicating the special issue for which it is to be considered. If the proposal is considered appropriate for the issue, you will be asked to submit a full paper. Complete instructions for authors and an online submission form for the completed manuscripts are available on the Challenges web site at http://www.mdpi.com/journal/challenges/special_issues/electronic-waste. The deadline for manuscript submissions is June 1, 2013.

Winners have been announced in the International E-Waste Competition.  The competition is part of the Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

College students and recent graduates from around the world were encouraged to submit their ideas for products and services. The entries were ideas that prevent e-waste generation through life-cycle considerations (E-Waste Prevention Category) or that incorporate e-waste components into a new and useful item (E-Waste Reuse Category). The competition is designed to prompt dialogue about product designs for environmentally responsible computing and entertainment. To read the full press release, click here.

The winners were announced during a ceremony on December 4, 2012 at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC), the coordinating agency for Sustainable Electronics Initiative. ISTC is part of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois. The webinar will be archived on the ISTC web site at http://www.istc.illinois.edu/about/sustainability_seminars.cfm in the next few days. In the meantime, if you would like to watch the webinar, visit https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/594203991 and enter your email address if you had previously registered for the webinar. If you had not registered, you may do so, and then watch the webinar at that link.

Jurors awarded monetary prizes to the top three projects within each category, along with one honorable mention award. The first place winners will receive $3000, second place is $2000, and third place receives $1000. A total of $12,000 was awarded, which has been made possible through generous contributions by Peter Mcdonnell (Friend level) and Dell (Platinum level).

Winners were as follows (see the full press release for brief project descriptions):

Reuse Category

• Platinum ($3000): digitizer. This concept was submitted by a pair of industrial design students from the University of Wisconsin-Stout: J. Makai Catudio and Ryan Barnes.
• Gold ($2000): The Wake-Up Project. The Wake Up Project team consists of three industrial design students from the University of Wisconsin-Stout: Danny Kopren, Sam Wellskopf, and Lennon TeRonde.
• Silver ($1000): Fluorescence Microscopy Using A Recycled Paper Scanner. This concept was submitted by a recent graduate in electrical engineering (Dustin Gallegos), and two current students, one in biomedical engineering (Lillian Hislop) and the other in general studies (ZhanHao Xi), at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Prevention Category

• Platinum ($3000): EverCloud. This team was comprised of five industrial design students from Auburn University: Sean Kennedy, Christi Talbert, Dylan Piper-Kaiser, Sarah Caudle, and Daniel Piquero.
• Gold ($2000): E3: Energy Efficient Electricity. The concept was developed by three industrial design students from California State University at Long Beach: John Lee, Soyoung Bae, and Sam Sauceda.
• Silver ($1000): loopbook—the future of computing. Loopbook was submitted by a recent graduate in product design and technology from the University of Limerick in Ireland, Damian Coughlan.

Honorable Mention

• Sounds Amass.This concept was proposed by a recent graduate in industrial and product design from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Tai Ka Cheong.

The competition was started at UIUC in the fall of 2009. In 2010, the competition was expanded so students from all over the globe were able to submit their projects and an online video. Each project was judged on the project description and video. The international scope was evident through students who submitted entries from Bangladesh, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Turkey, and the United States. The jury was comprised of a variety of experts, including:

• Jason Linnell, Executive Director, National Center of Electronics Recycling (NCER)
• Bill Olson, Director, Office of Sustainability and Stewardship, Mobile Devices Business, Motorola, Inc.
• Steven Samuels, Former Brand & Design Manager for ReCellular, Inc.
• Kerstin Nelsen Strom, Ecodesign Section Chair, Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)
• Jennifer Wyatt, Environmental Scientist, Materials Management Branch, U.S. EPA Region 5

Videos from the winning entries will soon be available on www.ewaste.illinois.edu. In the meantime they are available on the SEI YouTube Channel. And you can watch them below. Congratulations to the winners and all of our participants for choosing to be part of the solution to the growing e-waste problem by conceiving of how our electronic products could be produced, used, and disposed of in more sustainable ways. Stay tuned to the competition web site for more information, coming in the new year, about the 2013 competition.

November 15 is America Recycles Day. Celebrated since 1997, this event is about educating the public about how and what to recycle, while encouraging people to do so as part of their daily routine.  When most people take part in America Recycles Day events, they focus on the typical items you might place in the nearest blue bin or on the curb for weekly collection–paper, plastics, aluminum cans, etc. However, if you’re reading this blog, you already know that it’s just as important to consider recycling or reusing electronics when they are no longer of use to you. To learn more about America Recycles Day and resources available on the Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI) web site regarding how to recycle or donate your electronics, as well as legislation related to electronics disposal and recycling, see my previous blog post on America Recycles Day.

If you are a recycling coordinator in the state of Illinois, America Recycles Day is the perfect time to check out the Illinois EPA’s new grant program offering up to $2000 to recycling coordinators in each county in Illinois. The grants are for the purpose of educating the public about the state landfill ban, and providing information on opportunities available for electronics recycling. To apply for a grant, visit http://www.epa.state.il.us/land/electronic-waste-recycling/index.html and click on the “Grants” tab. The application deadline is February 1, 2013, and recipients must expend the $2000 before December 31 in the program year in which the grant is received. For more information or questions related to the application process, contact Michelle Bentley at 217-524-6713.

Join us for a webinar on Wednesday, September 19, 2012, 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM CDT. This seminar will be hosted at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) in Champaign, IL, and simultaneously broadcast online. The presentation will be archived on the ISTC web site (see http://www.istc.illinois.edu/about/sustainability_seminars.cfm for more information and additional webinar archives).

Dr. Callie Babbitt of the Rochester Institute of Technology will present “Adapting Ecological Models for Linking Sustainable Production and Consumption Dynamics in Consumer Electronic Product Systems” via webinar. Read the rest of this entry »

Just a reminder that registration is now open for the 2012 International E-Waste Design Competition. Entries are due by 4:59 PM Central Time on November 1, 2012. Sometimes it is hard to think of a masterpiece without some inspiration. Below are several inspiring ideas that would fit well in our two competition categories: E-Waste Pollution Prevention and E-Waste Reuse.  Read the rest of this entry »

Join us for a webinar on Wednesday, September 5, 2012, 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM CDT. This seminar will be hosted live at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) in Champaign, IL, and simultaneously broadcast online. The presentation will be archived on the ISTC web site (see http://www.istc.illinois.edu/about/sustainability_seminars.cfm for more information and additional webinar archives).

Presenters include William Bullock, Affiliate with the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center and Professor of Industrial Design in the School of Art and Design, U of I at Urbana-Champaign; and Joy Scrogum, Emerging Technologies Resource Specialist at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, Prairie Research Institute, U of I at Urbana- Champaign.  Read the rest of this entry »

Registration is now open for the 2012 International E-Waste Design Competition. Participants in this competition are asked to explore solutions to both remediate the existing e-waste problem and prevent e-waste generation in the future. Registration is free and open to current college/university students from around the world and recent graduates. See the competition web site for complete details, and my previous post announcing the competition.

Submissions are being accepted in two categories: E-Waste Prevention (products or services that prevent e-waste generation through life-cycle considerations) and E-waste Reuse (ideas that incorporate e-waste components into a new and useful item). Note changes to the rules for this year, if you participated in previous years. The project description is now a minimum of 500 words, with a maximum of five pages, and a bibliography with a minimum of five references is required. An important component of the submission is a brief YouTube video highlighting the entry’s design, features, and special design concepts. See “Rules” on the competition web site for complete details and requirements.

SEI is grateful to Dell, Inc. for their corporate sponsorship of this year’s competition. The Jury will award one entry from each of the two categories a Platinum Award of 3,000 USD, a Gold Award of 2,000 USD, and a Silver Award of 1,000 USD, for a total of six monetary awards. The decisions of the jury are final. Honorable Mention awards may be given at the discretion of the judges, and will receive certificates and recognition on the competition web site and in press releases. No cash prizes will be given for Honorable Mentions.

The 2012 Jury is comprised of the following individuals:

• Jason Linnell, Executive Director, National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER)
• Chris Newman, Materials Management Branch, U.S. EPA Region 5
• Bill Olson, Director, Office of Sustainability and Stewardship, Mobile Devices Business, Motorola, Inc.
• Steven Samuels, Brand & Design Manager of ReCellular, Inc.
• Kerstin Nelson Strom, Ecodesign Section Chair, Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)

If you are interested in supporting the competition, individuals may use the secure online link to the U of I Foundation available on the competition web site. Corporations may contact Joy Scrogum at 217-333-8948. Donations are used for cash prizes and program administration.

For more information, contact Joy Scrogum, SEI Education Coordinator, via email or at 217-333-8948.