10/31 (Tue.) Where is e-waste going? (Host: Miller)

[miller]

This is Miller, the host of the coming Tuesday meeting on 10/31.
There are more than 54 million tonnes of e-waste are produced a year, according to data from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
That is equivalent to 7 kilograms for every person on Earth.
Only 17% of e-waste is recycled.
The rest is dumped, often to be sifted through in low-income countries by informal workers, including children.
Those workers are seeking to extract valuable materials at grave risk to their health.
Taiwan is the world leader in recycling electronic devices and household appliances.
It's time to do something for our only one earth, just come to share your ideas.

How disposable tech is feeding an e-waste crisis
https://youtu.be/5k-PR4y_ng0

What is e-waste and what can we do about it?
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-is- ... ut-it.html

Taiwan is a world leader in recycling electronic devices and household appliances.
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/a ... 2003801505

Session 1:
Q1. Can you accept that you have to pay more cost to buy electronic products for recycling fees? How much would you afford?
Q2. Cheap clothing is another prime example. While fast fashion and cheap clothing are perfect for those who cannot afford more expensive items.
If we improve this problem by raising the cost of clothing, is it fair between advanced countries and low-income countries? Why or Why not?
Q3. There is 4R principle(Reduce, Reuse, Repair, and Recycle) which are extremely important when it comes to sustainable living and help manifest environmentally responsible consumer behavior.
Do you believe you can realize the principle in your life?
Q4. If you believe the principle above is feasible, are you willing to persuade others to follow it?


Session 2:
Q5. Most companies are driven by wanting to sell you a new product. They want you to get rid of your old phone or computer and upgrade.
Do you believe the ESG trend can change the mindset of most companies? Why or why not?
Q6. Some advanced countries are just exporting the e-waste to China, Africa, and India to solve this problem.
You can take a look at the map following:
https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.or ... ewaste.jpg
Try to put yourself in their shoes, would you accept this deal?
Q7. The recycling rate of e-waste in Taiwan reached 85%, and all of us are contributors.
Do you have any ideas to export this business to other countries?

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Agenda:
7:00 ~ 7:10 pm Opening Remarks / Newcomer’s Self-introduction / Grouping
(Session I)
7:10 ~ 7:50 pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
7:50 ~ 8:10 pm Summarization (20 mins)
8:10 ~ 8:15 pm Regrouping / Taking a 5 Minutes Break (Intermission)
(Session II)
8:15 ~ 8:45 pm Discussion Session (30 mins)
8:45 ~ 8:55 pm Summarization (10 mins)
8:55 ~ 9:00 pm Concluding Remarks / Announcements

Meeting Date: As shown in the Subject
Meeting Time: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Important Notes:
1. We advise participants to print out the discussion questions and bring them to the meeting for reference. As for the supporting articles, feel free to print them out, as well, according to your preference.
2. We suggest that participants read the articles and think about the questions in advance.
3. Newcomers should prepare a two-to-three-minute self-introduction in English to deliver when called upon by the host before the start of the discussion. The host may also ask you to give brief feedback about the meeting after the meeting.
4. We conduct the entire meeting in English. All participants should have at least moderate English-conversation skills and be able to articulate their ideas for each discussion question.
5. We welcome newcomers and other guests to attend the meetings and join the discussion freely twice (including on-site and online meetings). After that, we hope you will consider becoming a YoYo English Club member. We charge a NT$1,500 (NT$1,000 for students) lifetime membership fee.

[Iris Wu]

I recently held a discussion on “eco-friendly food packaging” with another group. When discussing environmental issues, we all feel guilty as we all play a part in the problem. Yet, we often choose to turn a blind eye, feeling that it is a journey of no return and there is little we can do to rectify the situation.

Meetings like this one are crucial reminders that, together, we can innovate solutions – be it smart food packaging or e-waste processing--to slow down excessive waste issues.

“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” -- American Indian proverb

We have one life and one planet. We are only given a tiny vessel to house our souls in this life. It surely doesn’t sound right to indulge this vessel—our body--with excess and leave behind a trail of waste for future generations.

(I already have plans for a concert tomorrow night, so I won’t be able to attend the meeting. My apologies to the host for not being there to support the event. Hope everything goes smoothly!)

[miller]

Iris, thank you a lot for your promotion.
You raised a discussion of packaging to remind some people to do something.
Yes, it is time to call for action to take everyone's foot in the door.
No matter how many people would like to change their behavior, we should nudge others constantly.