In recent years, the growing pile of E-Waste has become a global crisis. E-Waste, which consists of end-of-life consumer electronics such as computers and cell phones, is a serious threat to human health as well as our environment. If dumped into landfills or improperly processed, the heavy metals inside, i.e. lead and mercury, will eventually leak out into the environment and pollute the groundwater, reaching both the ocean and water supply. In Rhode Island where WIN resides, it is predicted that over 4 million computers, televisions, and monitors will become trash by 2011. According to Clean Water Action, it will cost Rhode Islanders $45 million to recycle them. These issues will become an almost insurmountable problem that needs drastic action. Carrying out this action would be the motivation and drive behind Project WIN '05 – Recycle and Reuse our E-Waste.

The Westerly Innovations Network, or the WIN team, is a student-led community service team that created and spearheaded multifaceted project to reduce the adverse environmental impact of discarded consumer electronics through recycling, public education and legislation.

The team organized a one-day recycling drive that collected 21,000 pounds of obsolete computers, rechargeable batteries, cell phones, and other forms of e-waste. Then they arranged to place a permanent e-waste recycling container at his town's transfer station, which now collects about 2,500 pounds of e-waste a month since May 2005. The group also advertised for local residents to bring in usable but unwanted computers, and refurbished them for 250 children who lacked computers at home. Some also were sent to tsunami-affected students in Sri Lanka, and others were used to set up a keyboarding lab at the local middle school. In addition, the team made educational presentations about e-waste at elementary/middle schools and local town council meetings. The team also drafted an e-waste ordinance that was enacted by the town of Westerly in 2005, and helped passed a RI statewide bill for banning the dumping of E-Waste in 2006.

Now, in addition to working for passing more legislation in the tri-state area, the team is also working on setting up computer media centers in other countries. The main goal of this is to not only setup a model to effectively reuse computers without compensating the environment of the under development countries, but also help to bridge the digital divide in those countries. The WIN team is currently working with students in Mexico (they named themselves the Mexico WIN Team) and Cameroon. A media center was shipped out in March 2007 to Mexico, and the team went to help set it up and educate the Mexican students to protect the environment.

PARTNER STATEMENT

The Izaak Walton League of America is proud to be affiliated with the students of Westerly Middle and High School and the Westerly Innovations Network. The WIN '05 Recycle and Reuse our E-Waste project exemplifies the League's community based conservation model of identifying local conservation issues of regional or global importance and achieving success at the local and state level. Not only did WIN '05 involve their own community through education and action, they were instrumental in passing a local ordinance and state law to reduce e-waste. WIN '05 is also a model of sustainability. By reducing, reusing, and recycling e-waste they have not only decreased contaminants, they have also saved school and community money and raised the quality of life for individual students and classes by providing them much needed computer equipment. We were impressed with their interest in helping other communities duplicate this project. We look forward to helping these students attain that goal.