Recreating Old Junk into New Art

Dale Peterson has an extraordinary ability to envision new life for old things. His workshop is crammed full of everything from doorknobs and old miner's lamps to oil cans. It is a junkyard paradise on a micro scale. All these things were functional at one time in the past. Dale's goal is to give them new life, to bring their style and class to a different purpose. Read the article in Yakima Magazine.

Dirty Laundry Exposed at Thrift Store Chain

http://invw.org/2015/10/28/the-thrift-store-chain-that-dressed-up-like-a-charity-and-got-sued/

Recycling clothing and small household items is a positive thing for the environment, right? So why is the Savers corporation and its Value Village thrift stores under fire? The $1.2 billion per year giant appears to be masquerading as a big do-gooder for non-profits with its slogan: "Good Deeds. Great Deals." In reality, a small fraction of between 8 and 17 percent of revenue goes to charities. Already in hot water in Minnesota, the Washington State for-profit thrift business is finally being scrutinized in Washington - as its board chairman, Tom Ellison, resides luxuriously in his waterfront mansion. Read the full investigation by Francesca Lyman and Investigate West.

Electronic Waste Shipped Overseas

We've got big problems with disposal of electronic waste. Francesca Lyman shines some light on the issue in her article in Popular Mechanics, republished on Solaripedia with a few additional links and videos. 
Consider this:

- There are 500 million obsolete computers in the U.S. alone.

- 130 million cell phones are disposed of annually.

- 20 - 24 million TV’s and computers are stored annually in homes and offices.

- Only 10% of unwanted and obsolete computers are recycled.

The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition points out that one computer monitor can contain four to eight pounds of lead, which if released can hurt an entire community. The problem has reached crisis proportions because of the sheer volume of global electronic waste.

http://www.solaripedia.com/13/232/e-waste_recycling_ever-changing_landscape.html 

Recycling Solar PV Panels

In its whitepaper "Toward a Just and Sustainable Solar Energy Coalition" the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC) argues that for solar to be truly green, industry must reduce and eventually eliminate the use of toxic materials and develop environmentally sustainable practices.