Story of Stuff – Electronics (Wylie)

There’s a science-fiction/action-thriller movie that was just recently released called “Elysium”. The basic plot synopsis of this film is that in the year 2154, the rich and wealthy human beings live in a massive space palace called “Elysium”, while the poor and destitute live on an Earth below ravaged by overpopulation and pollution. Watching the “Story of Electronics” reminded me a bit of this movie. The electronic waste (e-waste) that the current society is producing is tremendous, and the “green” initiatives, while effective, may have started too late for serious change.

The animation in the “Story of Electronics” video did a nice job at making a somewhat complex topic accessible to almost everyone. It also did a very good job of hitting on the major points of what is causing e-waste, and what the possible solutions are. However, I would haven liked to have seen the source of some of the facts pointed out in the video. I know that I, along with most Americans, am guilty of extreme electronic consumerism. When a new gadget comes out, we flock to it, abandoning our old ones. Without a wide spread awareness of the harmful impacts, both environmentally and financially, and a wide spread recycling system, the harmful cycle of e-waste shown in this video will continue.

I am hopeful that some kind of widespread recycling program will be implemented soon, and be effective. Electronic devices will continue to be produced at a rapid rate; there’s no stopping that trend now. Recycling and management programs must evolve faster than production. And while I don’t think it’s going to take Matt Damon strapping on a robotic exoskeleton and and destroying a civilization to get us to change our ways, a serious incentive is needed for major change.