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Cell phone Quote by Bill Henderson

“Here's what an e-reader is. A battery operated slab, about a pound, one half-inch thick, perhaps an aluminum border, rubberized back, plastic, metal, silicon, a bit of gold, plus rare metals such as columbite-tantalite (Google it) ripped from the earth, often in war-torn Africa. To make one…” quote by Bill Henderson
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““Here's what an e-reader is. A battery operated slab, about a pound, one half-inch thick, perhaps an aluminum border, rubberized back, plastic, metal, silicon, a bit of gold, plus rare metals such as columbite-tantalite (Google it) ripped from the earth, often in war-torn Africa. To make one e-reader requires 33 pounds of minerals, plus 79 gallons of water to produce the battery and printed writing and refine the minerals. The production of other e-reading devices such as cell phones, iPads and whatever new gizmo will pop up (and down) in the years ahead is similar. "The adverse health impacts from making one e-reader are estimated to be 70 times greater than those for making a single book," says the Times. Then you figure that the one hundred million e-readers will be outmoded in short order--to be replaced by one hundred million new and improved devices in the years ahead that will likewise be replace by new models ad infinitum, and you realize an environmental disaster is at hand.””

Bill Henderson

About This Quote

Source Article: The New York Times, “The Environmental Cost of E‑Readers”, 2015

E‑readers demand massive mineral and water resources, creating severe ecological damage and a cycle of waste through rapid product turnover.

In simple terms: E‑readers have high hidden environmental costs.

Key Takeaway

Choose sustainable reading options.

Themes

environment technology consumerism resource depletion

Mood

reflective concerned

Type

environmental technological

When to use this quote

  • purchasing decisions
  • policy advocacy
  • recycling programs
  • product design innovation

Key Concepts

life‑cycle analysis supply chain e‑waste sustainable design

Questions to Reflect On

  • Can we design truly sustainable devices?
  • What policies could reduce e‑waste?
A Different Perspective

Convenient digital reading may mask its ecological footprint.

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