Toxics in the Electronics Industry

This event will be held at Saratoga Library.

Silicon Valley is known for technology innovation, but it was also a potential environmental disaster area in 1982 when Ted Smith founded the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition in response to the public health threat created by hazardous groundwater contamination from high-tech manufacturing facilities in San Jose.

After organizing the community to clean up the groundwater contamination, the Coalition pressured computer and electronics manufacturers to make more environmentally friendly choices and use cleaner production methods. Hewlett Packard, and Dell, and Apple Computers led the industry in actively promoting responding to the Coalition's Computer TakeBack Campaign, which Smith started in 1997 to get computer companies to recycle obsolete computers appropriately.

Ted Smith has been the pre-eminent pioneer in working for toxics reduction and pollution prevention, first locally, and now in the global electronics industry. Today, Smith is co-founder and coordinator for the International Campaign for Responsible Technology (ICRTwww.icrt.co) and is implementing a long-term strategy to promote sustainability within the global high-tech industry.

5.09 min. Video of an recent interview with Ted Smith is available here.

http://siliconvalleyuna.vpweb.com         www.facebook.com/siliconvalleyuna