Category: Events

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Juror Spotlight – Craig Boswell

This post was written by ISTC staff member Kirsten Walker.

The International Sustainable Electronics Competition staff would like to welcome Craig Boswell, Co-Founder and President of HOBI International, Inc. to the 2013 competition jury. HOBI International is an IT and cellular asset management and electronics recycling company. Craig plays a key role in developing HOBI’s processes and procedures for data security, asset tracking and asset disposition services. He is HOBI’s chief industry consultant on demanufacturing, design for disassembly, and reverse logistics programs. He has also published and presented numerous papers on the recycling of electronic products and the keys to designing more recyclable products.

According to their website, “HOBI’s Mobile Device services group focuses on the resale and recycling of cellular assets. Their client list includes 3 of the 4 national wireless operators in the US, 4 major device OEMs, and many recycling partners that trust us to maximize the value of their cellular assets while protecting sensitive corporate or client data. They process for resale and recycling over 4 million cell phones per year. Their parts recovery division de-manufactures millions of cell phones per year in support of a robust repair market.”

Craig’s background includes nine years experience as an electrical engineer for Texas Instruments, Inc. As a member of Texas Instrument’s engineering staff, he managed electronics design projects and was extensively involved in development and deployment of electronics manufacturing techniques. He was also project manager for the deployment of a major shift in the production process from traditional CFC-based cleaning technologies to more environmentally friendly, no-clean solder technologies. As part of this program team, he was an active member of the IEEE Environmental Technologies subcommittee. This committee was central in developing an industry conference that brought together OEMs, academia, and environmental organizations to discuss key issues in electronics disposition technologies.

Craig is thus well qualified to assess entries for this competition, because he has approached electronics from different ends of the life cycle spectrum–both on the design and manufacturing side and the end-of-life management side. In fact, Craig presented a seminar at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center last fall called Closing the Loop on Electronics Devices–Design for Recycling, in which he spoke about how his experiences in his current role have allowed him to look back at his experiences as part of design projects and realize that some of the design choices he and colleagues made actually made recycling more difficult. Recycling is sometimes simply not a part of the consideration of engineers and/or industrial designers creating a product. Through efforts like the International Sustainable Electronics Competition, SEI is hoping to ensure that students who may one day work for electronics manufacturers go into those situations with sustainability issues like design for recycling already in mind.

Craig and his colleagues at HOBI International have made it their business to understand design issues related to electronics and curb the issue of electronics waste in a way that is profitable. His expertise and feedback will be valuable and we appreciate the time Craig is donating to the 2013 International Sustainable Electronics Competition.

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Juror Spotlight – Kyle Wiens

This post was written by ISTC staff member Kirsten Walker.

The International Sustainable Electronics Competition welcomes Kyle Wiens to this year’s jury. Kyle is the co-founder and CEO of iFixit, an online repair community internationally renowned  for their open source repair manuals and product tear-downs. Kyle relates to the ingenuity of college students, as he launched iFixit out of his Cal Poly dorm room, along with Luke Soules. iFixit has grown to empower upwards of 15 million people  to repair their broken items. Recently Kyle started Dozuki, a software company that is revolutionizing online technical documentation for manufacturers. Kyle is very active in the field of electronics exports having testified in front of the International Trade Commission, and has been on the front lines of developing global environmental standards.

Kyle is a perfect juror for this kind of competition as he understands creative minds and can provide effective “peer-like” feedback to those who successfully enter this year’s competition based on his experiences developing the iFixit concept.

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Competition Inspiration: Digitizer

The 2013 International Sustainable Electronics Competition begins in less than a month. The spirit of this competition is to prompt the industrialized world to dialogue about product designs and non-product concepts for environmentally responsible green computing and entertainment. The goals of this competition are to learn about ways to extend the useful lifecycle of electronic products, reuse electronic scrap for new and productive means, explore ideas to address the social and environmental impacts of electronics, and contribute to the body of knowledge that advances the practice of environmentally responsible product design for current and future technology products. We invite you to create a broad range of concepts and innovations to address these issues. Engineering, design, sustainability, or business knowledge will be helpful, but are not required for success in this competition. We encourage participation from interested students and recent graduates from any academic discipline. See the “Rules” section of the competition web site for complete details. Registration is free, and cash prizes will be awarded.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be featuring some of the winning videos from previous years’ competitions as inspiration for those of you who may be considering entering. Below, check out a concept called “Digitizer” for making a film camera function like a digital camera when desired. The unit was also conceived to be manufactured from e-waste, thus preventing the generation of e-waste by keeping older cameras from being discarded, and/or giving analog cameras a dual function, and reusing scrap that might otherwise be landfilled. This concept was 1st place in the “Reuse” Category in 2012 and was submitted by J. Makai Catudio and Ryan Barnes. (Note that the categories have changed this year. See our previous blog post and the “Categories” descriptions on the competition web site.)

What can you imagine as a solution to the environmental and social problems related to electronic device design, production, use, and end-of-life management? See more concepts from previous winners on the SEI You Tube channel.

And for those of you who are not eligible to enter, if you find ideas like Digitizer inspiring and want to support SEI’s efforts to encourage students around the world to consider the impacts of our ubiquitous electronics, consider making a donation in support of the competition. Your gift will go toward cash prizes and program administration, and will be acknowledged on the “Sponsors” page of the competition web site. Questions can be directed to Joy Scrogum.

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International Sustainable Electronics Competition: Sponsorship Opportunities

Donations are being accepted to support the International Sustainable Electronics Competition, part of the Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI) at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC). These donations are used for cash prizes in the competiiton and program administrative costs. There are five sponsorship levels: “Friend” is for donations up to $99; “Bronze” signifies gifts of $100 to $499; “Silver” donations are from $500 to $1499; “Gold” sponsors have provided $1500 to $4999 in support; and “Platinum” designates sponsors that have contributed $5000 or more. As a donor, you will be acknowledged on the competition web site unless you wish to remain anonymous. Corporations and organizations will have their logos and a link to their web site featured on the competition web site.

The competition began in 2009 as a local event on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), and grew out of a class on e-waste issues taught by UIUC industrial design professor William Bullock. Participants focused on reuse of electronic scrap to make new products that first year. The event became international in 2010 with submission and judging occurring online. This continues currently, with entries including a brief YouTube video of the concept, among other requirements. The competition categories have evolved over time to include prevention as well as reuse, and for 2013, the categories have changed to “Product” and “Non-Product” to make the multidisciplinary nature and whole life-cycle focus of SEI more apparent. See our previous post, “International Sustainable Electronics Competition: New Name, New Categories, New Criteria” for further information on the changes for 2013 and the competition web site for complete rules, requirements, and videos for previous years’ winners. Also, check out the recently finalized list of expert jurors for 2013.

Each year, SEI staff members are amazed and inspired by the interesting and innovative ideas put forth by competition participants. It makes us proud to be part of this unique educational experience, which prompts college students and recent graduates throughout the world–society’s future leaders–to learn about and propose solutions for the environmental and social issues associated with our ubiquitous electronic devices. So consider even a modest $15 donation to show your support for inspiring students to conceive of new, more environmentally responsible ways to design, manufacture, use, and manage electronics. Contact Joy Scrogum (217-333-8948) for more information or see http://www.ewaste.illinois.edu/sponsors.cfm.

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Jury Finalized for 2013 International Sustainable Electronics Competition

 The jurors for this year’s International Sustainable Electronics Competition (formerly known as the International E-Waste Design Competition) have been announced. Returning again this year are past participants Bill Olson, Director of the Office of Sustainability and Stewardship for Mobile Devices Business, Motorola, Inc., and Jason Linnell, Executive Director of the National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER). They are joined this year by: UIUC alum and President of HOBI International, Inc., Craig Boswell; competition founder, UIUC Professor of Industrial Design in the School of Art + Design and ISTC Affiliated Faculty Scientist, William Bullock; Executive Director of the Northeast Recycling Council and Program Manager for the State Electronics Challenge, Lynn Rubinstein; and CEO of iFixit and Dozuki, Kyle Wiens. For complete juror bios, see http://www.ewaste.illinois.edu/judges.cfm.

Registration is free and opens September 1, 2013. Participants are asked to explore solutions to remediate the existing e-waste problem, prevent e-waste generation in the future, and foster a more sustainable system for electronic device development, use, and management. Submissions include a project description, brief YouTube video, and bibliography. See the competition Rules for complete details on eligibility, categories, judging criteria, and submission requirements. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three entries in each of two categories. For more information on participating, incorporating the competition into a class, or sponsoring the competition, contact Joy Scrogum via email or at 217-333-8948.

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The Challenge of Teaching Sustainable Electronics to Elementary Students

This post was written by ISTC staff member Kirsten Walker.

When I first started at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) last year, it took me a while to wrap my head around all that is involved with sustainable electronics. As an environmental educator it quickly became clear that I had to figure out a way to translate this information and its environmental connections and concerns to learners of all ages. At first, I thought this material would not be appropriate for students younger than middle or high school because of the concepts behind circuits, conflict minerals, and toxic materials. I soon learned that I needed to alter my thinking and come up with ways to present this to an audience we meet with frequently–elementary students.

Two events helped me with my perspective on teaching in this area. The first was the Naturally Illinois Expo. Learners of all ages attend the Expo every year to see presentations by the scientists at the five Illinois Scientific Surveys (Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois State Archaeological Survey, Illinois State Water Survey, Illinois State Geological Survey, and the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center). Many of the elementary schools from the East Central Illinois area attend the Expo to see science in action. After some initial observations, I realized that elementary school aged students understand the value behind precious metals (found in many electronics) and neurotoxins when the word is broken down and explained. Once students realize that there are precious metals and neurotoxins found in electronics, the importance and needs related to the environment, personal health, and recycling become very clear.

The second event was when Joy Scrogum and I were asked to teach a hands-on lesson for two hours about sustainable electronics to a group of mostly second grade girls. We felt a true test on the horizon. There were challenges and barriers  we had to overcome. First, there were a number of small and potentially hazardous parts to be found in something as simple as a cell phone, so displaying those parts was troublesome. We often carry around two keyboards to different outreach events. One is an older model that has a full circuit board and the other is a newer, lighter version with a plastic sheet circuit board (see below). Those visuals helped, but the older circuit board has sharp solder points, so it is not conducive to hands-on activities.

Circuit board of older keyboards.
Modern Keyboard
Lighter weight keyboard with plastic circuit.

It came down to a variety of approaches on the topic starting with a discussion of what would happen if they had lost their personal game devices. Since students felt an emotional attachment to their devices, the students were able to see their own value in making sure they take care of them. We presented a short video from a PBS show (Loops and Scoops) on the materials found in game devices and the problem with disposal of electronics. We briefly presented the number of miles it took for the parts of an electronic gadget  like a laptop or game device to be assembled and shipped to them. We talked about the solutions and problems associated with electronic items and the current landfill ban in Illinois. Finally, we presented them with some of the concepts that college students have submitted to our annual International Sustainable Electronics Competition . Then we challenged them to create a new electronic device out of old electronics that would otherwise be discarded. It took some time and collaboration, but then the ideas were flowing and the girls were excited to draw what they would invent with discarded electronics. One of my favorites was a device that could be hooked up to the carrier of one of the girl’s cats that would translate her “meows” to human speech. The girl thought it would be a great way to know what her cat wants and she could communicate to her cat in return. Genius.

A second grader’s idea on how to recreate a new electronic from other electronics.

The picture above was from girl who seemed to grasp the concept that everyone seems to lose the remote control but not their phones, so why not have your cell phone double as device to change the television channels?

Keyboard beads made from broken keyboards collected for recycling by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

We finished the class with an activity that required a lot of preparation on on our part. Keyboard keys can be made into personalized bracelets. It required removal of back posts and drilling holes to feed string through the keys, but they are always a big hit. The girls were particularly happy to see that we had created kits with the letters of their names and extra decorative beads for “bling.” Overall, we achieved our goal presenting sustainable electronics to students at a grade school level. I’m sure modifications will be made to improve the format of the day if we take another opportunity to present, but we feel the activities were appropriate and enjoyable.

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International Sustainable Electronics Competition: New Name, New Categories, New Criteria

The International E-Waste Design Competition has changed its name, categories, & judging criteria. The competition, now known as the International Sustainable Electronics Competition, is part of the Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI) at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC). It originated in 2009, when it emerged from a class on e-waste issues taught by industrial design Professor William Bullock, an affiliated faculty scientist at ISTC. The competition was focused entirely on reuse of electronic scrap during that first year. What began as a local UIUC event became an international competition in 2010, with submissions being made online by college students and recent graduates from around the world. The competition has evolved a bit each year, and grew to incorporate the entire life cycle of electronics, rather than focusing solely on reuse. Organizers noticed that recent entries seemed to incorporate both prevention of e-waste generation (through design modifications to extend the useful product life cycle of electronic devices) and reuse of electronic scrap, regardless of whether or not they were submitted for the “Prevention” or “Reuse” category. So for 2013, categories have been changed to “Product” and “Non-Product,” with the concepts of prevention and reuse integrated throughout the revised judging criteria. The new name and judging criteria are part of the continuing effort to better focus the competition on ideas for a sustainable system for the design, manufacturing, use, and end-of-life management for electronics. The competition has always been open to students in any discipline, but most entries were from engineering or industrial design students. The new categories will make the multidisciplinary nature of the competition more apparent, as “non-product” entries could more obviously be made by students from other fields.

To learn more about the competition and new categories, visit www.ewaste.illinois.edu. Entries include, among other elements, a brief project description paper and YouTube video summarizing the concept. Expert jurors award cash prizes to the top three projects in each category. Registration is free and will open on September 1, 2013. For more information, contact Joy Scrogum at jscrogum@illinois.edu or 217-333-8948.

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Champaign County (IL) Residential Electronics Collection – April 20th

This post was written by ISTC staff member Kirsten Walker.

The first of two 2013 Countywide Residential Electronics Collections will take place in Champaign, IL on Saturday, April 20.

Got an old TV, computer monitor, or other electronic items not being used anymore?  Area residents are invited to bring old or unwanted electronic items to the upcoming Countywide Residential Electronics Collection to have these items responsibly recycled or refurbished.  Several teams of community service volunteers will be on hand to unload electronic items from residents’ vehicles.  No fees will be collected from persons dropping off items.

The collection will occur, rain or shine, on Saturday, April 20, from 8:00 am to noon at The News-Gazette Distribution Center located at 3202 Apollo Drive in Champaign.  Access to the Distribution Center is at the intersection of North Market Street and East Olympian Drive.

Electronics to be accepted at the April 20 collection include:  televisions, computers, laptops, computer monitors, printers, scanners, keyboards, mice, cables, zip drives, fax machines, PDA’s, video game consoles, mobile phones, microwave ovens, and VCR/DVD/ MP3 players.

Most electronic items contain metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury that are harmful to the environment unless responsibly managed.  As of January 1, 2012, televisions, monitors, computers, printers and several other electronic items have been banned from Illinois landfills.

Area governments and private sponsors including The News Gazette, support the 2013 Countywide Residential Electronics Collection as a public service to area residents now that the Illinois landfill ban on electronics is in effect. The Collection also provides a means to educate the public about the local options available to recycle or refurbish electronic items.  “We get the word out that convenient and no cost local options are available to residents to responsibly recycle electronics such as TV’s, computers, and monitors,” said Susan Monte, Champaign County Recycling Coordinator.

Information about the upcoming collection on April 20 is available on the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC) website at www.ccrpc.org.  Persons may also contact CCRPC at 217-328-3313 with questions about the collection.

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Webinar: Introduction to the State Electronics Challenge

Find out how the State Electronics Challenge can help your organization meet its sustainability and stewardship goals.  The Challenge offers a simple, straightforward approach to greening your organization’s office equipment. The State Electronics Challenge helps public agencies, schools, colleges and universities implement sustainability and stewardship in their operations. The Challenge helps organizations that join the program—known as Partners—to buy green office equipment, use it efficiently and recycle it responsibly.  Partners get access to implementation tools, support and technical assistance, and receive an annual sustainability report that documents the impacts of the program on specific sustainability indicators.

To learn more about the State Electronics Challenge, register for an introductory webinar: March 14, 3 p.m. Eastern./2 p.m Central/Noon Pacific.

To register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3635301347725787392

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2012 International E-Waste Design Competition Winners Announced

Winners have been announced in the International E-Waste Competition.  The competition is part of the Sustainable Electronics Initiative (SEI) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. International E-Waste Design Competition Logo

College students and recent graduates from around the world were encouraged to submit their ideas for products and services. The entries were ideas that prevent e-waste generation through life-cycle considerations (E-Waste Prevention Category) or that incorporate e-waste components into a new and useful item (E-Waste Reuse Category). The competition is designed to prompt dialogue about product designs for environmentally responsible computing and entertainment. To read the full press release, click here.

The winners were announced during a ceremony on December 4, 2012 at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC), the coordinating agency for Sustainable Electronics Initiative. ISTC is part of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois. The webinar will be archived on the ISTC web site at http://www.istc.illinois.edu/about/sustainability_seminars.cfm in the next few days. In the meantime, if you would like to watch the webinar, visit https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/594203991 and enter your email address if you had previously registered for the webinar. If you had not registered, you may do so, and then watch the webinar at that link.

Jurors awarded monetary prizes to the top three projects within each category, along with one honorable mention award. The first place winners will receive $3000, second place is $2000, and third place receives $1000. A total of $12,000 was awarded, which has been made possible through generous contributions by Peter Mcdonnell (Friend level) and Dell (Platinum level).

Winners were as follows (see the full press release for brief project descriptions):

Reuse Category

  • Platinum ($3000): digitizer. This concept was submitted by a pair of industrial design students from the University of Wisconsin-Stout: J. Makai Catudio and Ryan Barnes.
  • Gold ($2000): The Wake-Up Project. The Wake Up Project team consists of three industrial design students from the University of Wisconsin-Stout: Danny Kopren, Sam Wellskopf, and Lennon TeRonde.
  • Silver ($1000): Fluorescence Microscopy Using A Recycled Paper Scanner. This concept was submitted by a recent graduate in electrical engineering (Dustin Gallegos), and two current students, one in biomedical engineering (Lillian Hislop) and the other in general studies (ZhanHao Xi), at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Prevention Category

  • Platinum ($3000): EverCloud. This team was comprised of five industrial design students from Auburn University: Sean Kennedy, Christi Talbert, Dylan Piper-Kaiser, Sarah Caudle, and Daniel Piquero.
  • Gold ($2000): E3: Energy Efficient Electricity. The concept was developed by three industrial design students from California State University at Long Beach: John Lee, Soyoung Bae, and Sam Sauceda.
  • Silver ($1000): loopbook—the future of computing. Loopbook was submitted by a recent graduate in product design and technology from the University of Limerick in Ireland, Damian Coughlan.

Honorable Mention

  • Sounds Amass.This concept was proposed by a recent graduate in industrial and product design from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Tai Ka Cheong.

The competition was started at UIUC in the fall of 2009. In 2010, the competition was expanded so students from all over the globe were able to submit their projects and an online video. Each project was judged on the project description and video. The international scope was evident through students who submitted entries from Bangladesh, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Turkey, and the United States. The jury was comprised of a variety of experts, including:

  • Jason Linnell, Executive Director, National Center of Electronics Recycling (NCER)
  • Bill Olson, Director, Office of Sustainability and Stewardship, Mobile Devices Business, Motorola, Inc.
  • Steven Samuels, Former Brand & Design Manager for ReCellular, Inc.
  • Kerstin Nelsen Strom, Ecodesign Section Chair, Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)
  • Jennifer Wyatt, Environmental Scientist, Materials Management Branch, U.S. EPA Region 5

Videos from the winning entries will soon be available on www.ewaste.illinois.edu. In the meantime they are available on the SEI YouTube Channel. And you can watch them below. Congratulations to the winners and all of our participants for choosing to be part of the solution to the growing e-waste problem by conceiving of how our electronic products could be produced, used, and disposed of in more sustainable ways. Stay tuned to the competition web site for more information, coming in the new year, about the 2013 competition.