Our society thrives on technology. As internet users, we all do; for many of us, computers, smart phones and other devices constitute not just tools, but a way of life. We praise the information age with its interconnectedness, enabling efficient exchanges of ideas and opening up many new possibilities for mankind.
However, once we look beyond all the great opportunities computer technology grants us, we see less reason for optimism. Be it environmental or social issues, be it dangerous and destructive mining for resources in third-world countries, assembly under slave-labour conditions, or gigantic mountains of e-waste that are not properly disposed of: The ways electronic devices are manufactured, handled and disposed of today leave much to be improved.
The first step to improving a bad situation is information. We will be posting news from various sources as well as compose our own writeups and opinion pieces. This blog will offer a platform to get informed, share information with others, and discuss. We also want to find and point out ways in which everyone can get involved, to get beyond the first step. In this way, we want to help achieve a situation where informed consumers and tech enthusiasts can demand from manufacturers the devices they really want: sustainable, fair-trade electronic devices.