Maureen Cane is the lead organizer of Sustainable Technologies program in at the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC) and she graciously agreed to answer some questions.

Brief background on Maureen

Maureen Cane, lead organizer of Sustainable Technologies program

Before joining SVTC’s Sustainable Technology team, Maureen worked in India to document environmental and human rights violations in the Narmada Valley. Before working in India, she was the National Student Organizer for Greenpeace USA. As the organizer for Greenpeace USA, she coordinated a winning campaign that pressured the 10-campus University of California system to implement renewable energy and green building policy. She extended the campaign for clean energy to include over 300 campuses nationally in the United States. Maureen also co-founded the California Student Sustainability Coalition and Energy Action, a national coalition of organizations working towards a clean and just energy future. Maureen completed her studies in International Development at the University of California at Berkeley in 2002. Currently, Maureen specifically works with students at a university level to demand less toxic technology products. (SVTC)

Maureen Cane’s Interview

Note to the reader: Though we would have liked the interview to have been copied down word for word in order to have a question and answer format, it was hard for the interviewer to write down the responses word for word. Thus, the following are answers that were made by the interviewer given Maureen Cane’s responses and information from SVTC’s website.

What specifically does Maureen Cane do for SVTC?

She is the lead organizer of the Sustainable Technologies Program. She works with students to pressure president of universities to buy less toxic technology, as well as implementing policies around products. She also coordinates training sessions around leadership and develops, organizes campaigns. 

How is SVTC helping to diminish e-waste and raise awareness on the subject?

SVTC has been working with main manufacturers and running a campaign to extend recycling programs by demanding that these companies take responsibility. Mainly, by educating consumers about demanding electronics that are easier to recycle and re-use and that are not made in sweatshops.

Why is it important for our youth today to learn about E-waste?

"Because we use so much of it. More and more people are buying so many electronics and appliances. When I was younger, I didn’t know about the impacts of e-waste," Maureen said. “As consumers, we should be responsible about we should and should not buy. One of the reasons is because the majority of electronics are bought by students and youth.”

If we don’t help diminish E-waste, how will it affect our world in the future?

Maureen explained that this problem is relatively new and that it’ll start impacting us soon. California has recently banned E-waste from going into normal trash and that is not the case in other states and when we’re exporting it, it’s the same problem—we’re polluting water, earth, air, and soil.

How do you see the growth of E-waste in the next 5 to 10 years?

Maureen explained that the amount of E-waste is only increasing, since as consumers we are creating more and more E-waste, so much so that it’s exponential almost. Ten years ago E-waste wasn’t even a word. There has been a lot of progress, though. There are many organizations out there that are working against the harmful impacts of industries not taking responsibility. It will be a big issue in 10 years unless we find a solution. 

What is SVTC?

SVTC stands for Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition and is located in San Jose, California in the United States. This non-profit organization strives to promote health and environmental justice by holding industries accountable and responsible for the impact that they make on workers and the environment. SVTC also educates the public about being responsible consumers and in fact demanding products that are more easily recyclable and less toxic. Also, its goal is environmental sustainability and clean production, improved health for communities and workers most affected by the high-tech revolution. SVTC works directly with companies, such as Apple, to attempt to decrease the pollution. To learn more about their mission statement go to: http://svtc.etoxics.org/site/PageServer?pagename=svtc_mission

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References

Maureen Cane. Personal Interview. 27 March 2007

Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition. 1 April 2007. http://svtc.etoxics.org/site/PageServer?pagename=svtc_work