Groundbreaking investigation of fast fashion reveals that while the price…
Death By Design
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
Consumers love - and live on - their smartphones, tablets and laptops. A cascade of new devices pours endlessly into the market, promising even better communication, non-stop entertainment and instant information. The numbers are staggering. By 2020, four billion people will have a personal computer. Five billion will own a mobile phone.
But this revolution has a dark side that the electronics industry doesn't want you to see.
In an investigation that spans the globe, award-winning filmmaker Sue Williams investigates the underbelly of the international electronics industry and reveals how even the tiniest devices have deadly environmental and health costs.
DEATH BY DESIGN tells the stories of young Chinese workers laboring in unsafe conditions, American families living with the tragic consequences of the industry's toxic practices, activists leading the charge to hold brands accountable, and passionate entrepreneurs who are developing more sustainable products and practices to safeguard our planet and our future.
From the intensely secretive electronics factories in China, to the high tech innovation labs of Silicon Valley, DEATH BY DESIGN tells a story of environmental degradation, of health tragedies, and the fast-approaching tipping point between consumerism and sustainability.
'An extraordinary film. I have studied the problem of environmental hazards in the global electronics industry for 20 years and this is the best documentary I have seen on the subject matter. This film explains the sources of the environmental threats in the industry, demonstrates how local struggles are linked to global scale phenomena, and chronicles how community leaders around the world are taking positive steps to address these challenges. I will use this film in my courses for years to come.' David Naguib Pellow, Professor of Environmental Studies, University of California - Santa Barbara, Co-author, Challenging the Chip: Labor Rights and Environmental Justice in the Global Electronics Industry
'Death by Design makes the invisible visible, and pushes us to consider the extent and nature of the ecological degradation and human health impacts of our digital lifestyle. Through powerful narrative and images, the film presents this challenge to students and community members. This is an excellent resource to stimulate discussion and motivate action related to the heavy ethical and environmental burdens of the digital age.' Dr. Jonathan Beever, Assistant Professor of Ethics and Digital Culture, Director, Theoretical and Applied Ethics Certificate Program, University of Central Florida
'An eco-doc that may open eyes even for those already concerned about e-waste...Think twice before you upgrade that phone.' John DeFore, The Hollywood Reporter
'Few people are aware of the myriad negative environmental and social impacts that result from our love affair with circuitry. Sue Williams' documentary powerfully introduces some of these 'hidden' impacts, and is a useful tool for educators, sustainability advocates, consumers, and other stakeholders to begin exploring and discussing impacts throughout the life cycles of electronic products.' Joy Scrogum, Emerging Technologies Resource Specialist, Co-coordinator of Sustainable Electronics Initiative, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
'You won't look at your iPhone in quite the same way again after viewing Sue Williams' thoughtful documentary.' Moira Macdonald, The Seattle Times
'When we enter the pristine, minimalist confines of an Apple store to update our 16-month old phone, the true cost of our behavior remains largely hidden. This eye-opening documentary reveals the strain the digital revolution has put on the environment and on the laborers who build our devices. This is a tale of the dark side of global capitalism, but it also invites us to think critically about the morality of the choices we make as consumers. Digital natives need to watch this.' Dr. Bastiaan Vanacker, Associate Professor and Program Director, Center for Digital Ethics and Policy, Loyola University - Chicago
'Everyone should see this film.' Sydney Brownstone, The Stranger
'Both jaw-dropping and heartbreaking, Death by Design forces the viewer to reconsider their whole approach to technology and this mad and unsustainable obsession with constantly upgrading.' Hannah Clugston, Aesthetica Magazine
Citation
Main credits
Williams, Sue (film director)
Williams, Sue (screenwriter)
Williams, Sue (film producer)
Steinman, Hilary Klotz (film producer)
Other credits
Director of photography, Sam Shinn; composer, Paul Brill; editor, Adam Zucker.
Distributor subjects
Anthropology; Asian Studies; Capitalism; China; Climate Change/Global Warming; Consumerism; E-Waste; Electronics; Environment; Environmental Justice; Geography; Global Issues; Globalization; Health; Human Rights; International Studies; Labor and Work Issues; Pollution; Recycling; Science, Technology, Society; Sociology; Toxic ChemicalsKeywords
00:00:02.029 --> 00:00:04.159
- So I just wanted
to ask you, how many
00:00:04.159 --> 00:00:05.450
electronic devices do you have?
00:00:05.450 --> 00:00:06.525
Like phones, computer...
00:00:06.525 --> 00:00:08.680
- Oh, my God.
00:00:08.680 --> 00:00:10.840
Definitely more than 10.
00:00:10.840 --> 00:00:15.106
- iPad, phone, Playstation,
and I have a little tablet.
00:00:15.106 --> 00:00:16.480
- I'm pretty close
with my phone.
00:00:16.480 --> 00:00:19.670
It doesn't really, like,
leave my hand very much.
00:00:19.670 --> 00:00:22.880
- My iPhone is the most
critical device I have.
00:00:22.880 --> 00:00:24.740
- Do you love that phone a lot?
00:00:24.740 --> 00:00:28.260
- I'm pretty
attached to it, yes.
00:00:28.260 --> 00:00:31.028
I'd be lost without it probably.
00:00:31.028 --> 00:00:33.448
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:00:41.680 --> 00:00:45.455
- I'm also attached to my
phone, my computer, my tablet.
00:00:48.420 --> 00:00:51.480
And it amazes me how,
in just 20 years,
00:00:51.480 --> 00:00:55.176
they've completely changed the
way I live and communicate.
00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:01.420
Our devices are
sleek and elegant.
00:01:05.370 --> 00:01:07.762
We store our lives
in a beautiful cloud.
00:01:18.380 --> 00:01:20.910
I started making this
film to explore the impact
00:01:20.910 --> 00:01:23.930
of our digital revolution.
00:01:23.930 --> 00:01:26.380
And then secrets
the industry tried
00:01:26.380 --> 00:01:29.200
to hide for years
began to spill out.
00:01:41.760 --> 00:01:46.800
How our electronics are made and
unmade is dirty and dangerous.
00:01:49.428 --> 00:01:53.010
It's a global story
of damaged lives,
00:01:53.010 --> 00:01:56.220
environmental
destruction, and devices
00:01:56.220 --> 00:01:57.390
that are designed to die.
00:02:33.020 --> 00:02:36.380
- In China, massive
industrialization
00:02:36.380 --> 00:02:40.110
have put a huge pressure
on our ecosystem
00:02:40.110 --> 00:02:41.864
and on the environment.
00:02:44.830 --> 00:02:50.320
When it comes to IT industry,
many people think it's green
00:02:50.320 --> 00:02:57.310
or naturally it's green, or some
people even think it's virtual.
00:02:57.310 --> 00:02:59.980
But in our investigation,
we found it's not like that.
00:03:13.490 --> 00:03:16.440
This pollution is having
all kinds of different
00:03:16.440 --> 00:03:20.250
consequences, but I think
that the top impact --
00:03:20.250 --> 00:03:23.910
the biggest impact --
is on public health.
00:03:23.910 --> 00:03:27.540
We have nearly 300
million rural residents
00:03:27.540 --> 00:03:29.620
who don't have
access to sufficient,
00:03:29.620 --> 00:03:30.610
safe drinking water.
00:04:12.459 --> 00:04:14.910
I kept thinking
about the moment when
00:04:14.910 --> 00:04:19.329
I faced all this environmental
and social damage
00:04:19.329 --> 00:04:23.550
on that river, which carries
all this waste to the lake
00:04:23.550 --> 00:04:29.510
beside the Yangtze River,
and these old ladies suddenly
00:04:29.510 --> 00:04:32.040
bowed down on their
knees in front of me.
00:04:39.330 --> 00:04:42.150
I don't have any
sort of government
00:04:42.150 --> 00:04:43.970
administrative power.
00:04:43.970 --> 00:04:47.400
I don't have much financial
resources to deal with this.
00:04:47.400 --> 00:04:49.650
But I told myself
at that moment,
00:04:49.650 --> 00:04:54.360
in front of those ladies, I
told myself that at least I
00:04:54.360 --> 00:04:58.890
need to bring the message out.
00:04:58.890 --> 00:05:01.890
I need to make sure
that all the users
00:05:01.890 --> 00:05:05.490
of all these gadgets, they
need to be informed about this.
00:05:19.950 --> 00:05:21.370
- You can see the farmland here.
00:05:21.370 --> 00:05:25.650
This is what this valley
used to look like,
00:05:25.650 --> 00:05:29.310
just full of... this was the
richest agricultural valley
00:05:29.310 --> 00:05:29.940
in the country.
00:05:32.970 --> 00:05:36.587
You can see why people,
once they saw this,
00:05:36.587 --> 00:05:37.420
wanted to live here.
00:05:44.050 --> 00:05:48.730
I moved to this area in
1969 to go to law school,
00:05:48.730 --> 00:05:50.680
because I wanted
to help people who
00:05:50.680 --> 00:05:55.030
didn't have the means
to represent themselves.
00:05:55.030 --> 00:05:57.280
It was a time when most
people had not heard
00:05:57.280 --> 00:05:58.800
of the semiconductor industry.
00:06:01.310 --> 00:06:04.440
But within a few years,
people started seeing
00:06:04.440 --> 00:06:07.040
the birth of what has become
00:06:07.040 --> 00:06:09.410
the global electronics industry.
00:06:14.370 --> 00:06:18.720
Top names were companies
Hewlett-Packard, Apple, Intel,
00:06:18.720 --> 00:06:21.570
Advanced Micro Devices --
00:06:21.570 --> 00:06:26.120
virtually the who's who of
the electronics industry.
00:06:26.120 --> 00:06:28.430
And of course the granddaddy
of them all was IBM.
00:06:31.380 --> 00:06:33.660
- When I got hired at
IBM, that was great.
00:06:33.660 --> 00:06:37.420
That was the company to
work for at the time.
00:06:37.420 --> 00:06:38.447
I could go anyplace.
00:06:38.447 --> 00:06:39.280
"Where do you work?"
00:06:39.280 --> 00:06:40.140
IBM.
00:06:40.140 --> 00:06:43.420
"I don't need an ID,
you just write a check."
00:06:43.420 --> 00:06:44.470
It was that easy.
00:06:44.470 --> 00:06:47.350
IBM had that much clout.
00:06:47.350 --> 00:06:51.580
- I was the first
microprocessor buyer for IBM.
00:06:51.580 --> 00:06:55.160
In the early 80s, the idea
of a personal computer...
00:06:55.160 --> 00:06:57.580
which was an oxymoron, right?
00:06:57.580 --> 00:06:59.500
I mean, a personal computer?
00:06:59.500 --> 00:07:01.930
And what would you
use it for, anyway?
00:07:01.930 --> 00:07:03.760
But it got legs.
00:07:03.760 --> 00:07:06.580
I mean we started the PC
business, the first year they
00:07:06.580 --> 00:07:09.560
shipped 50,000 units.
00:07:09.560 --> 00:07:13.480
And so we went from 1,000
a week to 40,000 a week,
00:07:13.480 --> 00:07:17.170
and at that point,
the PC was launched.
00:07:36.026 --> 00:07:37.400
- From almost the
very beginning,
00:07:37.400 --> 00:07:40.050
you heard electronics and
semiconductor production
00:07:40.050 --> 00:07:41.510
was a clean industry.
00:07:41.510 --> 00:07:44.210
They said it was as
clean as a hospital.
00:07:44.210 --> 00:07:45.710
But what they weren't
telling people
00:07:45.710 --> 00:07:48.230
was that it was really a
chemical handling industry,
00:07:48.230 --> 00:07:51.920
and that the magic of
making these microcircuits
00:07:51.920 --> 00:07:55.610
relied on the use of hundreds
if not thousands of very
00:07:55.610 --> 00:07:57.170
toxic chemicals.
00:07:57.170 --> 00:07:59.900
And that's why they
have clean rooms.
00:07:59.900 --> 00:08:04.356
That's why they have bunny suits
to try to protect the chips.
00:08:04.356 --> 00:08:06.230
It was never designed
to protect the workers.
00:08:06.230 --> 00:08:10.010
It was always designed to
protect the product itself.
00:08:10.010 --> 00:08:12.770
- Oh my God, there was a
lot of different chemicals.
00:08:12.770 --> 00:08:15.030
I built the disk drives.
00:08:15.030 --> 00:08:17.410
We'd have to strip
them out, and then we'd
00:08:17.410 --> 00:08:20.690
literally have to dip
them in sulfuric acid.
00:08:20.690 --> 00:08:24.389
And with a sponge it just...
00:08:24.389 --> 00:08:25.180
with sulfuric acid.
00:08:25.180 --> 00:08:26.420
I didn't know what it was.
00:08:26.420 --> 00:08:29.450
I just knew it stunk really
bad, and you couldn't get it
00:08:29.450 --> 00:08:31.340
on your skin because
it would burn you
00:08:31.340 --> 00:08:32.345
like nobody's business.
00:08:34.669 --> 00:08:37.820
- What happened was, people
started getting sick with very
00:08:37.820 --> 00:08:40.610
strange kinds of illnesses --
things that didn't seem to make
00:08:40.610 --> 00:08:43.070
a lot of sense and didn't
seem to hang together.
00:08:43.070 --> 00:08:46.136
But increasingly, as this
happened more and more,
00:08:46.136 --> 00:08:47.510
there was a small
group of people
00:08:47.510 --> 00:08:49.460
that began to think
that maybe this was
00:08:49.460 --> 00:08:51.410
related to the chemical
exposure on the job.
00:08:53.835 --> 00:08:55.480
- Want to put music on?
00:08:55.480 --> 00:08:56.380
- Yeah.
00:08:56.380 --> 00:08:57.290
- All right, go on.
00:08:57.290 --> 00:08:59.740
Turn on the music for Mom.
00:08:59.740 --> 00:09:01.340
Put some good music on today.
00:09:01.340 --> 00:09:04.100
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:09:04.100 --> 00:09:06.490
- Right there?
00:09:06.490 --> 00:09:07.300
Right there, OK.
00:09:07.300 --> 00:09:08.132
Put this on, mijo.
00:09:08.132 --> 00:09:09.590
Here's your thing,
I charged it up.
00:09:09.590 --> 00:09:10.970
- All right.
00:09:10.970 --> 00:09:12.280
- Are you going to sing?
00:09:12.280 --> 00:09:12.780
- Yeah.
00:09:12.780 --> 00:09:13.708
- OK, go.
00:09:17.760 --> 00:09:21.740
In 1975 I was 18
years old, and I
00:09:21.740 --> 00:09:24.680
started working in
the electronics field.
00:09:24.680 --> 00:09:28.340
I went to Spectra-Physics,
and they just hired me
00:09:28.340 --> 00:09:29.930
just like that.
00:09:29.930 --> 00:09:32.900
I was making the
end of the laser.
00:09:32.900 --> 00:09:35.810
And I would have to
mix up this chemical
00:09:35.810 --> 00:09:41.180
and I used to call it "green
gunk," and get the consistency
00:09:41.180 --> 00:09:43.370
and then put it
into a spray gun.
00:09:43.370 --> 00:09:47.150
And I would have to heat that
up after I glued it on together.
00:09:47.150 --> 00:09:51.420
That was just all
day that I did that.
00:09:51.420 --> 00:09:54.080
- Yvette didn't
know the material
00:09:54.080 --> 00:09:56.600
she was using turns
out to be probably
00:09:56.600 --> 00:10:00.160
in the vicinity
of 50% lead oxide.
00:10:00.160 --> 00:10:02.170
She didn't know she
was exposed to lead.
00:10:02.170 --> 00:10:04.190
They didn't tell her that.
00:10:04.190 --> 00:10:06.650
- I got pregnant
with Mark in 1979,
00:10:06.650 --> 00:10:10.300
and that was full
term nine months.
00:10:10.300 --> 00:10:11.950
And we were just
really happy about it.
00:10:14.644 --> 00:10:16.310
He doesn't even know
to cross the street
00:10:16.310 --> 00:10:19.340
and if a car is coming, to stop.
00:10:19.340 --> 00:10:22.720
Going to the restroom, you know,
I have to go with him in there.
00:10:22.720 --> 00:10:25.660
So, I have to assist
him with everything.
00:10:25.660 --> 00:10:27.350
Who's number one?
00:10:27.350 --> 00:10:28.150
- Mark is.
00:10:28.150 --> 00:10:30.160
- You better know it, huh?
00:10:30.160 --> 00:10:34.990
- If I knew what I know
now, I would have ran out
00:10:34.990 --> 00:10:37.820
of Spectra-Physics at the time.
00:10:37.820 --> 00:10:40.920
It was unnecessary.
00:10:40.920 --> 00:10:44.310
It breaks my heart that
I could've avoided this.
00:10:44.310 --> 00:10:46.210
- There you go!
00:10:46.210 --> 00:10:48.910
- We are filing a lawsuit
against her employer.
00:10:48.910 --> 00:10:51.280
And it's a lawsuit
for her son --
00:10:51.280 --> 00:10:55.870
who was born with severe
developmental disabilities --
00:10:55.870 --> 00:10:58.060
and it's a suit for concealment
of systemic chemical
00:10:58.060 --> 00:11:01.420
poisoning in the case of Yvette,
and for the direct injuries
00:11:01.420 --> 00:11:03.490
to Mark.
00:11:03.490 --> 00:11:06.580
- Mark's condition isn't
like a cold, take antibiotics
00:11:06.580 --> 00:11:08.320
and you're going to
be fine in five days.
00:11:08.320 --> 00:11:10.420
This is lifelong.
00:11:10.420 --> 00:11:13.870
Your love just
overrides all that,
00:11:13.870 --> 00:11:15.870
and you do what you got to do.
00:11:15.870 --> 00:11:18.225
To this day, I still do that.
00:11:18.225 --> 00:11:21.224
I'm sorry, I'm getting
a little emotional.
00:11:33.146 --> 00:11:35.020
- We've known about the
side effects of lead,
00:11:35.020 --> 00:11:38.890
including reproductive effects,
since the era of the Romans.
00:11:38.890 --> 00:11:41.080
There was an OSHA
standard in place
00:11:41.080 --> 00:11:44.020
requiring hazard communication
and medical removal.
00:11:44.020 --> 00:11:46.337
They didn't do any
of those things.
00:11:46.337 --> 00:11:47.670
Do I think this was preventable?
00:11:47.670 --> 00:11:48.150
Oh, yeah.
00:11:48.150 --> 00:11:48.650
I do.
00:12:00.110 --> 00:12:04.220
I discovered IBM had a
corporate mortality file, which
00:12:04.220 --> 00:12:05.870
they kept for 30 years.
00:12:05.870 --> 00:12:10.100
And it kept track of the causes
of death of their employees.
00:12:10.100 --> 00:12:12.860
- The most dramatic
findings were about cancer.
00:12:12.860 --> 00:12:14.360
For the company as
a whole, this was
00:12:14.360 --> 00:12:17.740
33,000 deaths that were in
this corporate mortality file.
00:12:17.740 --> 00:12:21.560
So it included people who
had worked all over the U.S.
00:12:21.560 --> 00:12:23.710
But then when you look
at specific plants,
00:12:23.710 --> 00:12:26.510
like the IBM plant
in San Jose, there
00:12:26.510 --> 00:12:29.000
was some extraordinary
excess causes of death.
00:12:29.000 --> 00:12:31.390
One was brain cancer.
00:12:31.390 --> 00:12:33.650
Another was
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma,
00:12:33.650 --> 00:12:35.840
Another was melanoma
of the skin.
00:12:35.840 --> 00:12:39.440
And in the women, breast
cancer was three and four-fold
00:12:39.440 --> 00:12:41.560
higher than expected.
00:12:41.560 --> 00:12:46.730
That was the heart in
this San Jose lawsuit.
00:12:46.730 --> 00:12:48.530
- In a Santa Clara
courtroom today,
00:12:48.530 --> 00:12:51.980
the first trial out of more
than 200 similar lawsuits
00:12:51.980 --> 00:12:53.720
filed against IBM.
00:12:53.720 --> 00:12:56.810
Former IBM workers Jim
Moore and Alida Hernandez
00:12:56.810 --> 00:12:58.790
say they developed
cancer from exposure
00:12:58.790 --> 00:13:03.020
to toxic chemicals at IBM's San
Jose facility in the late '70s
00:13:03.020 --> 00:13:04.870
to early '90s.
00:13:04.870 --> 00:13:08.300
- IBM literally tried to prevent
the results of the mortality
00:13:08.300 --> 00:13:10.820
analysis from ever
seeing the light of day.
00:13:10.820 --> 00:13:13.190
In fact, they went to
the judge and said, "This
00:13:13.190 --> 00:13:14.930
can't be used in this case.
00:13:14.930 --> 00:13:16.610
Alida Hernandez is not dead.
00:13:16.610 --> 00:13:18.410
She's going to be
in the courtroom."
00:13:18.410 --> 00:13:20.270
And not only was
it not relevant,
00:13:20.270 --> 00:13:23.060
the judge said it might
prejudice the jury
00:13:23.060 --> 00:13:26.600
if they saw what these
excess causes of death were.
00:13:26.600 --> 00:13:28.910
And so he denied use
of it in the court.
00:13:34.890 --> 00:13:37.260
- Many of the brands
will respond to questions
00:13:37.260 --> 00:13:39.390
by saying, "No one
has ever proved
00:13:39.390 --> 00:13:41.850
to me that a single
person has died
00:13:41.850 --> 00:13:43.830
from exposure to
these chemicals,
00:13:43.830 --> 00:13:47.700
either inside our factories
or outside of our factories.
00:13:47.700 --> 00:13:49.650
End of discussion."
00:13:49.650 --> 00:13:52.020
But that's not the
way that we approach
00:13:52.020 --> 00:13:56.060
environmental or occupational
health in the world.
00:13:56.060 --> 00:13:58.350
We are not flying
blind here at all.
00:13:58.350 --> 00:14:01.830
especially on the chemicals at
issue here in the electronics
00:14:01.830 --> 00:14:02.730
industry --
00:14:02.730 --> 00:14:04.680
actually, on most of
the common chemicals
00:14:04.680 --> 00:14:07.350
used in all industrial
manufacturing.
00:14:07.350 --> 00:14:09.170
We've been at this
work for 40 years.
00:14:15.110 --> 00:14:18.680
- If you look at the
publicity generated by IBM,
00:14:18.680 --> 00:14:21.050
you would think that
we lost everything.
00:14:21.050 --> 00:14:24.680
And that's simply not correct.
00:14:24.680 --> 00:14:26.390
After the trial,
IBM matters were
00:14:26.390 --> 00:14:29.540
resolved for hundreds of
people whose claims did not
00:14:29.540 --> 00:14:31.810
go to trial.
00:14:31.810 --> 00:14:34.674
- What can you tell us
about the settlements?
00:14:34.674 --> 00:14:36.090
- I'm not going
to be able to talk
00:14:36.090 --> 00:14:39.290
about any of the
resolutions of the cases.
00:14:39.290 --> 00:14:40.670
And I won't.
00:14:43.900 --> 00:14:45.460
- Can you give any
details at all?
00:14:48.670 --> 00:14:51.910
Did you have to agree not to
reveal the details as part
00:14:51.910 --> 00:14:53.630
of the settlements?
00:14:53.630 --> 00:14:56.570
- All I can say is that
the matters were resolved.
00:14:56.570 --> 00:14:58.050
That's what I'm allowed to say.
00:15:09.140 --> 00:15:13.400
- It is kind of ironic to have
the Lucky Supermarket on such
00:15:13.400 --> 00:15:14.240
an unlucky site.
00:15:21.350 --> 00:15:24.110
This whole area was
a contaminated site.
00:15:24.110 --> 00:15:25.370
It still is.
00:15:25.370 --> 00:15:29.120
And there were many companies
in here, all of whom
00:15:29.120 --> 00:15:35.320
created this toxic nightmare.
00:15:35.320 --> 00:15:38.110
There was an arrogance, a
hubris to the leadership
00:15:38.110 --> 00:15:40.870
of this industry
that was basically
00:15:40.870 --> 00:15:42.760
saying to the people
of this valley,
00:15:42.760 --> 00:15:45.370
"You should be lucky
that we're here."
00:15:45.370 --> 00:15:47.680
And it really enraged me.
00:15:54.970 --> 00:15:57.430
Here in Silicon
Valley, chip companies
00:15:57.430 --> 00:15:59.590
and the other electronics
production companies
00:15:59.590 --> 00:16:03.340
used hundreds if not
thousands of toxic chemicals.
00:16:03.340 --> 00:16:07.360
And most of the
chemicals, once they're
00:16:07.360 --> 00:16:09.790
used in making the
components, needed
00:16:09.790 --> 00:16:11.770
to be disposed of as waste.
00:16:11.770 --> 00:16:14.860
The companies ended up storing
them in underground storage
00:16:14.860 --> 00:16:16.270
tanks all over the valley.
00:16:21.150 --> 00:16:23.010
But what the
brilliant people who
00:16:23.010 --> 00:16:25.530
were designing these
systems didn't quite
00:16:25.530 --> 00:16:29.550
think through all the way was
that the solvents were really
00:16:29.550 --> 00:16:31.710
good at dissolving things.
00:16:31.710 --> 00:16:34.062
And so when you put
them into a tank,
00:16:34.062 --> 00:16:36.520
eventually they're going to
eat their way through the tank.
00:16:41.330 --> 00:16:44.390
- Solvents that the electronics
industry used in production
00:16:44.390 --> 00:16:47.430
in Silicon Valley in the
'70s and '80s are now
00:16:47.430 --> 00:16:48.890
in the groundwater.
00:16:48.890 --> 00:16:52.680
And if you think about putting
a drop of ink in a bathtub,
00:16:52.680 --> 00:16:54.680
that spreads really quickly
and it's really hard
00:16:54.680 --> 00:16:55.889
to get that drop of ink back.
00:16:55.889 --> 00:16:57.680
That's what we're
dealing with except we're
00:16:57.680 --> 00:16:59.990
dealing with multiple
gallons of this stuff that
00:16:59.990 --> 00:17:01.683
is in the groundwater.
00:17:04.150 --> 00:17:08.740
- In late 1981 there
were over 100 families
00:17:08.740 --> 00:17:13.089
in one little neighborhood
who had serious problems,
00:17:13.089 --> 00:17:15.160
and the state health
department discovered
00:17:15.160 --> 00:17:17.859
that the families that were
drinking the most heavily
00:17:17.859 --> 00:17:21.520
contaminated water had
significantly higher rates
00:17:21.520 --> 00:17:23.380
of miscarriages
and birth defects
00:17:23.380 --> 00:17:27.230
than did people in
other neighborhoods.
00:17:27.230 --> 00:17:29.610
The chemical industry
will often say --
00:17:29.610 --> 00:17:32.570
if I had a dime for every
time I heard this --
00:17:32.570 --> 00:17:36.050
that even water can kill
you, the most nontoxic thing.
00:17:36.050 --> 00:17:38.700
Of course it can, but only
if you stick your face down
00:17:38.700 --> 00:17:42.930
in the bathtub or fall
into... fall into a large body
00:17:42.930 --> 00:17:44.790
of water.
00:17:44.790 --> 00:17:47.070
So that is the traditional
approach to toxicology,
00:17:47.070 --> 00:17:48.930
is that the more stuff
you're exposed to,
00:17:48.930 --> 00:17:51.240
the more harm it causes you.
00:17:51.240 --> 00:17:53.107
But what we're seeing --
00:17:53.107 --> 00:17:55.440
particularly around cancer
and around hormone disrupting
00:17:55.440 --> 00:17:57.870
chemicals -- is that it's
when you're exposed to it,
00:17:57.870 --> 00:18:00.210
the time of exposure.
00:18:00.210 --> 00:18:02.720
So if you're in third
trimester, and you
00:18:02.720 --> 00:18:05.960
get even a part per billion
or part per trillion exposure,
00:18:05.960 --> 00:18:09.250
it can actually cause
significant damage.
00:18:09.250 --> 00:18:12.460
- We formed the Silicon
Valley Toxics Coalition,
00:18:12.460 --> 00:18:15.910
and we did a summer organizing
project getting people
00:18:15.910 --> 00:18:18.160
to sign petitions
asking that EPA
00:18:18.160 --> 00:18:21.190
step in with their authority
under their Superfund program.
00:18:31.350 --> 00:18:33.507
And I went to a
meeting in Washington
00:18:33.507 --> 00:18:35.590
and presented these thousands
of petitions saying,
00:18:35.590 --> 00:18:37.180
"We need EPA to come in.
00:18:37.180 --> 00:18:40.440
It's time for EPA to
exercise your authority."
00:18:40.440 --> 00:18:42.022
And to everybody's
great surprise,
00:18:42.022 --> 00:18:42.980
they agreed to do that.
00:18:44.910 --> 00:18:47.510
So, Hewlett-Packard
became a Superfund site.
00:18:47.510 --> 00:18:49.500
Intel became a Superfund site.
00:18:49.500 --> 00:18:52.440
National Semiconductor,
Advanced Micro Devices,
00:18:52.440 --> 00:18:54.870
IBM, you name it.
they were there.
00:18:54.870 --> 00:18:56.580
And they are all
Superfund sites.
00:19:06.840 --> 00:19:09.600
The cost of clean-up
for IBM, as well as
00:19:09.600 --> 00:19:12.540
all the other companies,
has been tremendous.
00:19:12.540 --> 00:19:15.000
It's an enormously slow
and tedious process.
00:19:17.610 --> 00:19:19.450
If you look right
over here also,
00:19:19.450 --> 00:19:21.370
this is a major
residential neighborhood
00:19:21.370 --> 00:19:25.840
just directly across the street
from this industrial site.
00:19:25.840 --> 00:19:28.060
Most of the people
living here today
00:19:28.060 --> 00:19:31.490
are unaware of this
huge toxic plume.
00:19:31.490 --> 00:19:33.980
And those same
chemicals that are still
00:19:33.980 --> 00:19:36.620
right under where
we're standing are now
00:19:36.620 --> 00:19:39.740
beginning to seep back up
out of the groundwater,
00:19:39.740 --> 00:19:41.360
through the soil,
and are actually
00:19:41.360 --> 00:19:44.968
coming into the offices of the
software engineers at Google.
00:19:49.090 --> 00:19:51.040
This is the one
the EPA said might
00:19:51.040 --> 00:19:53.920
take 300 years to clean up.
00:19:53.920 --> 00:19:58.359
This is so complicated, the
devastation is so enormous,
00:19:58.359 --> 00:20:00.400
that we're really talking
centuries of cleanup --
00:20:00.400 --> 00:20:01.720
not just years or decades.
00:20:17.855 --> 00:20:21.930
Every time we've been able
to identify a problem,
00:20:21.930 --> 00:20:24.330
companies have made the
argument that, "We've
00:20:24.330 --> 00:20:26.896
had problems in the past,
but we've learned from those
00:20:26.896 --> 00:20:28.020
and now everything's fine."
00:20:37.650 --> 00:20:41.850
The problem is that it
just keeps reocurring.
00:20:41.850 --> 00:20:44.490
When companies started moving
away from Silicon Valley
00:20:44.490 --> 00:20:46.720
to China, I think
that they've been only
00:20:46.720 --> 00:20:48.720
too happy to have the
government off their back.
00:20:52.100 --> 00:20:54.760
- The Chinese
government made an offer
00:20:54.760 --> 00:20:58.850
to multinational corporations
that they couldn't refuse.
00:20:58.850 --> 00:21:01.900
- You need land,
and you need money,
00:21:01.900 --> 00:21:03.940
and you need
government approval,
00:21:03.940 --> 00:21:06.470
and you need lots of people
to put it all together.
00:21:06.470 --> 00:21:08.350
Well, they have all
of that in China.
00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:14.830
It went insane in the '90s.
00:21:14.830 --> 00:21:17.220
I look back now and just
kind of shake my head
00:21:17.220 --> 00:21:19.750
and say, how did that happen?
00:21:28.860 --> 00:21:32.325
(ROCK MUSIC PLAYING)
00:21:48.660 --> 00:21:51.135
- We are calling it iPhone.
00:21:54.105 --> 00:21:58.920
Today, Apple is going
to reinvent the phone.
00:22:01.640 --> 00:22:05.580
- If you look at the
launch of the Apple 5,
00:22:05.580 --> 00:22:08.710
they were making $10
million in one week.
00:22:08.710 --> 00:22:12.030
So I mean, how do you wrap
your head around these numbers?
00:22:22.120 --> 00:22:24.730
- One of the primary
purposes of outsourcing
00:22:24.730 --> 00:22:27.030
is to enable
companies like Apple
00:22:27.030 --> 00:22:31.000
to make what are essentially
unreasonable demands
00:22:31.000 --> 00:22:33.730
on manufacturers that
they wouldn't and couldn't
00:22:33.730 --> 00:22:38.170
make if they actually had to
employ the workers directly.
00:22:38.170 --> 00:22:40.330
Apple doesn't have
to worry about what
00:22:40.330 --> 00:22:42.100
it means to workers
when they insist
00:22:42.100 --> 00:22:45.118
on a tripling of the pace
of iPhone production.
00:29:33.210 --> 00:29:36.630
- ...workers died and 15 others
were injured after an explosion
00:29:36.630 --> 00:29:38.920
at a Foxconn factory in
Chengdu, southwest China.
00:29:44.230 --> 00:29:46.190
- The accident
occurred at around 7:00
00:29:46.190 --> 00:29:47.790
PM in a polishing workshop.
00:29:47.790 --> 00:29:50.100
It appears to have been
triggered by an explosion
00:29:50.100 --> 00:29:52.033
of combustible dust in a duct.
00:29:56.970 --> 00:30:00.060
- No one should be surprised
that aluminum dust,
00:30:00.060 --> 00:30:02.630
if it's in a high
enough concentration
00:30:02.630 --> 00:30:04.380
and there is an
ignition source, it will
00:30:04.380 --> 00:30:06.930
produce explosion and fire.
00:30:06.930 --> 00:30:11.130
This is a hazard which
is extremely well known.
00:30:11.130 --> 00:30:17.040
So the fact that Apple suppliers
had an explosion in Chengdu
00:30:17.040 --> 00:30:18.960
in their plant
means that they had
00:30:18.960 --> 00:30:24.090
very poor housekeeping, very
poor production processes.
00:30:24.090 --> 00:30:26.760
That's terrible.
00:30:26.760 --> 00:30:29.490
What's completely unacceptable
is that five months
00:30:29.490 --> 00:30:33.540
later, at another plant but
within the Apple supply chain,
00:30:33.540 --> 00:30:36.300
they had another
explosion and fire.
00:30:39.350 --> 00:30:43.460
It's outrageously inexcusable
that they had a second one
00:30:43.460 --> 00:30:44.300
five months later.
00:30:51.060 --> 00:30:53.820
They've set up these supply
chains exactly the way
00:30:53.820 --> 00:30:54.930
they want them.
00:30:54.930 --> 00:30:59.730
They monitor these supply
chains with exacting scrutiny
00:30:59.730 --> 00:31:02.340
so they know exactly what's
going into their products
00:31:02.340 --> 00:31:04.140
at every point along the way.
00:31:07.860 --> 00:31:09.810
- I find it really
hard to believe
00:31:09.810 --> 00:31:12.540
for any of those companies
to say they don't know where
00:31:12.540 --> 00:31:14.910
some of their stuff comes from.
00:31:14.910 --> 00:31:17.700
I find it really hard
to believe, right?
00:31:17.700 --> 00:31:19.880
Because they do.
00:31:19.880 --> 00:31:23.320
Now, they may not want
to admit it publicly.
00:31:23.320 --> 00:31:23.820
Fine.
00:31:23.820 --> 00:31:25.990
You don't have to.
00:31:25.990 --> 00:31:29.100
But they should know
where it comes from.
00:31:29.100 --> 00:31:31.509
Any good supply chain
practitioner knows that.
00:31:42.000 --> 00:31:44.000
- How often do you
upgrade your phone?
00:31:44.000 --> 00:31:45.570
- Every couple of years.
00:31:45.570 --> 00:31:47.780
- Do you upgrade often?
00:31:47.780 --> 00:31:49.260
- When I have the
money to, yeah.
00:31:49.260 --> 00:31:50.510
- Probably every year.
00:32:01.250 --> 00:32:04.280
- So you upgrade pretty often?
00:32:04.280 --> 00:32:05.810
- Yes, you have to.
00:32:05.810 --> 00:32:06.560
Yeah, you have to.
00:32:20.441 --> 00:32:22.690
- Well we have a teardown
online on iFixit of the gun.
00:32:22.690 --> 00:32:26.043
So it will show you how to
disassemble the whole thing.
00:32:26.043 --> 00:32:28.470
Yeah, absolutely.
00:32:28.470 --> 00:32:29.929
So I have an iPhone
5 here, and I'm
00:32:29.929 --> 00:32:31.719
going to show you a
little bit about what's
00:32:31.719 --> 00:32:34.330
inside, what makes it tick,
and some of the design choices
00:32:34.330 --> 00:32:36.045
that Apple made in
putting it together.
00:32:36.045 --> 00:32:38.230
So the first thing
Apple has on the bottom
00:32:38.230 --> 00:32:40.900
is two proprietary
pentalobe screws.
00:32:40.900 --> 00:32:44.080
This is a security screw that
Apple designed to keep people
00:32:44.080 --> 00:32:45.640
out of the phone.
00:32:45.640 --> 00:32:49.390
Once you get the phone open,
we can start to see the guts.
00:32:49.390 --> 00:32:51.550
This isn't really a
phone, it's pretty much
00:32:51.550 --> 00:32:53.350
a full blown computer.
00:32:53.350 --> 00:32:55.030
To make your phone
last for eight hours,
00:32:55.030 --> 00:32:57.460
you need a really big battery.
00:32:57.460 --> 00:33:00.284
Batteries in phones
last about 400 charges.
00:33:00.284 --> 00:33:02.700
Every cell phone I've ever
had, you just pop the back off.
00:33:02.700 --> 00:33:04.950
You could pull the battery
out, swap a new battery in.
00:33:04.950 --> 00:33:07.540
Every year or two, you'd
have to replace the battery.
00:33:07.540 --> 00:33:10.480
Apple has decided, with the
iPod and now the iPhone,
00:33:10.480 --> 00:33:12.440
that they don't like that model.
00:33:12.440 --> 00:33:14.440
So what they are doing
is building the batteries
00:33:14.440 --> 00:33:16.990
into the phone and using
proprietary screws on there
00:33:16.990 --> 00:33:19.240
in an attempt to limit
the lifespan of the phone
00:33:19.240 --> 00:33:21.322
to about 18 months, which
is around the time when
00:33:21.322 --> 00:33:22.780
they have a new
phone and they want
00:33:22.780 --> 00:33:23.946
you to buy a new one anyway.
00:33:41.990 --> 00:33:45.530
- iFixit is a company that wants
to see everything get fixed,
00:33:45.530 --> 00:33:48.320
so we show people how to
fix things and provide
00:33:48.320 --> 00:33:52.385
the parts, tools, and guides
to enable them to do so.
00:33:52.385 --> 00:33:54.810
"Helping everyone
fix everything."
00:33:54.810 --> 00:33:56.090
So that's the challenge.
00:33:56.090 --> 00:33:57.680
It's a big challenge
because there's
00:33:57.680 --> 00:33:59.995
millions of devices out there.
00:33:59.995 --> 00:34:03.260
- I'd say Luke and I are
reluctant capitalists.
00:34:03.260 --> 00:34:04.760
We get excited
selling screwdrivers,
00:34:04.760 --> 00:34:06.860
even though that seems
like a boring product,
00:34:06.860 --> 00:34:08.480
because we're selling
people a capability where
00:34:08.480 --> 00:34:10.438
they're able to do
something that they wouldn't
00:34:10.438 --> 00:34:11.120
have otherwise.
00:34:11.120 --> 00:34:13.760
We want to make
it simple and easy
00:34:13.760 --> 00:34:16.770
for people to repair
their own stuff.
00:34:16.770 --> 00:34:19.230
The amount of raw materials
that go into the products
00:34:19.230 --> 00:34:20.679
that we use are staggering.
00:34:20.679 --> 00:34:22.409
It's over 500 pounds
of raw material
00:34:22.409 --> 00:34:24.400
go into making a cell phone.
00:34:27.400 --> 00:34:30.580
- So here's an example of a
circuit board in this e-waste
00:34:30.580 --> 00:34:31.239
bin.
00:34:31.239 --> 00:34:35.650
This is out of an Apple
laptop from a few years ago.
00:34:35.650 --> 00:34:38.139
Even if you make this
circuit board in the most
00:34:38.139 --> 00:34:41.350
environmentally friendly way,
it's still going to use a ton
00:34:41.350 --> 00:34:42.520
of water --
00:34:42.520 --> 00:34:44.139
probably literally
a ton of water --
00:34:44.139 --> 00:34:45.730
lots and lots of materials.
00:34:49.330 --> 00:34:51.163
- We've got the new MacBook.
00:34:51.163 --> 00:34:52.630
What do we know so far?
00:34:52.630 --> 00:34:56.380
- Processor bump and
a flash speed bump.
00:34:56.380 --> 00:34:58.383
- Brand new MacBook,
nothing is different.
00:35:01.080 --> 00:35:03.300
The electronics industry
is closed in that ways that
00:35:03.300 --> 00:35:05.445
traditional American
manufacturers aren't.
00:35:05.445 --> 00:35:07.070
They're selling you
a thing and they're
00:35:07.070 --> 00:35:10.006
saying, "Well, you have it,
but you don't really own it.
00:35:10.006 --> 00:35:12.630
There's no way we're ever going
to sell you a screwdriver to be
00:35:12.630 --> 00:35:14.030
able to get into the phone."
00:35:14.030 --> 00:35:16.160
Ford would never sell you
a car and say, "We're not
00:35:16.160 --> 00:35:18.950
going to make tires available
to keep your car running
00:35:18.950 --> 00:35:20.780
after 30,000 miles."
00:35:20.780 --> 00:35:23.690
You have an entire
ecosystem, an entire industry
00:35:23.690 --> 00:35:25.550
that's built on secrecy.
00:35:25.550 --> 00:35:27.200
And we're one
organization that's
00:35:27.200 --> 00:35:29.510
trying to pry open
the hood a little bit,
00:35:29.510 --> 00:35:30.680
show people what's inside.
00:35:33.390 --> 00:35:34.920
- And we've kind
of been conditioned
00:35:34.920 --> 00:35:40.900
by manufacturers and brands to
leave yourself on the outside.
00:35:40.900 --> 00:35:42.270
"Don't worry about the details.
00:35:42.270 --> 00:35:44.100
We make this product,
we give it to you,
00:35:44.100 --> 00:35:45.780
and you just use this product."
00:35:45.780 --> 00:35:51.390
And when it stops working,
you go buy a new one.
00:35:51.390 --> 00:35:54.090
- They're pushing us into
a model where products
00:35:54.090 --> 00:35:57.030
are completely disposable.
00:35:57.030 --> 00:36:00.360
Globally, we manufactured
about 1.6 billion cell phones
00:36:00.360 --> 00:36:03.690
in 2014, and it just
keeps going up and up.
00:36:03.690 --> 00:36:06.720
And you have to ask at some
point, what is too many phones?
00:36:09.110 --> 00:36:11.240
- When we originally
started iFixit,
00:36:11.240 --> 00:36:14.840
it was just a way to provide
people with some solution
00:36:14.840 --> 00:36:17.450
to fix broken devices.
00:36:17.450 --> 00:36:21.020
And over time, we've realized
both the manufacturing
00:36:21.020 --> 00:36:24.140
and the environmental
problems are a huge concern.
00:36:32.675 --> 00:36:34.610
Over the last few years
I've been to China
00:36:34.610 --> 00:36:38.000
on a pretty regular basis, a
lot of that related to our tool
00:36:38.000 --> 00:36:39.204
manufacturing.
00:36:42.170 --> 00:36:47.199
We're looking at getting some
circuit boards manufactured.
00:36:47.199 --> 00:36:48.740
This is the big
rechargeable battery,
00:36:48.740 --> 00:36:51.860
and then this is the main
circuit board in here.
00:36:51.860 --> 00:36:53.480
So considering it's
just a flashlight,
00:36:53.480 --> 00:36:57.380
you can see it's a surprisingly
complex circuit board.
00:36:57.380 --> 00:37:01.580
And I've got the basic
schematic of the circuit board.
00:37:01.580 --> 00:37:04.860
Once we decide, we'll leave
them with the full information.
00:37:10.920 --> 00:37:14.580
Finding a supplier that is
environmentally friendly,
00:37:14.580 --> 00:37:17.130
has good quality, and
has reasonable pricing --
00:37:17.130 --> 00:37:19.350
all three of those
at once is probably
00:37:19.350 --> 00:37:20.768
going to be a challenge.
00:37:42.632 --> 00:37:44.340
Visiting factories,
we've found that it's
00:37:44.340 --> 00:37:49.330
surprisingly effective to
show up on short notice.
00:37:49.330 --> 00:37:51.850
In general, any
factory that's not
00:37:51.850 --> 00:37:54.190
willing to let you
see the factory
00:37:54.190 --> 00:37:56.590
is an immediate red flag
and, at least for us,
00:37:56.590 --> 00:37:59.070
someone that we don't
want to do business with.
00:38:07.175 --> 00:38:09.150
This is the big
line in the factory,
00:38:09.150 --> 00:38:11.150
so this is where they're
etching and bringing
00:38:11.150 --> 00:38:14.050
all these nasty acids
and other chemicals in.
00:38:17.085 --> 00:38:19.620
You've got a little
bit of acid leak here.
00:38:19.620 --> 00:38:22.910
You can see congealed acid on
the outside of the machine.
00:38:28.350 --> 00:38:31.650
I walked over to where there
were some storage tanks,
00:38:31.650 --> 00:38:36.030
and there was basically
acid all over the floor.
00:38:36.030 --> 00:38:39.660
And the moment I looked over
that, they told me immediately,
00:38:39.660 --> 00:38:40.950
"Get back away from here."
00:38:40.950 --> 00:38:43.440
And this isn't giving
me a good feeling.
00:38:46.900 --> 00:38:49.000
As far as making sure
everything's done correctly
00:38:49.000 --> 00:38:50.833
environmentally, it
doesn't seem like that's
00:38:50.833 --> 00:38:53.350
a priority for them.
00:38:53.350 --> 00:38:55.160
And thinking about
the Maozhou River,
00:38:55.160 --> 00:38:58.330
and he said that the
fact that it was so dirty
00:38:58.330 --> 00:39:00.700
was the price you had
to pay for the last 30
00:39:00.700 --> 00:39:01.811
years of development?
00:39:01.811 --> 00:39:02.310
- Yes.
00:39:05.810 --> 00:39:06.310
- So, yeah.
00:39:06.310 --> 00:39:07.810
Don't want to buy from them.
00:40:28.282 --> 00:40:31.226
- Do you feel like
Shenzhen changed a bit?
00:40:31.226 --> 00:40:33.470
- Shenzhen is
constantly changing.
00:40:36.340 --> 00:40:40.130
- A lot of industrial
parks here and there.
00:40:40.130 --> 00:40:42.552
- I spend a lot
of time traveling
00:40:42.552 --> 00:40:43.510
in and around Shenzhen.
00:40:50.482 --> 00:40:55.960
So we shall see what
they have to offer us.
00:41:04.430 --> 00:41:06.610
- This is definitely
the most professional
00:41:06.610 --> 00:41:07.970
of the factories visited.
00:41:13.290 --> 00:41:16.440
The fact that we're being taken
through this water treatment
00:41:16.440 --> 00:41:20.100
facility is a really
promising sign.
00:41:20.100 --> 00:41:23.400
You start out with
incredibly yucky water,
00:41:23.400 --> 00:41:25.170
and it goes through
a progressive series
00:41:25.170 --> 00:41:27.420
of filters and other processes.
00:41:27.420 --> 00:41:30.330
And eventually, you
end up with hopefully
00:41:30.330 --> 00:41:31.720
acceptably clean water.
00:41:34.980 --> 00:41:36.870
The coolest thing,
when the water
00:41:36.870 --> 00:41:40.260
is coming through the treatment
facility some of the water
00:41:40.260 --> 00:41:42.279
comes out and dumps
into this fountain.
00:41:42.279 --> 00:41:44.820
And they have fish in here, and
the factory owner said, well,
00:41:44.820 --> 00:41:47.100
they know the water treatment
is working OK as long
00:41:47.100 --> 00:41:49.314
as the fish are still alive.
00:41:49.314 --> 00:41:50.730
A little unfortunate
for the fish,
00:41:50.730 --> 00:41:55.090
because if something
breaks maybe the fish die.
00:41:55.090 --> 00:41:57.880
So the factory general
manager specifically
00:41:57.880 --> 00:42:01.180
said to me that lots of the
Chinese customers they have
00:42:01.180 --> 00:42:03.760
don't like the fact that they've
spent all the money to do
00:42:03.760 --> 00:42:07.900
the water treatment, because it
adds to the cost of the boards.
00:42:07.900 --> 00:42:10.240
But it's clear to me that
this would definitely
00:42:10.240 --> 00:42:13.060
be the factory to buy from
of the ones we've visited.
00:42:21.700 --> 00:42:23.710
You see here with
all these factories
00:42:23.710 --> 00:42:26.410
just the impact of all our
manufacturing and buying.
00:42:26.410 --> 00:42:29.320
Like when we were looking
at the river yesterday,
00:42:29.320 --> 00:42:31.720
all the stuff we're going
and buying at the store
00:42:31.720 --> 00:42:35.170
is messing up water and
rivers over here in Shenzhen.
00:42:35.170 --> 00:42:37.350
- Exactly.
00:42:37.350 --> 00:42:40.710
- But an American, we
never see that river.
00:42:40.710 --> 00:42:44.230
We think we've fixed all of
our environmental problems
00:42:44.230 --> 00:42:47.726
with water quality and such,
because we don't see it.
00:42:47.726 --> 00:42:49.600
So it's kind of, "out
of sight, out of mind."
00:42:56.470 --> 00:43:02.620
- This is the 2015 Skoll Awards
for Social Entrepreneurship.
00:43:02.620 --> 00:43:08.201
From the Institute of Public and
Environmental Affairs, Ma Jun.
00:43:08.201 --> 00:43:11.568
(APPLAUSE)
00:43:20.730 --> 00:43:24.720
- Ladies and gentlemen,
I'm truly honored
00:43:24.720 --> 00:43:28.680
and humbled to be the
first Chinese citizen
00:43:28.680 --> 00:43:30.405
to receive the Skoll Award.
00:43:30.405 --> 00:43:33.055
(APPLAUSE)
00:43:33.055 --> 00:43:34.013
- Thank you.
00:43:37.370 --> 00:43:41.180
I set up this Institute of
Public and Environmental
00:43:41.180 --> 00:43:44.720
Affairs, or IPE, and
our first project
00:43:44.720 --> 00:43:50.190
is to build a national
water pollution database.
00:43:50.190 --> 00:43:53.290
Though these records come
from the government sources,
00:43:53.290 --> 00:43:56.080
the public can access the
information by clicking
00:43:56.080 --> 00:43:58.560
on the locations on the map --
00:43:58.560 --> 00:44:01.090
because people want
to know who should
00:44:01.090 --> 00:44:06.610
be held responsible for such a
bad water pollution situation.
00:44:06.610 --> 00:44:14.140
And so far, we've got
more than 110,000 records
00:44:14.140 --> 00:44:15.730
of violations in our database.
00:44:19.540 --> 00:44:25.570
Environmental litigation is
still quite difficult in China.
00:44:25.570 --> 00:44:30.660
As a result, the cost of
violation is very low.
00:44:30.660 --> 00:44:34.250
It's actually lower than
the cost of compliance.
00:44:34.250 --> 00:44:36.850
So all these factories
in China, many of them
00:44:36.850 --> 00:44:40.240
would rather pay
fines year after year
00:44:40.240 --> 00:44:42.280
without really
addressing the problems.
00:44:46.760 --> 00:44:54.205
In April 2010, we filed
letters to 29 IT brands
00:44:54.205 --> 00:44:58.130
to check with them whether
those polluting factories,
00:44:58.130 --> 00:45:00.770
whether they are
their suppliers.
00:45:00.770 --> 00:45:04.147
All of them
responded, except one.
00:45:04.147 --> 00:45:04.730
That is Apple.
00:45:09.290 --> 00:45:11.950
Apple just give
us one statement,
00:45:11.950 --> 00:45:14.470
that is "We have a
long-term policy not
00:45:14.470 --> 00:45:17.550
to disclose our supply chain."
00:45:17.550 --> 00:45:19.090
That's it.
00:45:19.090 --> 00:45:21.852
- ...and we call it the iPad.
00:45:21.852 --> 00:45:23.660
(APPLAUSE)
00:45:23.660 --> 00:45:25.420
- I was quite shocked.
00:45:25.420 --> 00:45:26.710
I can't accept that.
00:45:26.710 --> 00:45:30.490
Because I think that you
could have your own culture,
00:45:30.490 --> 00:45:35.740
you can make your own policy,
but when your operation
00:45:35.740 --> 00:45:39.580
is having an impact on the
health of other people,
00:45:39.580 --> 00:45:42.737
you can't say that I've
made a policy not to talk.
00:45:52.490 --> 00:45:56.290
- Ma Jun contacted
me, and we began
00:45:56.290 --> 00:45:59.950
to work together to
apply additional pressure
00:45:59.950 --> 00:46:03.040
to a company with headquarters
here in the United States.
00:46:03.040 --> 00:46:07.180
Ma Jun singled out a number
of facilities that he believed
00:46:07.180 --> 00:46:09.550
were in Apple's
supply chain that
00:46:09.550 --> 00:46:13.660
had a very heavy environmental
impact in their locality.
00:46:13.660 --> 00:46:16.660
And when he leveled
those charges,
00:46:16.660 --> 00:46:20.770
Apple was shocked
and sort of in denial
00:46:20.770 --> 00:46:25.000
that this type of
problem, to this extent,
00:46:25.000 --> 00:46:29.360
could really exist in
their supply chain.
00:46:29.360 --> 00:46:32.680
- I think it's important to
understand that this is not
00:46:32.680 --> 00:46:34.260
just about Apple.
00:46:34.260 --> 00:46:36.400
This is about the IT industry.
00:46:38.650 --> 00:46:42.730
- They all share printed
circuit board manufacturers.
00:46:42.730 --> 00:46:46.090
They all share
chip manufacturers.
00:46:46.090 --> 00:46:49.710
You know, despite
their audit protocols,
00:46:49.710 --> 00:46:53.860
there is a lot more talk than
walk on environmental impacts
00:46:53.860 --> 00:46:56.080
in the supply chain.
00:46:56.080 --> 00:46:58.510
You say to yourself,
how could they not know
00:46:58.510 --> 00:47:00.190
about any of these problems?
00:47:00.190 --> 00:47:03.740
But it's all what you ask, and
it's all what you look for.
00:47:03.740 --> 00:47:06.610
So if you are there and you have
a checklist of what you need
00:47:06.610 --> 00:47:07.950
and you need it now --
00:47:07.950 --> 00:47:10.426
and that checklist does
not include what's going
00:47:10.426 --> 00:47:12.925
on at the end of the pipe of
your wastewater treatment plant
00:47:13.540 --> 00:47:16.960
it's actually conceivable that
you know exactly where it's
00:47:16.960 --> 00:47:20.110
being made, you just don't know
exactly how it's being made
00:47:20.110 --> 00:47:23.200
and what the impact is.
00:47:23.200 --> 00:47:26.020
That's what's going on
not just with Apple,
00:47:26.020 --> 00:47:28.342
but with all of these companies.
00:47:28.342 --> 00:47:30.550
Forty years of operating
the Environmental Protection
00:47:30.550 --> 00:47:33.940
Agency in this country, these
are American-based companies.
00:47:33.940 --> 00:47:35.020
Hard to believe.
00:47:40.800 --> 00:47:44.310
- The battle is far
from being over.
00:47:44.310 --> 00:47:49.238
This industry is still
consuming too much resources.
00:47:52.730 --> 00:47:56.030
We still have this industry,
which is discharging so much
00:47:56.030 --> 00:47:57.080
waste --
00:47:57.080 --> 00:47:59.470
not just normal waste,
hazardous waste.
00:48:02.240 --> 00:48:08.220
And just one supplier generates
more than 100,000 tons
00:48:08.220 --> 00:48:11.910
of hazard waste in one year.
00:48:11.910 --> 00:48:16.240
How could we dispose
them in a safe way?
00:48:16.240 --> 00:48:21.396
So how much of a time bomb is
this industry going to create?
00:48:21.396 --> 00:48:24.882
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:48:50.820 --> 00:48:53.285
- 106, lung cancer.
00:48:56.240 --> 00:49:03.540
108, Hodgkin's lymphoma.
00:49:03.540 --> 00:49:07.956
110, non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma twice.
00:49:11.850 --> 00:49:17.320
112, the son had
testicular cancer.
00:49:17.320 --> 00:49:20.804
The father had stomach cancer.
00:49:20.804 --> 00:49:23.756
(SORROWFUL MUSIC PLAYING)
00:49:45.920 --> 00:49:50.090
- Found out that IBM was
responsible for spilling
00:49:50.090 --> 00:49:51.426
a lot of chemicals.
00:49:51.426 --> 00:49:55.220
And they said,
"Sorry," you know.
00:49:55.220 --> 00:49:57.560
"We'll be glad to put in
a...," what did they call it?
00:49:57.560 --> 00:50:00.240
A mitigation system.
00:50:00.240 --> 00:50:03.300
The way they do it is they
seal the floor, and then
00:50:03.300 --> 00:50:07.890
they put this system
in the formal basement.
00:50:07.890 --> 00:50:11.570
The idea is you're
sucking the ground vapors,
00:50:11.570 --> 00:50:14.660
and we can only go
on what they tell us.
00:50:14.660 --> 00:50:18.650
- They tell us that these
vapors go up through that pipe
00:50:18.650 --> 00:50:22.970
and then come out and
immediately dissipate.
00:50:22.970 --> 00:50:26.270
And I said, you know, come on.
00:50:26.270 --> 00:50:28.970
You can best believe I
don't put my garden over
00:50:28.970 --> 00:50:32.469
underneath it, because
it's got to go somewhere.
00:50:58.950 --> 00:51:02.640
Our son, Cory, presented
the same way his father did.
00:51:02.640 --> 00:51:08.970
No low-grade fever, no
night sweats, weight loss --
00:51:08.970 --> 00:51:10.050
just pain.
00:51:10.050 --> 00:51:12.060
He had pain in his stomach.
00:51:12.060 --> 00:51:15.480
He started with his
first chemo treatment,
00:51:15.480 --> 00:51:19.590
and they said, "If there's
such a thing as a good cancer,
00:51:19.590 --> 00:51:20.760
this is it.
00:51:20.760 --> 00:51:23.330
We can fix this."
00:51:23.330 --> 00:51:28.580
And that poor kid went through
two or three rounds of chemo.
00:51:28.580 --> 00:51:33.560
They did a PET scan, and it
grew back to what it was.
00:51:33.560 --> 00:51:38.510
And this repeated six
times until they admitted
00:51:38.510 --> 00:51:41.320
it was chemo-resistant.
00:51:41.320 --> 00:51:44.110
And he went from 185 pounds...
00:51:44.110 --> 00:51:49.780
we were with him, the day
before he died he was 70 pounds.
00:51:49.780 --> 00:51:52.180
I mean I know our son
is not the only one,
00:51:52.180 --> 00:51:55.420
and there's no big
hullabaloo that's
00:51:55.420 --> 00:51:58.230
ever going to bring him back.
00:51:58.230 --> 00:52:06.290
But how many have to go before
we start realizing that money
00:52:06.290 --> 00:52:08.130
is very insignificant
00:52:08.130 --> 00:52:10.890
when it comes to the bottom
line in life, really.
00:52:17.560 --> 00:52:23.530
I brought this diagram to one
of the first town hall meetings.
00:52:23.530 --> 00:52:28.780
I'm a nurse, and I was
concerned because I believe
00:52:28.780 --> 00:52:33.190
there's a total of 16
houses, and there were
00:52:33.190 --> 00:52:35.864
12 cases of cancer in them.
00:52:38.580 --> 00:52:40.740
- I'm sure there's
other cancer cases.
00:52:43.350 --> 00:52:45.900
These are ones where we
knew the people personally.
00:52:48.300 --> 00:52:51.960
- You know, IBM can
do all they want,
00:52:51.960 --> 00:52:55.710
but I don't think anything
they're doing could ever
00:52:55.710 --> 00:52:59.670
change the impact
00:52:59.670 --> 00:53:01.182
of what has happened
in our lives.
00:53:24.810 --> 00:53:26.670
- In electronics at
this moment of time,
00:53:26.670 --> 00:53:29.790
I believe we're in
the dinosaur age.
00:53:29.790 --> 00:53:32.910
We're using too many resources,
too many raw materials,
00:53:32.910 --> 00:53:35.820
and the life of the computer is
typically three to four years.
00:53:44.430 --> 00:53:46.976
We're a small
company in Ireland,
00:53:46.976 --> 00:53:52.200
and our mission is to produce
a fair-trade computer.
00:53:56.600 --> 00:53:59.600
In the early days, I
repaired component levels
00:53:59.600 --> 00:54:03.490
on the computers,
on the motherboards.
00:54:03.490 --> 00:54:06.839
From that, I noticed that there
was a huge amount of waste
00:54:06.839 --> 00:54:07.880
in the computer industry.
00:54:11.180 --> 00:54:14.420
So we started
designing and building
00:54:14.420 --> 00:54:19.050
updatable, upgradeable,
reusable computers.
00:54:19.050 --> 00:54:23.200
This is my father's
environmental drill.
00:54:23.200 --> 00:54:25.348
No electricity,
and you just drill.
00:54:29.830 --> 00:54:32.200
How could you build a
computer without plastic?
00:54:32.200 --> 00:54:35.950
How could you build a computer
without lead, mercury, PBCs,
00:54:35.950 --> 00:54:40.740
brominated flame retardants,
and all the other heavy metals?
00:54:40.740 --> 00:54:41.610
That was our goal.
00:54:47.798 --> 00:54:51.070
The material we use is wood.
00:54:51.070 --> 00:54:57.880
So it's technology of 100 years
ago, but it's perfectly good.
00:54:57.880 --> 00:55:01.210
Our computers will
last 7 to 10 years
00:55:01.210 --> 00:55:04.780
because home users,
non-technical people,
00:55:04.780 --> 00:55:07.510
can repair and replace it.
00:55:07.510 --> 00:55:12.150
I'm now replacing the memory.
00:55:12.150 --> 00:55:14.730
You can extend the life
of it by upgradeability.
00:55:17.350 --> 00:55:20.620
This year coming is a
very big year for us.
00:55:20.620 --> 00:55:24.250
In March, we will be
at CeBIT in Germany.
00:55:24.250 --> 00:55:27.094
It's probably the second
largest fair in the world,
00:55:27.094 --> 00:55:27.760
electronic fair.
00:55:27.760 --> 00:55:30.190
And we will show
our computers there.
00:55:32.880 --> 00:55:35.150
- The problem is
the laptop, which
00:55:35.150 --> 00:55:36.620
is just at prototype stage.
00:55:36.620 --> 00:55:40.880
And I'm trying to get a
manufacturer that would produce
00:55:40.880 --> 00:55:42.620
it at a reasonable price.
00:55:42.620 --> 00:55:45.840
- The volume is
minimum 5,000 plus.
00:55:45.840 --> 00:55:47.090
That's the only way, you know.
00:55:47.090 --> 00:55:50.890
Once you're beyond 5,000,
you now have a factory.
00:55:50.890 --> 00:55:52.530
You're running a factory.
00:55:52.530 --> 00:55:56.190
- I think it's great that we're
having the launch at the CeBIT.
00:55:56.190 --> 00:56:00.140
Especially with the delegates
that are going to be there,
00:56:00.140 --> 00:56:03.020
it's a great opportunity
for them to see the product.
00:56:03.020 --> 00:56:05.186
I think it's all
about the message.
00:56:05.186 --> 00:56:06.560
We're doing all
the right things.
00:56:06.560 --> 00:56:07.851
We're the only people doing it.
00:56:07.851 --> 00:56:09.350
We're leading by example.
00:56:09.350 --> 00:56:11.120
We're a small little
company showing
00:56:11.120 --> 00:56:12.410
these things can be done.
00:56:31.390 --> 00:56:36.180
- Today is our major
launch in Europe.
00:56:36.180 --> 00:56:40.404
We have lots of invites
sent out to people.
00:56:40.404 --> 00:56:41.950
- Are you nervous?
00:56:41.950 --> 00:56:43.290
- Yes.
00:56:43.290 --> 00:56:43.790
Always.
00:56:46.970 --> 00:56:48.500
We have a lot riding on this.
00:56:48.500 --> 00:56:51.960
So it's quite important
that the launch is good,
00:56:51.960 --> 00:56:56.560
and we can meet people and
explain what we're doing.
00:56:56.560 --> 00:56:59.570
What I've brought for you is...
00:56:59.570 --> 00:57:01.540
to see.
00:57:01.540 --> 00:57:04.580
I've also brought the
laptop, which you didn't see.
00:57:04.580 --> 00:57:06.463
- That's right, I
don't know this.
00:57:09.830 --> 00:57:10.792
Nice piece.
00:57:14.650 --> 00:57:17.890
- We were awarded the world's
first European Ecolabel
00:57:17.890 --> 00:57:20.620
for integrated
desktop computers.
00:57:20.620 --> 00:57:23.940
It was the world's first
to ever achieve this award.
00:57:23.940 --> 00:57:27.610
And at that time I thought,
wow, the gates will open,
00:57:27.610 --> 00:57:29.540
the orders will flood in.
00:57:29.540 --> 00:57:31.720
But that was not the case.
00:57:31.720 --> 00:57:35.040
Maybe a little bit of
naivete on my part.
00:57:35.040 --> 00:57:36.220
It's hard out there.
00:57:36.220 --> 00:57:38.590
Like government agencies
and people like that,
00:57:38.590 --> 00:57:41.080
there is no room
for environmental.
00:57:41.080 --> 00:57:44.670
They are totally
just bottom line.
00:57:44.670 --> 00:57:45.680
- So we have a crowd.
00:57:45.680 --> 00:57:47.841
We have a crowd at our
stand again, you know.
00:57:50.790 --> 00:57:53.070
Have you an interest
in environmental?
00:57:53.070 --> 00:57:56.458
A laptop made from industrial
waste, it's made from pallets.
00:58:00.090 --> 00:58:03.290
We're getting lots and lots of
students and younger people,
00:58:03.290 --> 00:58:06.950
and they all had
a huge interest.
00:58:06.950 --> 00:58:10.010
Most of the people that have
come to us are stating it.
00:58:10.010 --> 00:58:11.720
"Why can we not repair them?
00:58:11.720 --> 00:58:13.710
Why can we not
replace a battery?
00:58:13.710 --> 00:58:16.021
Why can we not
replace a hard drive?
00:58:16.021 --> 00:58:17.645
Why does it only last
for three years?"
00:58:20.180 --> 00:58:24.040
I'm looking at it now, it's
one little step at a time.
00:58:24.040 --> 00:58:28.430
But what we need to do is work
harder, build more computers,
00:58:28.430 --> 00:58:31.012
and get people to join us.
00:58:42.379 --> 00:58:44.420
- What do you do with your
old electronic devices
00:58:44.420 --> 00:58:45.545
that you don't use anymore?
00:58:45.545 --> 00:58:48.190
Like, when you get a new iPhone?
00:58:48.190 --> 00:58:51.880
- At the moment, it's lying
somewhere in a closet.
00:58:51.880 --> 00:58:54.100
- I believe it's in a
drawer in my desk at home.
00:59:00.420 --> 00:59:02.830
- I'm hoping that someone's
out there recycling them,
00:59:02.830 --> 00:59:05.680
or they're being
fixed and reused.
00:59:05.680 --> 00:59:09.550
- Part of the reason why I
still kept my old phone was I
00:59:09.550 --> 00:59:13.120
really didn't know
what to do with it,
00:59:13.120 --> 00:59:15.370
and I had no idea what
happens if I get rid of it.
00:59:25.350 --> 00:59:29.310
- For the first 20 years that
I was involved in electronics,
00:59:29.310 --> 00:59:31.740
the focus was on production.
00:59:31.740 --> 00:59:35.010
But as the industry
grew and expanded,
00:59:35.010 --> 00:59:37.170
I realized along with a
number of other people
00:59:37.170 --> 00:59:41.490
that it was not only the
production-related hazards that
00:59:41.490 --> 00:59:44.430
were a problem, it was what
happened to these products
00:59:44.430 --> 00:59:47.580
as they became obsolete.
00:59:47.580 --> 00:59:49.620
This industry has
grown so rapidly
00:59:49.620 --> 00:59:53.550
that it's becoming much
more of a resource suck.
00:59:53.550 --> 00:59:56.460
It is just taking up
so many resources.
00:59:56.460 --> 00:59:58.515
We have to find ways
of reusing our devices.
01:00:05.910 --> 01:00:10.230
- Americans toss out a
lot of gadgets every day.
01:00:10.230 --> 01:00:13.830
If we look at the three million
or so tons of electronic waste
01:00:13.830 --> 01:00:17.280
that gets generated in the
United States every year,
01:00:17.280 --> 01:00:23.040
probably 15% of
that gets recycled.
01:00:23.040 --> 01:00:26.910
And some percent of
that gets recycled
01:00:26.910 --> 01:00:28.230
in a responsible fashion.
01:00:38.430 --> 01:00:39.310
- Holy cow.
01:00:39.310 --> 01:00:42.810
- Yeah, now this is the
way it all comes in.
01:00:42.810 --> 01:00:48.180
What you'll see now is this
line is doing desktop computers.
01:00:48.180 --> 01:00:50.730
Lisa is working on
one right now where
01:00:50.730 --> 01:00:53.970
she'll take the whole
desktop computer,
01:00:53.970 --> 01:00:56.040
take it down to the parts.
01:00:56.040 --> 01:00:57.950
So you see, the parts
are in the boxes.
01:00:57.950 --> 01:00:58.770
- Right.
01:00:58.770 --> 01:01:01.545
- We've got wire, plastics.
01:01:04.650 --> 01:01:06.395
So the value, you
can see, is going up.
01:01:06.395 --> 01:01:07.770
Because now these
are the boards.
01:01:07.770 --> 01:01:10.410
- OK, so this is
where the potential
01:01:10.410 --> 01:01:11.850
for a little bit of money is.
01:01:11.850 --> 01:01:12.650
Right there.
01:01:12.650 --> 01:01:14.250
- Right in here is
where the money is.
01:01:14.250 --> 01:01:15.450
- OK, is that gold?
01:01:15.450 --> 01:01:16.960
- In the gold, yes.
01:01:37.960 --> 01:01:40.000
- We have very
little relationship
01:01:40.000 --> 01:01:43.010
to our garbage here.
01:01:43.010 --> 01:01:46.460
We throw it away, and my point
as an environmental geographer
01:01:46.460 --> 01:01:48.540
is to say, where is "away?"
01:01:48.540 --> 01:01:50.764
"Away" is here, for someone.
01:01:50.764 --> 01:01:53.746
(HEAVY ROCK MUSIC PLAYING)
01:05:43.890 --> 01:05:46.460
- We think, "OK, we'll
send our e-waste to China.
01:05:46.460 --> 01:05:47.210
Let them burn it.
01:05:47.210 --> 01:05:49.040
Let them have the pollution."
01:05:49.040 --> 01:05:52.370
But we have to remember
that air pollution travels
01:05:52.370 --> 01:05:54.410
around the globe.
01:05:54.410 --> 01:05:56.960
That pollution is getting
lofted into the atmosphere
01:05:56.960 --> 01:05:58.580
and coming right back to us.
01:06:01.390 --> 01:06:03.310
Metal is a metal is
a metal, you know.
01:06:03.310 --> 01:06:06.250
And there's no other form
for it to convert to.
01:06:06.250 --> 01:06:09.720
You can convert it from
being in the soil to being
01:06:09.720 --> 01:06:12.820
water to being in the air,
but you still have a metal.
01:06:18.110 --> 01:06:20.660
In our work, we
fly through clouds
01:06:20.660 --> 01:06:24.110
and we sample the
cloud droplets.
01:06:24.110 --> 01:06:26.330
And we measure the
chemistry of each one
01:06:26.330 --> 01:06:29.860
very fast as you're
flying through a cloud.
01:06:29.860 --> 01:06:33.170
They're flashing as fast as
you can imagine on a screen,
01:06:33.170 --> 01:06:35.120
and we collect all
that information.
01:06:35.120 --> 01:06:38.930
And what we get is what's
a chemical fingerprint.
01:06:38.930 --> 01:06:40.430
In California, where
they're getting
01:06:40.430 --> 01:06:42.530
rid of lead in gasoline,
01:06:42.530 --> 01:06:45.590
we've reduced the
amount of lead we have.
01:06:45.590 --> 01:06:49.190
And so when lead shows up,
that is one of the tracers
01:06:49.190 --> 01:06:52.190
that we say, "Hmm, this
could be from elsewhere."
01:06:52.190 --> 01:06:55.580
And we can trace it
back in time and say,
01:06:55.580 --> 01:06:58.520
four days ago this
air was over Asia.
01:07:05.640 --> 01:07:07.039
So, let's look at this first.
01:07:07.039 --> 01:07:07.705
This is amazing.
01:07:07.705 --> 01:07:09.910
How long has she
been doing this?
01:07:09.910 --> 01:07:12.360
The hit rate's really high.
01:07:12.360 --> 01:07:15.030
We look at what are called
"aerosol particles" --
01:07:15.030 --> 01:07:17.580
little microscopic
bits of dust and soot
01:07:17.580 --> 01:07:19.920
that float around
in our atmosphere.
01:07:19.920 --> 01:07:22.140
And then we've been
using them to understand
01:07:22.140 --> 01:07:24.270
how they affect our climate,
01:07:24.270 --> 01:07:26.440
and how they affect the
clouds, and the weather.
01:07:34.160 --> 01:07:37.510
When you have more pollution
and you have more aerosols,
01:07:37.510 --> 01:07:39.280
those go into the cloud.
01:07:39.280 --> 01:07:43.450
And you have so many that they
can't get big enough to fall
01:07:43.450 --> 01:07:46.300
and lead to rain.
01:07:46.300 --> 01:07:48.160
And it's giving
you these extremes
01:07:48.160 --> 01:07:51.850
of either not enough water
in some places, and way too
01:07:51.850 --> 01:07:53.470
much water in other places.
01:07:57.960 --> 01:08:00.540
What happens if we
push it too far?
01:08:00.540 --> 01:08:04.710
We'll start to see more of
these extreme events, things
01:08:04.710 --> 01:08:06.600
like flooding and hurricanes.
01:08:09.750 --> 01:08:12.720
These are what people often
refer to as tipping points,
01:08:12.720 --> 01:08:16.194
and that's what we're very
concerned about happening.
01:08:26.050 --> 01:08:29.229
I think people take for granted
that the world will always
01:08:29.229 --> 01:08:29.979
be here for us.
01:08:29.979 --> 01:08:30.779
It was somehow...
01:08:30.779 --> 01:08:36.149
it's ours, and so we
can just use it up.
01:08:36.149 --> 01:08:39.210
I'd like to leave something
for my kids and their kids
01:08:39.210 --> 01:08:40.710
to be able to enjoy.
01:08:40.710 --> 01:08:42.440
And I just see it slipping away.
01:08:45.380 --> 01:08:48.660
You know, we're responsible
for taking care of this planet
01:08:48.660 --> 01:08:51.290
and we need to realize
that each individual is
01:08:51.290 --> 01:08:53.750
responsible in every
choice we make, every day.
01:08:57.490 --> 01:09:02.500
- My attachment to my devices
is more complicated now.
01:09:02.500 --> 01:09:04.870
It's hard to get excited
about the next new model
01:09:04.870 --> 01:09:08.130
or upgrade, knowing what
they really cost to make.
01:09:13.689 --> 01:09:16.300
The industry, in
its constant search
01:09:16.300 --> 01:09:19.210
for cheaper workers
and land, is moving
01:09:19.210 --> 01:09:22.370
on to new countries with
few government safeguards
01:09:22.370 --> 01:09:23.813
or inspections.
01:09:29.590 --> 01:09:32.710
We all have a share
in this problem,
01:09:32.710 --> 01:09:36.100
but we can use our voices
and our buying power
01:09:36.100 --> 01:09:38.479
to demand real labor safety
01:09:38.479 --> 01:09:40.347
and greater environmental
protections.
01:09:43.330 --> 01:09:45.520
The digital revolution
has improved our lives
01:09:45.520 --> 01:09:48.710
in so many ways.
01:09:48.710 --> 01:09:50.540
We need to make sure
it doesn't rob us
01:09:50.540 --> 01:09:52.608
of our health and our planet.
01:10:02.032 --> 01:10:04.512
(MUSIC PLAYING)
01:10:31.780 --> 01:10:33.450
- Do you feel like
you, as a consumer,
01:10:33.450 --> 01:10:36.180
have anything you
can do about this?
01:10:36.180 --> 01:10:41.730
- I think consuming
not too often helps.
01:10:41.730 --> 01:10:43.500
- I would upgrade less often.
01:10:43.500 --> 01:10:44.910
I would absolutely do that.
01:10:44.910 --> 01:10:47.880
- I can put together a
petition to these companies,
01:10:47.880 --> 01:10:49.890
and ask them to be
more responsible
01:10:49.890 --> 01:10:51.446
in their work practices.
01:10:53.350 --> 01:10:56.470
- Would you be interested
in buying a green phone?
01:10:56.470 --> 01:10:58.270
- Oh, a green device
would be great.
01:10:58.270 --> 01:11:01.240
- I would pay actually
more for a green device.
01:11:05.470 --> 01:11:05.970
- I'd pay.
01:11:05.970 --> 01:11:07.680
I'd pay for a green phone.
01:11:07.680 --> 01:11:08.850
- I would pay more for it.
01:11:08.850 --> 01:11:10.860
We already pay more
for stuff that we
01:11:10.860 --> 01:11:12.800
consider organic or ethical.
01:11:12.800 --> 01:11:14.830
We already do.
Distributor: Bullfrog Films
Length: 73 minutes
Date: 2017
Genre: Expository
Language: English
Grade: 7 - 9, College, Adults
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
Interactive Transcript: Available
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