Edition:
December 5, 2008
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Teen Reporter
What happens to your old, outdated cell phones? More likely than not, they get thrown away or stuffed in a drawer somewhere, never to see the light of day again. It is estimated that an average of 100 million cell phones face this fate each and every year. Cell phone recycling is a well known, but rarely used, way of giving back to the environment, but did you know that it can also help the well being of the gorillas in Africa?
In every cell phone, there is a mineral called “coltan” that is mined in Africa. And, you guessed it, that’s where the gorilla’s main habitat is. Due to the demand of new cell phones, coltan is being mined more and more each day, destroying the gorillas’ habitat.
The “wildlife preserves” in Africa are suffering severely. Kahuzi-Biega National Park and Ok Reserve have over 5,000 illegal miners going in and mining this rare mineral. And, of course, doing all that hard labor is bound to make one hungry. That’s right. They are hunting the gorillas and elephants for food on “protected” land.
But, there is a way to stop this travesty and help save the poor, defenseless gorillas. Simply by recycling your old cell phones so the mineral can be re-used can help save the lives of innocent creatures, as well as protecting the natural beauty of Africa.
The San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park are collecting cell phones to recycle. But wait, that’s so far away. Recycling cell phones is now as easy as a trip across the street. At the Surfer Bean Coffee Company in the Towne Center, you will find a box for recycling cell phones, along with information about cell phone recycling. Just drop them off there and help save our Mother Earth. From there they will travel to Elsinore High School to Mrs. Marion Nank’s advanced biology class, where they have already collected over 600 cell phones. They then take the cell phones to the San Diego Zoo, where the mineral coltan is taken from the phone and recycled.
Saving the environment used to seem so hard, so distant. Now, it’s as close as a drive across the street. Any cell phone will help, even if it is only one. San Diego Zoo thanks you; Mrs. Nank thanks you; I thank you and the world thanks you.
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