As part of the course requirements of FOR
496/797 Women in Scientific and Environmental Professions, students share the
responsibility of reporting on our speakers for distribution to co-sponsors and
the Knothole. The
following press release was prepared by by Nicole Kadey and Susan Tumwebaze.
Diana Bendz returned to her alma mater (ESF Chemistry ’68)
to discuss the growing concern and importance of “Environmentally Friendly
Computers: New Concepts of Design, (Re) Use and Recycle.” Ms. Bendz is a Senior Location Executive for
the IBM Corporation in Endicott,
New York.
Ms. Bendz’s discussion focused on the digital revolution and
its environmental considerations, industry response, and challenges ahead. The digital revolution included many applications
of communication, knowledge access and E-business and E-commerce, distance
learning, intelligent buildings, intelligent transportation and entertainment
of demand.
Environmental considerations concern the disposal of an
overabundance of process waste, the use of excessive energy in recycling, and
the tremendous use of PC products and materials by consumers. Consumers are scrapping computers more than
recycling them. The U.S.
has not implemented any federal regulations on CRT landfill restrictions as the
individual U.S.
states still control regulation. The
industry’s response has been primarily concerned with computer design issues,
and secondarily with recycling issues. There is an increased awareness in the
designing computers for the environment (DfE) and a change in how they are
recycled.
There are many challenges ahead for the industry. There must be a continuance in DfE
initiatives that include upgrade-ability, maintenance and repair, material
selection, use of recycled material, and design for disassembly and
recycling. Costs must be lowered by
creating logistical networks that reduce transportation and processing costs --
an increasing percentage and value of recovered parts -- and by improving the
collaboration and harmonization of take back programs initiated by the federal
government. There must be an increased
investment in technology with more demand for recycled materials, an improved
computer materials separation process, the ability to identify parts for
interchangeability and reuse, an industry standard classification for used or
certified parts, and an increased ability to reuse packaging material. There needs to be an improvement in the
economy of recycling computers and their parts, and a more effective
public/private partnerships which may be coordinated by federal programs,
federal R&D initiatives, and responsible policy initiatives.
Ms. Bendz has been with IBM for 34 years, beginning as a
process engineer during the early days of semi-conductor production. Through
the years, she filled diverse roles throughout the company until named an
executive in 1991. In this position, she developed IBM's much-duplicated
program for the design, manufacture, and disposition of environmentally
conscious products.
This presentation was jointly sponsored by the ESF Faculty
of Chemistry, the Graduate Student Association and the ESF Women’s Caucus. Only one speaker remains in the 2004 Women in
Scientific and Environmental Professions Speaker Series. GM’s Christine Sloane will address “Sustainable
Transportation: Hydrogen and Fuel-Cell
Cars” on April 6. For more information
about the series, visit:
http://www.esf.edu/womenscaucus.
