Israelis are notorious for their love of gadgets. Well, at least Israeli men are. And Israeli kids. It’s a pretty true stereotype that Israeli elementary schoolers had their own cell phones way before cellphones were widespread in the US. Hand an Israeli kid pretty much any electronic gadget and they’ll figure it out in less than an hour.
This gadget obsession and the continuous development of new electronic equipment (which renders equipment made just the year before quasi-obsolete) definitely takes its toll on the environment, though. Tons of outdated electronic equipment are dumped in landfills every year – leaving the metal parts of electronics to disintegrate and eventually pollute our water and the plastic parts to outlive our children, their children, their children’s children… you get the idea.
The Israeli love of gadgets must have profoundly effected entrepreuner Israel Ganot who, together with his business partner, Rousseau Aurelian, founded Gazelle – an online service that helps you sell and recycle your unwanted electronic junk.
In Ganot’s own words, “the crux of the company is re-commerce – extending the life of electronics… The bigger story is making sure items get a second life. People buy the latest and the greatest – phones today are fashion items. After you’ve bought a new one you don’t know what to do with the older ones.”
Gazelle’s website claims that, to date, Gazelle’s users have kept almost five tons of potential electronic waste out of landfills. And the range of electronic equipment that they help recycle is wide – from cell phones to portable hard drives to MP3 players and digital cameras… you name it. They’ll re-sell it for you. Although the company is based in the United States, Gazelle’s services are also open to the world – meaning, they’re tackling e-waste everywhere.
For those of you looking for other ways to reuse and recycle your electronic waste, there are lots of local Israeli options:: Re-Routing Deadly Electronic Waste, Reuse It or Lose It: Logging Onto Online Re(use)sources, and 15 Ways to Mod and Upcycle Your Redundant PC
Author: Karen Chernick
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
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