For The Love Of A Cell Phone - Blog Off

For the last three weeks I have been trying to buy a new cell phone.

I love my cell phone, but it is over three years old and the battery is going.

Ideally I would like to get the same model. Unfortunately, that is not going to be possible. So, an upgrade it is and I decided to do some additional research.

By Thursday of last week I had it down to two models and with due diligence I called up the phone company to get their opinion. The company was focused on one particular model and during the course of the conversation I asked the salesman to tell me why he thought this phone would work best.

He did with great enthusiasm. He told me all about Facebook. Highlighting that I was going to be able to access my Facebook account for free; concluding his speech with this is going to be the best thing for you. Hmm.

I had to tell him the truth, “I am not on Facebook.”

There was a VERY long pause.

I think he had a stroke.

“Hello, hello are you there? Hello.”

Then, with an element of disbelief in his now very soft somewhat stunned voice he said to me, “Don’t you want to be in touch with people you went to High School with?”

Time travel. I had an instant flashback back of being slammed into a locker on the way to science class. Of course I realize with time and age that I had a lot of fans back then and the only way a young awkward boy could show affection was to tackle you from behind when least expected. Back to reality.

“Are you kidding me, the last time I did any social networking with my class from High School was our 5th year reunion a couple of us organized. I almost was thrown in jail because some of my High School friends chopped down trees to build a fire that could have taken out the whole entire provincial park! I can’t imagine what would happen if I signed up for Facebook. Sigh. How about if I call you back tomorrow I have to think about this some more.”

I thank the gentlemen for his help and I hung up asking, “Huh, whatever happened to talking on the phone?”

I have a secret. I happen to love paper. I know that is anti-environmentally friendly but I do. I love the feel, texture, and smell of paper. I love how colours and different mediums work with paper. I love holding a pen in my hand and doodling. I can use paper whether it is made from trees or flax and throw it into the recycling bin. I know that paper may be taken out to a worm farm and I know the worms eat the paper. Then they poop it out and viola there is soil. That soil is bought and a tree may be planted. Renewable resource.

What I am not so confident about is what happens when we are done with our cell phones? What about the batteries?

Thanks to my cell phone research I find myself worrying about these issues. According to  environment.about.com I should be as Cell Phones are Among the Fastest Growing Types of Trash. The average North American gets a new cell phone every 18 to 24 months, making old phones—many that contain hazardous materials like lead, mercury, cadmium, brominates flame retardants and arsenic—the fastest growing type of manufactured garbage in the nation. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Americans discard 125 million phones each year, creating 65,000 tons of waste.

Oh boy.

I am one of those 125 million phones. Fortunately there is a non-profit organization called call2recycle which offers consumers and retailers in the United States and Canada a simple ways to recycle old phones. But, does that really solve the problem?

No. Right now technology is moving too fast.

It was not so long ago consumers demanded that the forestry industry replace the trees they were chopping down and rightfully so. But how as consumers are we going to turn our thirst for techie toys into a renewable resource?

In my mind if we have the smarts enough to create the product surely we have intelligence and the creative insight to come up with safer products that can be turned into renewable resources easily. And, shouldn’t we as consumers be challenging and demanding it?

I dunno for the love of a cell phone I just happen to love trees and water more. Come to think of it, they are pretty important features in our ability to live never mind being able to social network with one another.

Let me know what you thInQ and hey have you heard Telephone by two of the most powerful women in the world? If not ringin below to the Lady Gaga Ft. Beyounce Telephone Lyrics! On Screen as posted on YouTube and be sure to scoot on over to Bust A Blog and see what Busty dreamed up with the photo I sent her.

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