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Online Charity Resources
Over the holidays, it’s good to consider the less fortunate. Now it’s easier than ever to make donations or find a volunteer opportunity from your computer.
NPR has a story called:
How To Use Technology To Donate To Charities
It covers how charities are using technology, from the Salvation Army accepting donations by text messages to giving charity gift cards that allow the recipient to choose their favorite charity.
Although there’s the impression that it can be less personal to give online, Gallaga says he found the opposite to be true when he gave money to DonorsChoose.org, a company that connects students and teachers to people who would like to donate. Gallaga says he got an e-mail from a teacher thanking him and telling him that the money was being used to buy AV equipment at a low-income school in Wisconsin.
“It made me feel more connected to that charity, and it made me feel like I had helped some people,” he says.
The Washington Post covers D.C. area charity issues in their article:
A Season For Giving
Washington area nonprofits, which provide a safety net for those suffering the most, are reeling from the recession. A recent survey found that four in 10 area nonprofits expect to close down programs or reduce staff in 2009. Four in five philanthropic entities reported a drop in assets from 2007 to 2008. (Regional nonprofits may also have lost as much as $1 billion to Bernard L. Madoff’s alleged fraud.) Meanwhile, 44 percent of area nonprofits anticipate an increase in demand for their services in the coming year. In other words, demand for charitable services is greater than ever, while resources are increasingly hard to come by.
Individuals who are interested in giving, but who are not sure where to start, should look through “The Catalogue for Philanthropy: A Guide to Giving, Greater Washington.” The catalogue highlights some of the smaller but more effective nonprofits in the region. Donors who want to help charities that provide essential services, including food and shelter, should consider giving to the Community Foundation’s Neighbors in Need Fund, established in response to the economic crisis. Those who want to volunteer can find ample opportunities through Greater D.C. Cares organization.
“Dial a Human” to Reach a Person
Are you tired of automated call distribution (ACD) systems that force you to listen to long option trees? They start by saying “please listen to all the options because they have recently changed.” In the past, you could just press “0” repeatedly to reach an operator. Now many companies have stopped that and even created complicated trees so that fewer callers reach a person, thereby saving the company money.
This web site compiles company phone numbers and directions to reach a person:
Acer Aspire One #1 Netbook
Our current favorite small netbook, the Acer Aspire One, is now the #1 selling netbook according to 3Q sales numbers as reported by DisplaySearch.
We expect competition to become only more fierce with companies continuing to flood the market with new models. Over the past week we just saw major price reductions from Lenovo whose IdeaPad S10 is now going for $349. HP similarly cut prices.
At some point, there could also be a response to the netbook market from Apple, either in a smaller screen laptop, a lower cost MacBook Air, or a tablet (a large iPod Touch?). While Apple has historically stayed away from cheaper products, this is the fastest growing part of the computer market.
Despite Acer’s loads of new netbook models released over 2008 (such as the recent Eee PC 1002HA), Asus gained market share with its simpler lineup with the Aspire One. See the full results below.
Computer Recycling in the D.C. Area
While we are shopping for the holidays, we should remember to recycle our old electronics. This article covers recycling information and locations for the Virginia, D.C., and Maryland area.
Dangers of Computer Waste
Old computers and monitors have harmful materials that can seep into the ground water and air if thrown in your normal trash. The cadmium and mercury in displays can damage the nervous system. Computers also may contain lead (causing birth defects and learning disabilities) and CFCs (destroying the ozone layer).
Donations
If you have a working computer, you can get rid of it through:
- Craigslist (Washington D.C. metro area) has sections for selling or giving away free stuff.
- Freecycle is a free program to give people items for reuse. They have groups everywhere, including, Washington D.C., Virginia, and Maryland.
- D.C. Goodwill accepts computers that are not more than 5 years old. They will not take CRT monitors, the older large monitors that have been replaced by LCDs.
Recycling Computers and eWaste
The easiest way to recycle an old computer is to do it with the purchase of a new computer. Apple, Dell, HP, Sony, Toshiba and others have a corporate recycling program that allows you to give them your old computer after buying your new computer.
This image shows the Free Recycling Kit option that Dell provides in their services customization when you buy a new computer.
Drop-off Locations for Computers and other eWaste
The EPA eCycling site is the closest thing to a definitive set of inks to eCycling programs across the country. Below are the best links I found to the D.C. area programs:
Washington D.C.
DC Free Electronic Disposal Sites:
DPW (Department of Public Works) offers free, weekly Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) and electronic recycling (e-cycling) drop-off service at the Benning Road Trash Transfer Station, 3200 Benning Road, NE, and at the Ft. Totten Trash Transfer Station, 4900 Bates Road, NE, each Saturday from 8 am to 3 pm.
Virginia
Arlington, VA HAZMAT Program:
Arlington residential households can recycle computers and other electronic items at the County’s HHM drop off sites.Virginia Department of Environment Computers and Electronics Recycling, List of Virginia Collections Centers
Maryland
Maryland Department of Environment Electronic Recycling Collection Events and Locations:
Montgomery Country Shady Grove Transfer Station and Recycling Center
Ink Cartridges
Ink cartridges can be dropped off at Micro Center in Fairfax, Virginia. Office supply stores such as Staples, Office Max, and Office Depot take used toner cartridges and sometimes even give you credit toward a store purchase for dropping them off.
Cell Phones
Cell phones can be dropped off at cell phone stores. Working phones can also be donated to women’s shelters. Unactivated phones still have the ability to call 911 so they can be useful.
Recycling Can Be Easy
With many recycling options, you can easily dispose of your electronics safely.
Please let us know if you have any corrections or additions to this post.