A few days ago I volunteered at a Portland area non-profit
called Free Geek (www.freegeek.org) and I will definitely be doing
back. Free Geek is an organization that recycles and refurbishes
used computers as well as providing valuable technology training to
folks who might not otherwise get to learn about this stuff.
While I was aware of Free Geek because I have donated computers
and components to them over the years, I had no idea how broad
their operation is and what a value it provides to the
community.
My initial interest in volunteering was brought about because I
had the opportunity to tour the facility several weeks ago. On the
tour, I got to see first-hand how organized and thorough the
process is for receiving hardware donations, evaluating them, and
ultimately either responsibly recycling the materials or, even
better, putting them back to use in working computers.
The tour was all I needed to begin volunteering my time with Free
Geek so I can help reduce the amount of hazardous e-waste and
provide educational opportunities for people in the community.
Free Geek is a terrific organization and I'll certainly be
volunteering more.