John S. Shegerian, Chairman and CEO of Electronic Recyclers, Inc. (ERI), discussed the global boom of “e-waste” and the importance of recycling unwanted electronics at New York University (NYU) last night before the assembled members and guests of NYU’s Earth Matters – the University’s leading environmental outreach club.
Addressing the room of environmentally concerned University students, Shegerian spoke of the mounting global environmental problems caused by the glut of our nation’s e-waste and explained the long-range international potential of electronic recycling as a method of helping to alleviate the problem.
Himself an NYU graduate, Shegerian, who is now based in Fresno, California, where ERI is headquartered, was asked by the club’s officers to be a guest speaker.
Earth Matters is the premier outreach club at NYU dedicated to issues of the environment and sustainability. The group, made up of a combination of undergraduate and graduate students, blends events on campus or workshops in the community with activist campaigns in coordination with national organizations.
“It’s a special honor to have been asked to join Earth Matters at NYU, my alma mater, and discuss the urgency of electronic waste to these passionate students and knowledgeable students,” said Shegerian. “With all the new technology that keeps making our existing devices obsolete, we are in the midst of an ongoing tsunami of electronic waste. With February 17th, 2009, the federally mandated date for full conversion to HDTV looming, we can only expect the accumulation of unwanted old electronics to go through the roof. Properly disposing of electronic waste and the hazards it presents represents a great challenge for all of us. While there is much to be done today, our eyes must also look toward future generations for a commitment to keeping our planet healthy. When I meet and address young adults such as these members of Earth Matters, and hear of their own efforts to spread the word about sustainability and preservation concerns, I see tremendous promise.”
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