text for brochure

Have you ever wondered where old computers and other toxic waste end up?

E-waste is thought to be the fastest growing part of municipal waste in the developed world.
The world's richest nations are dumping hazardous electronic waste on poor African countries says the head of the UN's Environment Programme.
UNEP estimates that up to 50 million tones of waste from discarded electronic goods is generated annually. 90% of the computers are just junk. They just don't work. This is dumping!

Warehouse complex in Port Apapa in Lagos is handling up to 40 container loads each month. Have also several dumps, spread around the city. Lagos has no computer recycling facilities itself, and so the waste computers build up in huge piles.

In Ghana the piles of old computers are increasing every week even though the trade is illegal. In large areas of this dump the ground is no longer brown earth, it is a carpet of broken plastic. Thick black smoke blows across the site seven days a week. In order to retrieve the valuable copper from the cables, the plastic coating is burnt off and old car tyres are thrown on to the flames to keep the fires burning.

But what is not so visible poses a greater danger.
Illegal toxic waste dumping in Ivory Coast has led to at least ten deaths and renewed calls from environmentalists for tighter controls over international waste shipments. Tons of poisonous chemical sludge were dumped at various sites around the port city of Abidjan.



Burning, a common disposal method, releases toxic fumes and leaches chemicals such as barium and mercury into the soil. Soil and water samples from the scrap market have found high concentrations of leads, plastic softeners and dioxins that are known to promote cancer. Improper disposal of e-waste can also release hazardous chemicals and heavy metals into the environment.

1: Lead (in cathode ray tube and solder ) damages nervous system, blood system, kidneys
2: Arsenic( in older cathode ray tubes) poison
3: Berylium responsible for lung cancer
4: Mercury (in switches and housing) brain damage
5: Cadmium (in circuit boards and semiconductors) affects kidneys and bones
6: Chromium (in steel as corrosion protection) damage DNA
7: Cobalt (in steel for structure and magnetivity) radioactive



As waste management has become globalised, countries with civilian unrest, no environmental law enforcement, or weak legislative frameworks have become prime targets for illegitimate hazardous-waste dealers, the groups contend.
"We need to shine a brighter light on hazardous wastes - where they come from and where they end up,"
Waste dumps pose a pollution threat to the environment and to people. Take action to prevent toxic, electronic or "e" waste being dumped on poor countries.
Join action therapy room –project Africa, where one of your senses let you experience situation that people have to live 24/7/365 without an option to EXIT!

Hi everyone... so we all have the videos ready?I will also bring the vinegar and the powder to try the experiment together...and I think we should all bring anything we can use in case we want to do some shoting in Deniz house...so are we meeting at 11? I am not sure if I will be able to arrive on time because I have someting important to do in the morning, but I will try and I will let you all know.

so see you tomorrow!!

davi

Update

Hi girls,
Just a quick note to update you on what has been organised;

Adrian has let us use the 'small room' in design studio. From now we are allowed to store things and from week 8-9 we can work there.

Have already got 1 barrel stored there. We need to adjust and decorate it.

See you all monday with sketch books,

Dagmara

Hi All,

I just want to say sorry from us all to Deniz for letting her down and not confirming her meeting! Maybe in the future we could send a text message to arrange any meeting?

See you at the meeting @ 1, will bring new plan for revised project-will explain ALL when I get there, although still working on the music.

Hi everyone,

As Dagmara said in her email our first idea seams a bit out of our hands and new idea sounds as exiting as the first one, even better I would say... Anyway I will bring make up and all the equipment we may need for this evening. I dont think I will be able to make it at 12.oo...I will let you all know before. See you

Davi.

By the way, thanks to you too!!

Monday meeting

Hi everyone, I sent this email to all of you but did not get any reply, so I'm sending it here as well, hoping you might check in.

Dear friends,

I have prepared a short presentation of my research and ideas to share with you. It involves video & music recordings, which will be on high volume to give the proper effect, so the design base room will not be suitable for the presentation. Would you like to have our weekly meeting on Monday at 1 pm at my appartment? When you meet down the entrance of the building, just buzz number 61 and I will let you in (Flat 61, Floor 5, Skyline Plaza Building –right across the street to our university building).

Dagmara, I received your email, do not worry about the problems we will have about the shooting & studio & equipments. I have some ideas to make it all a bit more doable and practical and I’m sure we’ll all sort it out in the best possible way. I would like you and Davinia to know that I’m really appreciative for your efforts on the group project.

I am also suggesting that we meet at 12 pm this time instead of 1 pm, so that we will have enough time to share ideas, maybe try out some equipments, etc more comfortably.

I am looking forward to your replies.

I hope you’re all fine and will have a good weekend.

Deniz

Studio Info

Hi guys, hope everything is going well with the project?

After a conversation with Davinia I have to inform you about the real cost of recording in professional studio. Estimate from my studio is around 150 pounds excluding the lighting system so I believe it will be around £220. I managed to organise lighting technician for free, but in my opinion it is still a lot of money. Davinia cost was half the price but because it is a photography studio they have different types of lights, which we be to close to us when we record the show and we can damage them.
We believe we can record outside during the day, and incorporate our daylight videos with interesting YouTube videos about toxic waste.
So from now on please don't worry too much about the storyboard which we discussed and copied last time. Just concentrate on finding interesting videos, which in your opinion are important to what we are trying to say.
Please need to concentrate on illegal toxic waste dumps in Africa, basically on everything what the Western countries do to foreigners.
Our video will be a part of an installation /experience, we still need our costumes, paint, etc. I have already purchased some for myself to show you what we can use. We managed also found a solution for our “surprise” on the end, with less complicated approach and probably more suitable for what we try to achieve. I will let you know everything on Monday, details and where we'll be the best place to locate our experience. Davinia well try to organise extra equipment, again let you know everything on Monday.
Other thing; yesterday I received the message from Gill, she has dropped this subject so she is not any more part of our group. This is very sad news but we had to carry on so from now is only seven of us.
My only hope is Deniz; you are a master of postproduction and movie related programs. Any questions send me an e-mail, call or text me.

Dagmara

Hello!

Hi everyone, I hope you didnt have trouble to join the blog. Me and Dagmara used it before and its a very clear and easy way to share information so hopefully will be helpfull for the group.

Davinia