CLEVELAND - OneCommunity, a Cleveland-based nonprofit dedicated to fostering economic development and civic progress in Northeast Ohio, and RET3 Job Corp, a Cleveland-based nonprofit dedicated to responsible e-Waste recycling, launched their Green Computing initiative late last week. This innovative computer equipment and e-Waste reuse and recycling program benefits Northeast Ohio schools by refurbishing and repurposing desperately needed computers and distributing them to classrooms around the region.
“Our school districts are faced with an unacceptably low student-to-computer ratio of 14 to 1,” explained OneCommunity COO Charles Berry. “Over the next five years, our goal is to collect 50,000 computers from the business community and repurpose them to ensure that every child in Northeast Ohio has the opportunity for a 21st century education and learning environment.”
In addition to providing computers for schools, Green Computing offers local businesses and organizations an environmentally responsible option for disposing of unwanted technology assets. The program offers companies in Northeast Ohio a full-service e-Waste recycling and disposal program featuring a “No Landfill, No Overseas Shipments Guarantee.”
“E-Waste has become a serious problem here in the U.S. and overseas,” explained Ken Kovatch, president of RET3 Job Corp. “As a preferred provider of e-Waste processing, de-manufacturing and recycling for the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District, we offer companies ‘peace-of-mind’ that their data, chain-of-custody, and asset transfer or destruction are all handled in a responsible, documented and environmentally sound manner.”
All computers processed through the program are refurbished for use in school settings, including the hard drives, which are cleaned to Department of Defense specifications. Unusable devices are de-manufactured into raw materials and sold as commodities into the recycling stream where they are remanufactured into new products. Proceeds from commodity sales support the ongoing operations of RET3 Job Corp and the Green Computing initiative.
National City Bank, now a part of PNC had contributed 400 computers to Cleveland schools during OneCommunity’s pilot program in 2007 and announced it will donate at least another 400 this year. Additionally, Cuyahoga County Public Library has pledged 500 computers. OneCommunity arranges for the computers to be placed on a network and used to deliver academic assessments, software, and tools to students.
Paul Clark, regional president for National City/PNC, and Finance Chair of OneCommunity, announced the commitments during a kick-off breakfast at the Union Club. National City/PNC hosted the event, which featured a keynote from Dr. Eugene Sanders, Chief Executive Officer of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, and a thank-you presentation to National City/PNC from the first-grade class at Douglas MacArthur Girls Leadership Academy.
“We are proud to be a part of the launch of the Green Computing initiative,” said Clark. “We are dedicated to providing students with the tools they need to be successful in today’s economy.”
The program has been launched through a generous grant by The George Gund Foundation. To learn more about Green Computing, please visit www.onecommunity.org/greencomputing.
About OneCommunity
OneCommunity is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering economic and civic progress through the innovative and collaborative application of information technologies. OneCommunity connects more than 1,000 public and nonprofit institutions via its fiber-optic broadband network - one of the largest and fastest in the world - and leverages public and private partnerships to support 21st-century programs in health care, education, government and economic development. To learn more, please visit www.onecommunity.org.
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