About Computers for Charity

Computer for Charity was founded in 2008 by Jeffrey Kill who continues to serve as the chairman of the board and the Chief Technology Officer of the organization. Jeff's education and background in computers, employment in the recycling industry and his life experiences led him to start the charity.

Jeff's daughter, Kelbey suffered from a ruptured brain aneurysm when she was 9 years old. This left her mentally and physically handicapped. Before this she was working at 3 grade levels above other children her age and was very adept with the computer. As his daughter struggled through the recovery process, he worked to get her back on the computer, hoping to utilize technology to enhance his daughters recovery. After having to relearn most of what she knew, she eventually became proficient and independent on the computer again. To this day it provides her with a sense of independence, entertainment, and provides a positive source of cognitive stimulation.

These experiences inspired Jeff to find ways to utilize his IT knowledge to help other children and individuals in the community who do not have access to computers to obtain them. He began taking donations of computers and repairing them for members of his local church congregation. Eventually the client base expanded to others in the community and as the word spread others joined the cause. At present time, Computers for Charity serves all of Northwest Ohio as well as some special projects that assist international mission organizations.

Computers for Charity became an official 501 (c3) in 2009 under the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church. Its mission is both environmental and humanitarian as simply stated in its mission statement: “Our mission is to reduce the electronic waste in our landfills by taking donations of computers and related accessories and refurbishing them. These repaired computers can then be distributed to individuals and other non-profits, providing access to computer technology and bridging the 'digital divide'.”

Computers for Charity is comprised of a group of volunteers of various backgrounds who meet weekly to work on computers that are donated from businesses and individuals. We can then place these computers with families and others in need in the community, through other charities that we provide computer vouchers to. We also use our technical skills to provide free consulting services to churches, charities and nonprofits and provide computer solutions that meet their needs when applicable. In the process of this Computers for Charity is able to serve as a place where people from the non-profits (as well as students and other members of the community) can come and learn how to build, troubleshoot and repair PCs as well as gain other computer knowledge.

Diagnosing Windows Problems

Diagnosing Windows Problems

Why Donate to Computers for Charity?

There are a host of reasons to donate to Computers for Charity;

• Of course, if you donate to charity you will gain certain tax benefits. All of us are looking for ways to pay less money in taxes.

• If you donate to Computers for Charity you will be able to help others, and keep more of your own money.

• By donating to Computers for Charity, you do not have to worry about selling the computer equipment, whether an individual system or a warehouse full! No expenses for repairs, liability issues, advertising expenses or other costs associated with the liquidation of your assets.

• Your generous donations will assist our charitable programs and other charity organizations we have partnered with, a substantial source of much needed educational and vocational assets that will be used to the betterment of those truly in need.

• You will also reduce your IT clutter in an environmentally friendly manner.

Who would have thought that such great benefits could come when you donate a computer?

Computers for Charity evaluates each and every donation on a case by case basis. Whenever viable, our volunteer staff will repair, refurbish, and properly prepare donated computers for placement, free of charge, to non-profit organizations. We aslo provide vouchers to chaities so they can send clients directly to us for computer placement. The importance of us giving this kind of attention to improving donated property prior to placement cannot be over-emphasized! This feature of Computers for Charity results in significantly greater income and benefit for the community and you the donor by often dramatically increasing the maximum legal tax deduction.

Sometimes a non-profit will just need some PCs whereas others may need cabling, custom or off-the-shelf software, training, help in setting up a computer lab, technical advice and so on. Often, they have no idea what they want or need and we try to help them determine that. The Computers for Charity volunteers try to meet as many of these needs as we can. As volunteers relying on donated equipment and limited resources this is not always possible. But we give it our best effort and assist them as much as possible.

Thousands of PCs have been given away to various non-profit organizations in the community. We have also helped set up computer labs, provided custom software, provided routers, network cables, printers, and other equipment and served as a place where people from the non-profits (as well as students and other members of the community) can come and learn how to build, troubleshoot and repair PCs as well as gain other computer knowledge.

These are some of the benifits of your donations of computer equipment to Computers for Charity.

Christmas time is fast approaching and we are looking to host another Computers for Christmas program. At this time we do not have the types of donation needed to fufill this. It is imperative for all of you who care about our mission to get the word out to your places of employment and businesses in the community. We can help them to clean up that computer clutter that may be left over form a recent upgrade, and provide them with a tax deduction while helping those in need.

Visit our website for our schedule and contact information.

Newer is not always better. Not even in computers.

Windows 7 is good for fast, newer computers, however, what about your business computers? The economy has forced business to stretch the life of their old machines or to purchase lower-grade new computers. Linux is a perfect candidate. Linux offers software compatibility support where believe it or not some companies have not upgraded their software to be compatible with Windows 7! Windows 7 also takes a great deal more amount of memory and CPU speed. With Linux you can run your favorite Windows app in a virtual machine anyhow and not loose any of your favorite programs from XP.

As for the home user, there will most likely be a split. With the current environment a large population will only upgrade computers as they need to due to component failure. The technology has not advanced enough to warrant considering 5+ year old XP machines obsolete to the point of a necessary replacement. Home users are growing wary of being forced to upgrade both software and had ware at the whim of Microsoft.

This does leave the techno crowd and those who love to have the newest and best and have the disposable income to spend but this population has been smaller as of late. This is also the population where Linux and Mac tends to be competitors. Before you pay a dime for Windows 7, try a Linux desktop distribution. If you don’t like it, what’s the worst that’s going to happen? You spent no money other than for a burnable CD or DVD, a little time, and you just have to wipe your disk again before installing Windows 7.

Windows and Mac OS are like a toy car that you buy off the shelf and play with. Linux is like the same toy car made out of Lego You can play with it as it comes or you can remove and modify components (or the whole thing) and tailor it to your liking. To illustrate the point, Linux comes with many different choices of window managers, desktop environments, file managers, package managers (packages are what Linux calls programs), etc. The idea is to be able to tailor a distribution to exactly what you need and like.

There's nothing in Windows 7 that Linux can't do, and in most cases, do it better. Linux machines are quicker and more efficient. Linux desktops are more innovative and less static. Linux apps are more powerful, cheaper and less partisan, and Linux security has never been better. But best of all, we have complete control over the future of Linux, as opposed to allowing Microsoft to run roughshod over us in forcing the upgrade to Windows 7.

Don't forget that for any operating system, no matter how similar to to a commercial OS it might be, there is a learning curve involved. This is especially true of the software available and how to download it Generally software is downloaded from repositories using a package manager included with your distro. By and large you will not find commercial software in repositories, but will find thousands of free open source equivalents. Most of these are as powerful as the popular commercial ones, but require that you familiarize yourself with them. Take some time to do this and you'll be a really happy Linux user.

So, you think you may want to dip you toe into the Linux waters at this point? Ok, I have a couple of suggestions.

Try a Linux "live CD" first. Most Linux distributions have live (aka bootable) CDs that let you actually use the Linux OS of your choice directly from the CD. It will run slower, due to running from the CD drive, but it will give you a real feel for the Linux OS you may be contemplating. In addition, it will let you know, before you actually install it to your hard drive, whether or not it can support all your hardware. That way, you know beforehand exactly what to expect!

Even if you never get further than a Linux live CD, you will want to keep it around. Linux live CDs make extremely good disaster/recovery tools. One of my favorite uses is to clone my Windows XP partition. Just boot the live CD and clone one partition on one drive to an identical partition on another drive. A good bootable Linux CD like Knoppix should be in everyone's tool box, even if they're a die-hard Windows user.

Here's another last bit of advice. I recommend dual booting only one absolutely safe way: buy a second hard drive and install Linux on it. You can even use a USB thumb drive for this! This is also the easiest way to get into Linux. No tricky hard disk-partitioning to worry about. No way to mess up your current Windows install. Absolutely the easiest and safest way.

Charity Changes You

If anyone had told me that starting a charity would change me so much as a person I would not have believed them. After all I am a Christian and I've always been charitable. I've given a little time to Salvation Army , the Old Newsnboys, Global Connections, Special Olympics, and a number of other charities over the years. I volunteer at my church and put my money in the plate. I've worked hard at showing random acts of kindness to those around me. As I pointed out in a previous blog, every little bit helps.

There is something entirely different about taking on a cause that no one else seems to be championing and trying to make it work. Gone are the days of volunteering for a day or an event and getting on with my life. With Computers for Charity, over the last year I have had to work constantly with every spare moment at my disposal. I have become the CEO, CTO, Marketer, Promoter, Web Developer, Organizer, Speaker, Fundraiser, Volunteer Coordinator, Event Planner, and all around Laborer.

At first there was just me working on computers form my home in Bowling Green, Ohio. Then there were a few other volunteers; namely, Kimberlie Morris and Richard Rowold who helped me with office type tasks. We moved into Turning Point Church in downtown Bowling Green in a little room next to the Sanctuary. It was adequate and we were grateful to be able to provide a service through the church that no one else was providing. As we began to meet needs in our church and beyond one thing became apparent. There was no shortage of needs, rather a shortage of time and talent to meet them.

I started advertising through the internet and joining social networking sites to promote the effort and to solicit computers parts and volunteers. I signed up for environmental, recycling, and technological oriented sites who shared common interests and visions. I joined Techsoup and became a a Microsoft Authorised Refurbisher. I joined several Open Source communities and began to participate in them. I also joined Wood County Area Ministries and other charity organizations that are working to meet diverse needs in our local community.

As the word began to spread and the donations increased we began to run out of room. We also began to get more volunteers. As individuals came to drop off equipment and saw the scope of our vision they wanted to help in some way. As we provided computers for people they too were inspired by our effort and we quickly found a place for them within the organization. The need to move into a bigger space and to get out from under Turning Points limiting tax structure became apparent. We would need to write receipts for donations and do fund raising to be able provide the type of service that we wanted to and to plan for future expansion.

We formed a Board of Directors who's sole purpose would be to handle the paperwork involved in the formation of a non profit. We found it would be easier to obtain a 501 (c) (3) through the Methodist Church than it would be to tackle this on our own so we worked with the West Ohio Conference of the UMC to set that up. The important thing was to remain a non-sectarian/secular charity under a faith based organization. Our vision is to become another one of the great charities that have sprung forth form the church and now have a vital role in the public life of our society.

The mixing of secular and sacred for the cause of charity is nothing new for the Methodist church. Just look at other great efforts such as the Methodist Hospitals, Nursing Homes, food banks, job training, and children services to name a few. With a great tradition of charity and social action, the Methodist church has a longstanding record of meeting people at the point of their needs. That is the part of the gospel I hoped to fulfill through Computers for Charity. Living a life of service to the community is a tall order. As Jesus healed all who would come to him and fed the masses, we hope to meet a very significant need in our modern culture. Access to a computer has become more than just a want.

So we obtained our Non Profit Status and moved into a bigger room, with a separate office upstairs. We now have room to host computer classes which we are formulating now. I also have developed a presentation to demonstrate the reason why refurbishing and reusing electronics is preferable both in an environmental and a humanitarian sense. I plan on taking this message to as many churches and other organizations in our community as will have me.

We've made great strides in organizing our collection and recycling methods as well as our record keeping and office work. We have over 20 volunteers who come on an irregular basis and we hope to soon have a weekly staff of at least 10 dependable volunteers. We continue to reach out to other charities and non-profits who's services we hope to enhance by our own. We also want to partner with the local ISPs to be able to provide a discounted internet service to clients who receive a computer form us.

Living a life of service to others is a tranformative experience as well. God has given us each a purpose in life and the skills to achieve that purpose. Finding a way to meet the needs of others through our God given talents is a fulfillment of the gospel and of our own potential. We begin to think less about the My, Me, Mines, and our own needs become less significant in the face of others struggling with basic and more complex problems than our own.

• The 30 year old woman who was recently handicapped and is now living in an assisted nursing facility who desires a computer so she can go to school online and still make something of her life.
  
• The Grandmother who is caring for her granddaughter and wants her to be able to do her schoolwork at home as opposed to walking across town to the library daily.
• The newly unemployed worker who lost a lifetime job and needs a computer to search for a new position.
• The single mother who is struggling at meeting the basic needs of her family and would like her children to have access to technology so they are prepared for the modern world of education and employment.
• The college student on a tight budget who needs to have access to research and educational materials online.
  
• The Elderly person who simply wants to keep in touch with their family the way we do nowadays, through email and social networking.
• The mentally and physically handicapped, to whom access to technology can be an equalizing factor and provide a way to connect with others and overcome the limitations placed on them by society.

This is about a lot more than providing computers for people, it is about providing hope. Providing a way for people to obtain an independence as well as an interdependence with the modern communities that are part of our lives. Bridging a digital divide that has shrunk considerably in recent years, but for those behind the divide, how much deeper it has become. My heart aches for all of the clients we help. As we meet the needs of those in our community I had to throw away all prejudice and pretensions. I've had to ask myself what I would do if my most hated enemy came to us for help. The answer is help them in any way that I can.

As the charity has grown, I have grown as a person in ways i never imagined. It is a process that has helped me to heal many of my own personal wounds. I hope to share this experience and this journey with as many of you as possible. We continue to grow and are heading in exciting new directions. As we wrap up the Computers for Christmas project we will move on to the next big project. I'm looking forward to seeing what challenges and opportunities 2010 is going to bring us! You don't wanna miss it!

God bless you and see you Tuesday.

Jeffrey Kill
Founder and CTO
Computers for Charity

You Dont Have To Be a Socialist To Be Green

I try to steer this blog away from political issues because Computers for Charity is a non partisan organization and we want to keep it that way. I started to write about good reasons to recycle and reuse computers and as I was doing my research it became abundantly clear that the issue of the environment has been hijacked by those with a definite political agenda.

I couldn't speak about the economy and the environment without someone branding me as conservative or liberal. To be honest, I reject both of those ideological points of view. Neither am I a moderate, my views are too far left to be conservative and too far right for the liberals. This post will contain a lot of material that is solely my own viewpoint and may not represent the views of Computers for Charity or its staff and volunteers.

I am not a vegan, I don't practice yoga, I don't drive a hybrid, and I don't wear hiking boots to work, but I am a conservationist, an environmentalist and a proponent of a green vision. I don't seek to impose my lifestyle choices on others through government coercion. I work to spread awareness though my charitable activities and my writing. My environmental consciousness has been born form working in the recycling field as a Hazardous Materials Technician. We take the hazardous materials out of waste, so those wastes can be reclaimed and recycled.

In this line of work we have to have a good understanding of environmental laws and regulations. This gives one a whole different perspective on the politics of these issues. These materials are regulated on every level you can imagine. From how they are labeled, stored, and shipped. All aspects are covered under EPA, ODOT, OSHA and a host of other Local, State, and Federal regulatory agencies.  Staying in compliance with current laws is time consuming, confusing and expensive. It requires a lot of training, and is a constantly evolving field.

This is another reason why Green jobs will not be a panacea for the economy. The cost of training individuals to handle this type of work drives down a companies ability to pay a decent wage in this industry. This is not only true for us but is also true for all businesses who generate any kind of waste deemed as hazardous by our government. This includes electronics, light bulbs, batteries, and a whole host of other common items you may not have considered.

Companies consult with and contract with a company such as the one I work for to avoid getting shutdown or fined for violating environmental laws. It's easy to see why some small businesses will never have a chance of even getting a foothold when faced with these laws on top of all the others a business is required to follow to operate in this country. If you are planning on working for the EPA you may have an opportunity for upward mobility but the rest of us can look forward to a longer, deeper and more severe recession.


This is a bad trend that has been ongoing for a long time. The well intentioned government tends to complicate, convoluted and over extend its reach. Some within the current government are moving with an unprecedented zeal and boldness to further their own version of a green economy. This new economy will not look much like the free market system in which countless advances in technology have given us the opportunity for both economic progress and environmental stewardship. This vision of government as the guiding force in the economy that will move all of America, willing or not, into what it considers the best practices to save the earth. This is not a vision I can support.

What they fail to recognize in this equation is that the power of governments is the power of the sword.  The government is not just a benevolent Santa Clause to who we write a wish list and it is delivered to us through magical means. Every new law carries the cost of creating a new bureaucracy to enforce it. That means an additional tax on the people and we can't afford to pay for more government bloat and waste right now. I believe in the sovereignty of the individual and have no illusions about the limitations of the government. The Practical experience of history should have taught us by now that the government should have no role in the bedrooms or in the boardrooms.

It is also clear by now that industry left to itself will destroy the rights of the individual in different yet equal ways. Therefore, government being wedded to industry is the scariest of all propositions. We are heading in this direction when the government awards money to industries with strings attached. These strings are used for control. Other companies will lose out in terms of being able to fairly compete against these hybrid government corporations.Those chosen industries will be protected by government and in turn the consumers will lose out in terms of freedom of choice and an increase in the cost of goods and services. Its easy to see how if the government is taking your tax money and propping up a competitor, you wont stand much of a chance in the new marketplace. Government supported monopolies are far worse than private monopolies that are at least governed by market forces.

We are in an economic quagmire right now caused by a meddling government and willing corporations and the results are unemployment, declining wages, higher taxes, inflation, and an overall lower standard of living for all. Its becoming an economy where you either work for the government or one of its chosen entities, or you are poor. This is the new class structure. It's no longer the race going to the swiftest, its the race going to the loudest lobbyist. Those who benefit from this structure encourage the expansion of this type of system. As the governments power increases so does their power and influence. Its not the same as a free market where everyone strives to better their lives and the lives of their families. Obtaining wealth is becoming a matter of lobbying government instead of the normal path of hard work and ingenuity.

Environmentalist have become a part of this system. The new so called 'Greens' are seeking to pass legislation that will regulate their competition nearly our of existence. In order to do so they are proposing a massive expansion of federal power. I don't throw my hat in with this crowd. They seek to destroy the very system that can do the most to fix our environmental issues. In the last 40 years we have done more than at any point in history to clean up pollution and at only a modest economic cost. Proposed legislation such as cap and trade or emission taxes will further hurt our own Industries in this country and further harm our economy. No one disputes this in the extremist green movement. They look forward to the new economy they will forge from the ashes of the free market system.

These people aren't in the same Green movement as I am in. I believe in freedom. I believe in enterprise. I believe in the goodness and resolve of the American people. I believe we have the intelligence and the technology to solve the current crises without destroying the foundations of a free society even further. Awareness and information is the key to motivating the people to do what is right. Not more legislation and constraints on our freedoms.

There is a growing trend in the country that has not come from Washington. Those who donate equipment to us are anxious to find ways to recycle other items as well. People are motivated by causes such as ours because our focus is not just on lecturing and scolding and lobbying Washington to take more and more of our freedoms away. Our focus is on helping people. We are not helping people if we destroy there very livelihoods and drive up the costs of living thorough frivolous legislation. Saving the earth and saving the economy can go hand in hand.  If we could take every single so called 'green' lobbyist and have them volunteer for charitable causes instead of vying for government money and power we'd have this issue solved! 

I  also believe in the importance of clean air to breathe, clean rivers for people to use, and freedom from involuntary exposure to cancer causing chemicals. I think that people should conserve and recycle without government coercion to do so. I think that market forces should be brought to bear against companies that do not follow this common sense approach and this has been proven to be an effective means of changing attitudes. We don't need to take over businesses or the economy but our nation should make polluters pay the real costs that their pollution imposes upon society. That would give polluters tangible incentives to conserve non-renewable resources and to use renewable resources in a wise and responsible manner. 

The environment is not a left/right issue any more. All of us have a role in its care. Those in Washington have little to teach us about conservation and efficiency. Our federal government is in  fact, the worst polluter. Federal agencies have contaminated at least 61,155 sites around the USA, produce more toxic waste annually than the nation's five largest chemical companies, and have polluted 475 billion gallons of ground water. And the politicians and bureaucrats are immune from the laws they pass, and immune from the criminal penalties ordinary people face.

We all also share in protecting not just our freedoms but the freedoms of all. The Government has nothing to teach us about creation of wealth. Governments don't create wealth. They only consume it. The big government approach to the environment must end. The Socialist world suffers from the worst pollution on earth. You can be in favor of freedom and be Green and you definitely can be Green without being a Socialist.

Upgrade and Dispose or Reduce and Reuse?

Microsoft has come out with another new OS, Windows 7. Since Vista turned out to be about as popular as Windows ME was, the software giant has followed the same path with Windows 7 as it did going from ME to XP. Windows 7 isn't really much more than a fixed version of Vista with some of the annoyances missing and new ones included.

One thing is for certain, the XP operating system that most people prefer is dead in the water and you can't even upgrade from XP to 7. I was a fan of XP from the beginning but then I had more disposable income to upgrade my system to meet XPs requirements. In today's economy though I am not in the same position I was then.

Also since then my values have changed. I was oblivious in the past to the environmental impact that all these hardware upgrades were causing worldwide in the form of e-waste. The carcasses and entrails of our old equipment polluted our landfills first, and then as local regulations tightened, were shipped to third world countries and dumped on the poorest of the poor.

Microsoft illustrates that neither it nor the big computer manufactures have changed their attitudes much in regards to their core business principals. Sure there are new initiatives announced every day by them but their hearts are still only on the bottom line. Keeping us enslaved to the Upgrade and Dispose mentality that lines their pockets is truly the only green initiative that they believe in.

Form what they are saying the minimum system requirements to run Windows 7 will be more modest that Vista. That is great news for computer refurbishers who have to work with the older hardware from peoples previous Windows upgrades right? Lets look at the facts. At minimum you will need:

• 1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor

• 1 GB RAM (32-bit) / 2 GB RAM (64-bit)

• 16 GB available disk space (32-bit) / 20 GB (64-bit)

• DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

The requirements recommended by Microsoft are insufficient; these are minimums, which means your experience will be minimal. If you load Windows 7 on a PC that does not have enough processing power, operating memory, hard drive space and the right combination of video and sound cards Windows 7 will work, but at a much lower capability than its optimum performance.

These are fairly high end requirements for those of us who shelled out the money for a new PC less than 5 years ago. I just got my desktop upgraded to 512 MB of RAM to run XP comfortably.

Then there is the cost of the OS, Were talking $200.00 for the Starter Edition. Add to that the cost of licensing Microsoft Office. Also add an anti virus program license annually, to protect your Windows system form the inevitable malware that it will be infected with if you don't. Theses are all considerable costs in addition to whatever hardware you have to invest in to do things the 'Microsoft Way'.

I'm writing this post from my laptop which used to have Windows Vista on it. Even with a Pentium Dual-Core processor and 1 Gb of RAM it was running like a limp turtle when running more than three applications and Vista. Now its running Mac Pup (a lightweight Linux distro). I'm currently only using 200 MB of memory and I have applications running in two other desktops. The entire OS is running in RAM so it is FAST.

Even the requirements for running a typical full fledged version of Linux are not prohibitive:

• Processor: Intel—Pentium 1-4 or Xeon; AMD—Duron, Athlon, Athlon XP, Athlon MP, Athlon 64, Sempron or Opteron

• Memory: 256 MB

• Hard disk: 500 MB for minimal system; 3 GB recommended for standard system

• Sound and graphics cards: Supports most modern sound and graphics cards

At Computers for Charity we advocate the use of Open Source software as an alternative to the commercial bloatware that will be discontinued in a few years and force you to upgrade your whole system. We may not be able to provide you with a system capable of running the latest Microsoft OS, but why would we want to?

For more information Please go to: http://computersforcharity.webs.com

100 Incredible Philanthropy Blogs

Made number 69 on this list. Check it out!

100 Incredible Philanthropy Blogs

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Just Owning Green Techology Dosen't Make You Green

In today's world many of the gadgets we use advertise that they are environmentally friendly. In some cases this is a clever advertising ploy meant to sway those of us who are environmentally conscious to purchase their product. Since there is no single international standard for eco-lables, these are considered vague and meaningless distinctions by the International Organization for Standardization. In other cases it is because of features built into the product such as power saving features in Energy Star compliant lighting, office equipment and appliances.

All of these are great Ideas but the burden is still on the consumer to use these products appropriately to maximize the benefit on the environment. Just owning green technology doesn't make you green. You still have to use good judgment in the way you consume resources. For instance the advent of the computerized office was supposed to eliminate paper waste. You remember the slogan the 'paperless office'. Well that was coined in the 1975 in Business Week Magazine. You'd think by now we'd be there. To the contrary the introduction of computers into the office increased paper use, doubling it from 1980 to 2000. The ability to print multiple copies without typing a document which are in turn easy to email and be printed again by the recipient accounts for some of the increase. Couple that with the ever growing paper trail that offices now keep to cover themselves from the IRS and other regulatory agencies as well as the ability of individuals to print documents at home as well as pictures, web pages, emails you can understand how the increase happened. To help minimize paper waste it is best to share documents online, write them to a disk or thumb drive to take with you or email them. You can also use recycled paper for those documents you have to print.

Energy Star compliant computers and monitors are nice but are rarely used to their fullest potential on desktop PC's. Instead we opt for screen savers that show off our computers graphic capabilities or our favorite family photo album. A computer running a screen saver causes our monitor and CPU to consume just as much energy as if you were actively using the computer. Computers and other appliances draw energy even if they are in sleep mode albeit not as much. It is still better to turn it off when its not in use. Even when the computer is turned off it consumes energy unless it is unplugged or turned off on a power strip. The best practice is to have all of your electronic equipment on power strips that can be turned off at the strip when not in use for prolonged periods of time. This will eliminate the vampire load drawn from the equipment which can consume 15 to 30 watts of power for each piece of equipment.

We all like to have the biggest and best monitors and television sets. With the advent of LCD screens at an affordable price its easier to fit that big screen in your home or office. This is good because Flat Screen monitors consume about 50% less energy than their CRT counterparts. This is also bad because a 17 inch LCD consumes 30% more energy than a 15 inch. Its best to have a screen that fits your needs instead of opting for the biggest screen you can squeeze into your workspace.

When looking for a printer consider buying an ink jet printer. It will consume about 80% less energy than a laser printer. Its also a good idea to share a printer on a network as opposed to having one in each cubicle or room of your home. A shared printer prints just as well and will use less energy as well as take up less space in your home or office than multiple printers.

Another important thing to consider is waste management. Do you have receptacles for recycling paper, aluminum and plastic in your home and office? These are some of the easiest items to collect for recycling , yet many never bother with it. When items that can be recycled go into a landfill everyone loses. Its more costly and takes more energy to produce the raw materials for these products than it takes to recycle them. There is also the cost of the city managing waste that could have been recycled. It cost taxpayer money to have municipal workers to pick up the trash, transport it and manage it in a landfill. Those garbage trucks are not exactly energy efficient vehicles either. Not to mention all the heavy equipment at the landfill like bulldozers, cranes and compactors that are required to bury these easily recyclable items into your local landscape.

Another factor to consider in waste management is how to dispose of your electronic equipment. Computers in particular contain many hazardous substances that are regulated by the EPA. Here is a list of just some of them:

• Lead in cathode ray tube and solder

• Arsenic in older cathode ray tubes

• Selenium in circuit boards as power supply rectifier

• Polybrominated flame retardants in plastic casings, cables and circuit boards

• Antimony trioxide as flame retardant

• Cadmium in circuit boards and semiconductors

• Chromium in steel as corrosion protection

• Cobalt in steel for structure and magnetivity

• Mercury in switches and housing
  

Americans junk over 3 million tons of electronic waste every year and it is the fastest growing category in our waste stream. One solution is to pay to have these items properly managed by a recycling facility. Another option is to donate your used computer equipment to a non-profit computer refurbisher like Computers for Charity who can provide you with a receipt for a tax deduction. We can then use this equipment to help individuals and other charities and non-profits. If we can't take it we can point you to an recycling facility that will properly handle your e-waste for you.

Being Green isn't just about saving the environment. It makes economic sense too. It also feels great to help someone else in need with what would have more junk in our landfills.

http://computersforcharity.webs.com/

What is a Green Church?

From a biblical perspective the environment is actually a part of God's creation - of which humanity is also a part. Therefore, caring for God's creation does not just mean caring for nature, nor does it just mean caring for humanity; it means caring for both.

Most major environmental problems such as air pollution and water pollution, hurt people. These problems fight against Christ's reconciliation of all of creation. In many instances they hit the poor, the children, and the elderly the hardest.

The United Methodist Church realizes and affirms the responsibility of every United Methodist to care for God’s creation. We are called to participate not only in the redemption of individuals and all of humanity, but in the healing of creation itself. Therefore, ministries that encourage care for God’s creation are significant in our mission as United Methodists.

Here are some ways to help:

• Reduce office paper waste by implementing a formal policy to duplex all draft reports, and by making training manuals and personnel information available electronically.

• Plant flowers and shrubs that are well suited to your climate. The benefit: You'll use less fertilizer and pesticides.
  

• Donate unwanted supplies to local schools or nonprofit organizations.
  

• Donate cafeteria food scraps for use as animal feed.
  

• Advertise surplus and reusable items through a commercial materials exchange.
  

• Donate excess building materials to local low-income housing developers.

• Employ energy-efficient technology.This can help reduce emissions (air pollution) from power plants that produce energy. Energy-efficient lighting products offer warm, bright light with the added benefit of using 75% less energy and lasting up to 10 times longer than traditional bulbs and fixtures.

• Recycling from aluminum cans, and glass and plastic bottles, to paper and printer toner cartridges. Recycling reduces the amount of waste materials that are put in landfills or incinerated while decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation.

Take care when dealing with lighting and electronic waste. The disposal of some of this waste is regulated, since both electronic and lighting waste may contain potentially harmful substances, and these products need to be separated from your other garbage. The best way to dispose of this waste is to recycle it.

Computers for Charity can recycle your old computers and accessories that are no longer in use. We refurbish the systems and provide them to underprivileged families and other non-profit organizations, here and abroad.

You get the advantage of not only getting rid of your unwanted computer equipment, but you get the satisfaction of knowing it will be used to help someone else in need. We can also provide you with a tax deductible receipt for your donations!

So, if you care about the environment and care about people too, please contact us:

computer.support.guru@gmail.com

http://www.wix.com/jeffbkill/computers-for-charity

http://computersforcharity.webs.com/

Microsoft Authorised Refurbisher Status

Computers for Charity is now an official Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher! No, Microsoft hasn't taken over our operations (thank goodness) or given us a budget (don't I wish). In fact, I still prefer to install Linux operating systems on the computers I rebuild but out of necessity I sometimes have to install a Microsoft OS on the systems due to software compatibility issues.

Unfortunately most equipment that gets donated to us doesn't come with the original operating system media and my standard workaround for this has been to install Ubuntu or Open Suse Linux on the systems with Windows emulation software enabled to make the systems compatible with Microsoft software. In fact , after working with Linux for a while it became my OS of choice for refurbished systems. I've covered my thoughts on that in a previous post thogh.

To make a long story short MAR status gives us the ability to install genuine windows software on a computer that originally had Microsoft software on it for a small administrative fee from Microsoft (of course they gotta make some money). But this is then a legal copy of Windows on the system and I don't risk entanglements for infringing Microsoft's software license.

Its also an assurance to our donors that we meet the eligibility requirements required to qualify as a Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher:

• The technical competence required to preinstall Windows operating
systems
• Appropriate security measures in place to ensure the safe storage and
handling of COAs
• Adequate systems for data wiping and reporting, including
conformance to Department of Defense or similar standards on all hard
disks being reused through the program
• Conformance with applicable local health, safety, and environmental
regulations

As this effort keeps growing I'm looking forward to hearing from all of you as you do your spring cleaning and find all that old computer stuff your not even using anymore!

Please consider donating today and you will be doing a small part to help the environment and a big part in changing someones life. Because we a a non profit refurbisher you can get a tax deduction for your donation too!!

So whats holding you back form making your donation?

Contact me at: computer.support.guru@gmail.com or visit one of our websites:

http://www.wix.com/jeffbkill/computers-for-charity or http://computersforcharity.webs.com/

The Third Option

The future of technology is the Internet and not high end computing. An older refurbished computer can provide that just as well as any newfangled system can. But you say "How can you possibly get any use out of my old outdated Windows box?". Read on...

Microsoft and Apple dominate the software world that keeps driving us to upgrade our systems. Windows Vistas requirements are an abomination in my opinion and with Windows 7 it is only going to get worse. Its true your not going to install Vista or even XP on that old system. Nor will your old Mac fair much better as they've discontinued support for the OS on it. But there is a third option; Enter Linux. I use Linux on older systems and it provides all the features of a modern operating system without the high resource demand.

Most people have never heard of Linux or if they have they think its just an operating system for geeks and hackers. This is far from the truth. Linux operating systems like Open SUSE and Ubuntu are leading the way in innovations in the desktop environment. Microsoft keeps implementing features in its new OS's that I've had for years on my Linux boxes. In fact, when I distribute the systems people ask what version of Windows I've put on it! They truly can't tell the difference in graphics or functionality. I explain to them that its similar to a Mac OS only different.

If you have an old Windows or a Mac system you can't get updates for it any more. Not so with Linux. I've taken an old win 95 machine and refurbished it with a RAM upgrade and a network card. The computer ran perfectly but I couldn't find drivers for the network card for the life of me. No problem though. Booted to a Puppy Linux live CD and all was well. The system ran fast and had Internet.

I've had a lot better luck with installing Linux on laptops than trying to work with Windows. Even on laptops capable of running XP I prefer to use Open SUSE 10.3 because it runs faster and is more secure.

That's the other benefit of installing Linux. With every Windows installation I've sent out the tech support calls come in about a month later. Even with the anti virus software I install somehow they end up completely bogged down with ad-ware programs. People just can't resist installing all those free games and browser enhancements and who really reads those license agreements anyhow? I get a few calls on my Linux systems when people try to hook up a printer or a digital camera and I have to walk them through an installation. I've yet to receive a call about random pop ups or porn links mysteriously flooding the desktop.

Then there is the issue of running Microsoft software on a Linux box. Putting aside the fact that there is a Linux alternative to about anything Microsoft has to offer I can see the concern. But, as I tell people. It's like a Mac. You don't expect to run Windows software on a Mac do you? You either use the version designed for the Mac or you use the alternative. Or you use Wine. No, you don't just get drunk and forget about it .Wine (Wine Is Not an Emulator) is a program that allows you to run windows software in Linux. Although this program is not perfect I've found that it allows you to run many common Windows titles that that my clients use most frequently. Another option is virtulization.

Virtualization has been in use in Linux for some time now. You'll be hearing a lot mote about this powerful software soon, as Microsoft is poising to enter the market. Virtulization allows you to run entirely separate operating systems in a single computer. In other words you can run your Windows and Mac OS inside of your Linux installation. This is entirely different form dual booting or emulating an OS. You literally can have Windows in a window! These are known as a VM (Virtual Machine). I could write an entire blog about how VMs are going to revolutionize the IT world as we know it but I'll save that for a later time. Needless to say I never would have heard of virtualization software if not for dabbling in Linux.

The Main thing to remember here though is the Internet doesn't discriminate. It knows not weather your a Windows, a Mac, a Linux or any other Os. If we can refurbish a computer and install a functional Operating system on it that allows people to access Internet resources then we have accomplished our goal. Not only Is a world of information at your fingertips but the opportunity is there for education, communication, and enhanced social interaction.

That's what this is really all about. Its not just about keeping electronic waste out of our landfills although that is part of our primary mission . It's about providing opportunities to people!

For more information about how you can help to bridge the digital divide by donating your disused computer, please visit our website: http://computersforcharity.webs.com

Give the gift of technology!

Simply taking your computer to the nearest recycling center just doesn’t cut it anymore! Though well intentioned, your effort may be in vain. Most recycling centers simply disassemble the equipment ,shred it and melt it down for the precious metals and other raw materials the computers contain. ‘Recycling‘ in this manner consumes 20 times more energy than reuse.

Worse than that, some unscrupulous recycling companies sell the equipment to undeveloped countries as e-waste where it is recycled by poor workers in an unhealthy and environmentally unsafe manner. This is not only only harmful to the local inhabitants of these countries, who’s children play in the piles of hazardous waste, but for the environment as a whole.

Taking your computer to a refurbisher is a better option. Energy does not get wasted tearing down the old equipment and melting it down for the raw materials. There is also the benefit of one less computer that needs to be manufactured.

The benefits of refurbishing go beyond environmental consciousness though. Non-profits such as Computers for Charity will take your equipment at no cost to you and refurbish them to be distributed to disadvantaged families as well as other small charities who don’t have the disposable income to purchase new computer equipment.

So even if your not convinced that the environmental sky is falling, you can still feel good in donating to a non-profit refurbisher. You’ll know that the equipment that once served your needs will now be brand new to someone else and serving a good cause. It can save your company the cost of disposing your electronic waste through a commercial recycling agency. Also, you are eligible for a tax deduction for your donation to a non-profit refurbisher.

If you have a computer that is less than five years old, it can be put to good use by someone else. Even computers that are non-functioning can still yield valuable parts to repair other computers. We can recycle your old computer equipment at no cost to you and reduce the impact on the environment by refurbishing them and providing the gift of technology to disadvantaged families!

For more information on this environmentally safe and humanitarian effort please go to
http://www.wix.com/jeffbkill/computers-for-charity or
http://computersforcharity.webs.com

New mini website for Computers for Charity

How to get rid of that old PC junk!

• Do you have a computer that has been sitting around in disuse?
• Do you Know someone who is looking for a way to dispose of their computer?
• Is your company or corporation upgrading its computer systems?
• Are you purchasing a new computer and wondering what to do with your old one?

Don't contribute to the e-waste landfills!!! Donate them to a worthwhile cause instead!

We can recycle your old computer equipment at no cost to you and reduce the impact on the environment by refurbishing and providing the gift of technology to families in need!

We are collecting computers, accessories, parts and software and testing and doing repair work to create functional systems that are then donated to worthwhile causes and individuals for free.

We currently accept Pentium II class and better computers and the equivalent Macintosh.we can especially use laptops, notebooks and accessories. We also need current software that is complete with the CD and registration. Also needed are monitors, keyboards mice and other peripherals.

contact: Jeffrey Kill
email: computer.support.guru@gmail.com
web: http://computersforcharity.webs.com/

Fact: Americans junked almost 3 million tons of electronics in 2007. Computers contain dangerous toxins from lead, cadmium, mercury and other hazardous materials which if not properly disposed, will leak into our environment. Recycling computers is an important way to protect the environment while helping someone in need. Computers For Charity advocates the environmentally-safe disposal of all computer equipment that cannot be reused.