The Price Of Electronics Goes Way Beyond Money

How much did you pay for that LED backlit PC or shiny Macbook that you're using to surf around the web at this very moment? How about for your iPod, iPhone, cell phone, or digital camera? Regardless of what you paid for those personal electronics, the cost of them is much greater.

Unfortunately, that cost is much higher than any monetary value -- and most people know very little about it.

Most consumer electronics are made using materials that are referred to as "conflict minerals". These minerals come largely from the Democratic Republic of Congo. So what makes these conflict minerals so terrible?

The term "conflict mineral" refers to minerals mined in conditions of armed conflict and human rights abuses, notably in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, by the Congolese National Army and various armed rebel groups, including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda. The profits from the sale of these minerals finance continued fighting in the Second Congo War, and control of lucrative mines becomes a focus of the fighting as well.

A recent study by IPIS indicates that armed groups are present at more than 50 percent of mining sites. At many sites, armed groups illegally tax, extort, and coerce civilians to work. Miners, including children, work up to 48-hour days amidst mudslides and tunnel collapses that kill many. The groups are often affiliated with rebel groups, or with the Congolese National Army, but both use rape and violence to control the local population."

"The three T's" of tin, tungsten, and tantulum are all essential for the production of many of our beloved consumer electronics.

Now that you know about the problem, what can you do to be part of the solution? You can sign Raise Hope For Congo's pledge to purchase "conflict free" electronics. This goal of this pledge is to help electronics manufacturers see that consumers do want their devices to be constructed from conflict free materials.

Also check out Green Lifestyle Magazine's article for more data and info on how you can help.

[Image source: Sony Insider]

[Video source: Elephant Journal]