informative Speech Outline (^273)
General Purpose: To inform
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the growing issue of e-waste
in the United States and of an organization created to
combat it.
Thesis statement: E-waste is a mounting problem in the United States and
around the world, but the Electronics TakeBack Coalition
exists to reduce improper technology disposal methods.
Preview: I will discuss how the problem of e-waste came about, the
harms it causes, and how the Electronics TakeBack Coalition
helps to counteract the problem.
Introduction
i. Raise your hand if you have a cell phone, computer, or video game system.
ii. Raise your hand if you, like me, plan to replace one gadget with a new version.
iii. i’m a technophile, so i did some research to discover what happens to discarded technology
in the United States.
iV. Today, i will discuss how e-waste came about, the harms it causes, and how the electronics
TakeBack Coalition helps to counteract the problem.
Body
i. First, let’s look at the problem.
A. A Swiss government agency, the eMpA (2009), defines e-waste (also called
“tech waste”) as any out-of-date or otherwise discarded equipment that uses
electricity.
- This can be computers, cell phones, or household appliances.
- if you can plug it in and you throw it out, it’s e-waste.
B. Over the past decades, the amount of US e-waste has grown steadily. - elizabeth Royte (2005), writing in the Smithsonian Magazine, estimated that
at least 60 million pCs are buried in US landfills.
a. That article was from 2005.
b. The issue has only gotten worse since then. - A 2008 epA report said that 80–85% of discarded electronics were sent to landfills
between 2003 and 2005. - in August of 2010, epA administrator Lisa p. Jackson announced e-waste as one
of the agency’s top priorities.
C. Obviously, piles of electronics are building up in landfills all over the country causing
problems. - Sheer space is one concern, as electronics can be bulky.
- More importantly, they contain harmful chemicals.
a. Royte (2005) says one CRT monitor contains between 2 and 8 pounds
of lead.
b. Other devices contain other toxic chemicals like mercury or cadmium.
c. A 2009 journal article in Science of the Total Environment says newer devices
like LCd screens may seem better than CRT monitors, but they often just trade
one harmful chemical for another (Robinson, 2009).
d. Waste services must take apart the devices to remove harmful components,
which costs time and money. - Companies often discard or destroy electronics, so chemicals enter the
environment.
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