A message from Anna Rendell-Baker and the ENP-250 team:
As a college that prides itself on social and environmental justice, I think that everyone should play a role in the recent push that those in ENP-250 (Env. Policy and Globalization) have made to make the campus conflict-free. We are hoping to change current policies within the school to buy electronics from companies who make legitimate strides to buy minerals honestly and humanely. As you all probably know, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a hotbed of tyranny and violence. The area in Africa happens to be mineral-rich with tantalum, tin, tungsten, and gold. The electronics that we use so often all contain these resources. We in ENP-250 feel very strongly that Champlain College should make a shift towards purchasing electronics from companies who are aware of the effect that they can have in the Congo, and work to more humanely produce computers. We are currently working on getting this conflict-free mineral policy passed so that Champlain’s future purchasing will be conscious of where our electronic devices come from.
A huge part of this goal is awareness. We hope that you will let your students know about the price that others pay for our comfort in technology. We are showing a movie on Tuesday, April 14th in the Alumni Auditorium called “The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo” for Sexual Assault Awareness month. This movie will focus mainly on the social terror that occurs in the Congo. It’s a 52 minute-long film and we hope that many students will come to watch and discuss after (there will be pizza!). If you are able to make it, or have students be able to get a few extra credit points for showing up, we would be very grateful. We hope to corroborate with any professor or administrator who feels strongly about this topic. It isn’t only an environmental issue, but also women’s rights and social justice.
Please let me know if there is any room for collaboration! Thank you.
P.S We have also started a petition to have Champlain College go conflict-free. If you feel inclined, please take a look. https://docs.google.com/a/mymail.champlain.edu/document/d/1Sbd0xNvyoI-js30yW4NGp7aV1jYOXDCxXXJTwHR7hRg/edit