Móviles en desuso

USED CELL PHONES

Spain currently has more than 50 million telephone lines for less than 47 millions inhabitants, to which we would have to subtract the number of children who do not own a phone. The old phones which citizens have replaced, kept or thrown away have to be included into the impressive amount of phones previously mentioned. Only less than 10% of cell phones are recycled. Around the world, there are more than 7 billion cell phones currently being used, which require a large quantity of minerals for their manufacturing.

Rally for the rainforest

The campaign “Rally for the rainforest” created by the Jane Goodall Institute of Spain aims to recycle cell phones through its environmental education program Roots & Shoots, which is supported by the primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall. She is the winner of the Prince of Asturias Award in 2003, the Catalan International Award in 2015 and United Nations Messenger of Peace.

What does it consist of?

The champaign proposes to lengthen the life of our cell phones and, at the same time, to offer citizens with a simple and free way to bring their old phones in (whether working or not), which will allow for:

• Reusing phones and reducing the unsustainable demand for their components.

• Recycling useful elements and properly disposing of toxic materials to avoid contaminating the environment.

• Collecting funds for projects which support the development and programs for education and conservation in the Republic of the Congo as well as in the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center. There the Jane Goodall Institute takes care of more than 150 rescued chimpanzees, of which the majority arrive in horrible conditions after being confiscated from hunters, traffickers or other individuals. The funds also are destined for reforestation and chimpanzee conservation programs in Senegal as well as educational projects for the children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Coltan extraction

The majority of the world's reserve coltan which are used in our everyday technology, such as in the arms industry, are found in the Eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is a zone of constant conflict, where millions of people have been killed or displaced. The extraction of coltan requires a semi-enslaved workforce and in the zone known as the Kahuzi-Biega National Park, populations of gorillas and chimpanzees are also being threatened.

Sponsor a chimpanzee

Donating your cell phones (whether they work or not) collaborates with the chimpanzee rehabilitation programs being carried out by the IJG in the Tchimpounga Rescue Center. There, more than 150 rescued chimpanzees are cared for by experienced caretakers, who are led by the Spanish Veterinarian Rebeca Atencia, and live in natural groups with daily outings in the forest, which slowly reintroduces them to the jungle. Part of their living expenses are obtained by the Chimpanzee Sponsor program “Chimpamig@s.”

Did you know that…?

For every 30 cell phones sent you will gain a free one-year sponsorship of one of the rescued chimpanzees in our Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center in the Congo.