The Jackson Hole Environmental Health Trust Film Series
We Screened the Film “Death By Design” June 10-17, 2021
On June 17, 2021 we held a live Q &A on “Death By Design”
Sue Williams, Director and Producer of “Death by Design,” and Kyle Wiens of iFixit, whose innovative computer repair company is featured in the movie! Watch the Q & A replay NOW!
About “Death By Design”
Consumers love – and live on – their smartphones, tablets and laptops. A cascade of new devices pours endlessly into the market, promising even better communication, non-stop entertainment and instant information. The numbers are staggering. By 2020, four billion people will have a personal computer. Five billion will own a mobile phone.
But this revolution has a dark side that the electronics industry doesn’t want you to see.
In an investigation that spans the globe, award-winning filmmaker Sue Williams investigates the underbelly of the international electronics industry and reveals how even the tiniest devices have deadly environmental and health costs.
“Death By Design” tells the stories of young Chinese workers laboring in unsafe conditions, American families living with the tragic consequences of the industry’s toxic practices, activists leading the charge to hold brands accountable, and passionate entrepreneurs who are developing more sustainable products and practices to safeguard our planet and our future.
From the intensely secretive electronics factories in China, to the high tech innovation labs of Silicon Valley, “Death By Design” tells a story of environmental degradation, of health tragedies, and the fast-approaching tipping point between consumerism and sustainability.
About Director Sue Williams
Sue Williams has produced and directed five critically acclaimed, feature documentaries about China for national PBS broadcast, including Frontline. Contemporary China features prominently in her most recent film, Death by Design. Sue also directed two highly praised biographies on Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary Pickford for the PBS series, “American Experience.” Her films have been broadcast in more than 25 countries and appeared in festivals around the world; they have won numerous awards, including the 2016 The Boston Globe Filmmakers Fund Award.
Death by Design: The Dirty Secret of Our Digital Addiction
The wireless revolution has a dark side, hidden from most consumers. In an investigation that spans the globe, “Death by Design” filmmaker Sue Williams investigates the underbelly of the electronics industry and reveals how even the smallest devices have deadly environmental and health costs. From the intensely secretive factories in China, to a ravaged New York community and the high tech corridors of Silicon Valley, the film “Death by Design: The Dirty Secret of Our Digital Addiction” tells a story of environmental degradation, of health tragedies, and the fast approaching tipping point between consumerism and sustainability.
How can my friends and community watch this film?
The documentary Death By Design is available to stream online via several platforms. Click here to watch. The film is also available to stream along with many other environmental documentaries from Bullfrog Films on OVID, an innovative subscription video-on-demand service featuring exclusive and hard-to-find documentaries, independent films and international cinema. Visit OVID.tv to learn more and start a free 7-day trial.
What can consumers do at the personal level?
Consumers can take personal actions to reduce their technological waste. This includes maximizing your electronic’s lifespan, reducing how often you upgrade your phone, and recycling or donating old electronics. A majority of Apple consumers upgrade their devices after two years, creating unnecessary e-waste.
Hang on to your device. Hold off on upgrading your cell phone or digital device for no reason or just because a new model is out. Ask yourself… Do you really need to upgrade?
Wired Uses Less Energy
Use Ethernet connected cell phones rather than cellular network. It is super easy to hardwire your cell phone once you have an adapter. Laptops and tablets also can be ethernet connected rather than wireless- using less energy. Streaming with a wired connection uses the least amount of energy- and reduces radiation exposure.
Prolong your cellphone and digital device lifespan by preserving the battery with these tips from Death by Design.
- Quit apps that you aren’t actively using and uninstall ones that you don’t use
- Upgrade your device’s software whenever a new version becomes available
- Turn on airplane mode at night or if you are not using it for a long period of time
- Try to charge your phone at around 50 percent
Fix your electronics if they break.
Replace your phone battery instead of upgrading to a new phone.
iFixit, a California-based company that emphasises sustainability and self-sufficiency offers guides, repair videos, tools and replacement parts for electronics. Do your part to lessen e-waste by taking the iFixit repair pledge.
Donate, recycle or sell if you must discard a device. Donate old electronics to public schools, nonprofits and charitable organizations. Recycle electronics by locating a recycling center near you.You can sell your old electronics at a variety of places, such as Gazelle, ecoATM and Amazon’s trade-in program. Green Talk can even help you sell damaged or broken electronics. The EPA offers a list of places to donate or recycle used devices.
Read more about reducing your e-waste at the Death by Design Solutions page.
Where do I find out more information on the new laws regarding the right to repair.
Click here to learn about the Fair Repair Bill just proposed in the US Congress.
Read about the New York State law at “Victory! New York Senate Passes Landmark Right to Repair Bill”. Kyle Wiens also shared “FTC Report Finds Manufacturer’s Repair Restrictions Unwarranted” and published a New York Times Opinion “Your Smartphone Should Be Built to Last.”
How do we hold companies accountable?
Companies that are harming the environment and their workers must be held accountable.
Demand accountability from your elected representatives, as well as support e-waste bills, such as the Secure E-Waste Export and Recycling Act (SEERA). Stay updated with the Fair Repair Bill just proposed in the US Congress and find out if your state has a bill in play to support.
Sign this petition “COMPLICIT: Demand Samsung and Apple Protect Workers from being Poisoned” to demand worker safety. Use your spending power wisely — you decide who gets your money.
Demand transparency from big corporations with your spending power.
Check out products from iameco, the world’s first ecologically sustainable computers.
Donate to organizations like the International Campaign for Responsible Technology or China Labor Watch, nonprofits who work to bring humanitarian justice and sustainability to the electronics world.
Check out these websites and organizations to learn more:
Coalition for American Electronics Recycling
