November 23, 2004

Tech It or Leave It

Collective Good Charity

Your relationships with tech toys are a whole lot like your relationships with people.

There’s the struck-by-Cupid’s-arrow moment(you saw your PalmOne across a crowded Best Buy), the honeymoon phase (you didn’t leave your phone cam’s side for weeks), and the easy companionship period (you knew that StarTAC like the back of your hand).

Alas, then comes the moment when you realize the thrill is gone. Piles of discarded gadgets are filling up drawers and closets all over your home.

Recycle those unwanted phones, PDAs, pagers, and accessories through collectivegood.com. (It’s so easy; they’ll even provide you with a postage-paid label.) Your discarded gear will get refurbished and restored for use in a developing country where a StarTAC might still get a little love. And if your device can’t be reused, it will be recycled properly according to EPA standards. So your technology habit won’t — ahem — poison the planet.

For each phone you send, collectivegood.com will make a donation to the charity of your choice. You’ll be giving even as you’re giving. It may just change your whole relationship to technology.

Let’s hope it carries over into your romantic life.

For more information, go to collectivegood.com.