News Releases from Region 03

EPA donates 60 laptop computers to two Philadelphia High Schools

(PHILADELPHIA - - April 24, 2018) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today donated 60 used laptop computers to two Philadelphia high schools -- Abraham Lincoln High School and Simon Gratz High School. 

The EPA computers will be placed in schools’ computer labs for students to use for research and study purposes.

“Electronics recycling gives old electronics new life,” said EPA Deputy Regional Administrator Cecil Rodrigues.  “The reuse of laptops provides both educational benefits while also improving the environment by conserving resources and reducing air and water pollution.” 

Recycling old or used electronics has many environmental benefits. The re-use of 60 laptops is the equivalent to taking three passenger cars off the road for a full year, and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 28.2 metric tons.

EPA presented the computers to Simon Gratz Principal Peter Langer and Abraham Lincoln Principal Jack Nelson during an event at Simon Gratz High School.

"The EPA's donation will help us fulfill our mission of providing students the academic and personal skills they need to be truly successful in high school, after graduation and beyond,” said Simon Gratz High School Principal Peter Langer. “Students will use these laptops to do everything from homework to filling out scholarship applications. We're ready to put these computers to good use and can't thank the EPA enough for selecting our school.”

"These donated laptops will be used by Abraham Lincoln High School's Environmental Engineering (EE) pathway; one of the pathways is under the umbrella of the Academy of the Sciences.  This donation certainly highlights the sustainability theme that laptops no longer in use by a company can find a new stage in the educational forum,” said Abraham Lincoln High School Principal Jack Nelson. “The EE program will be able to use these laptops in an array of activities from environmental project based learning and with added applications to engineering modeling and design."

The most recently available data shows that in the U.S. more than 3.36 million tons of electronics entered the waste stream in 2014. Of this, more than 1.40 million tons were donated or recycled, avoiding more than 3.6 million tons of CO₂ emissions, equivalent to taking 715,000 cars off the road for a year. Reuse of the computers also keeps harmful electronics waste out of landfills.

EPA partnered with the U.S. General Services Administration Computers for Learning Program to donate the computers. To learn more about the Computers for Learning Program, go to: https://www.gsa.gov/tools/property-disposal-auctions-etools/computers-for-learning-program.

For more information on how businesses and organizations can donate or recycle used laptops and other electronics, go to: https://www.epa.gov/recycle/electronics-donation-and-recycling#where 

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