Transforming Discarded Tech into Digital Access | EcoTech Insights

org. And Brandon, it's really great to have you here. I'd love to learn more about Human IT and your background.

Yeah, thank you for having me, Bonnie. Really pleasure to be here. Um, hello everybody.

Thanks for dropping in. Um, yes, my name is Brandon Smith. Uh, I have two roles.

Um, my nine to five is, is with Human it, it's a nonprofit organization, um, founded in 2012. We have headquartered in Southern California and facilities in Detroit, but we're essentially a global IT a provider, so an IT asset disposition slash e-waste provider. And we're here to create equitable access to opportunity.

And we do that by taking in unwanted obsolete hardware like desktops, laptops, tablets, you name it, wiping the data, refurbishing it, and then looking it to give it a second life to help students, low income families, veterans and nonprofits of all types gain and digital access. So that's my first role. org.

Uh, I was glad enough to meet that, that group, uh, early on in their founding, but essentially they're thought leadership group composed of thought leaders, executives, visionaries that are really paving the way of that intersection between sustainability and it. And there's a lot of buzz right now around sustainability, electricity usage or water usage, other precious resources, AI and, and what's happening there and how can we let it breathe and, and live and, and pursue its own growth, right? So it's a great time to to to be in this space.

My background was nine years ago actually at Human it. I started as a volunteer. Um, I gave away a little girl, got her very first computer in South central Los Angeles, and I got to hand that to her and I saw her life change, uh, which thereby changed mine, you know, both personally, professionally that day.

Um, giving a little girl her computer and seeing her breakdown. And I didn't know if that meant now I can do my homework or talk to my friends or, or, or watch cartoons and, and frankly didn't matter. You know, I'm, I was very privileged to have a smartwatch and a smartphone and a smart car and all the devices I would ever need at home.

Um, and, and she did not have any of that. I was employee number nine, uh, soon thereafter. And, uh, growing the organization to, to what it is today, pushing over 16 million pounds of bewa away from shredders, landfills and developing countries and, and looking to give that equipment a second life to those in need.

That is so rewarding. And, and you're really getting reward on both sides of it because you're recycling, you're, you're getting rid of e-waste in a responsible way, but you're also making a difference in children's lives. What, what is that like?

Yeah, you know, it's, it's one of those aha type experiences. When I tell people what we do, like of course, you know, it's obviously there once you pull back the curve just a little bit, it's not ever been an issue of supply. It's, it's one of allocation, right?

You've got e-waste, it's the largest growing waste stream on the planet. You've got one out of five kids here in the us they go home after school and don't have a computer or an internet connection. So it's just about reframing people's thoughts.

We grew up thinking recycling was best, let's go recycle, but why recycle when you can reuse? And I think that's always been our vision. What might not work in an organization after three, four years still has three, four years life left, um, out in a community for a kid to do their homework or a parent to pay their utility bill.

That's what I'm grateful to do and, and has been for sailing over my nine years here, is to work with good people and good organizations that look at this equipment and say something could and should be done with it. And it's aligned with their executive team and their ESG and their sustainability goals. And then I also get to be a voice for those on the wrong side of the digital to divide those that lack digital access as well as for the environment and, and fighting against improper disposal.

How Do you coordinate all of that? You have so many companies that probably have all this, uh, like you mentioned, laptops that may are in, you know, good condition, don't need it anymore, but then you're, you're looking for the, the communities that will benefit from them. What, what is that task like matching everything up?

Yeah, it's crazy that we do it all in one house. Um, because we are, there's two sides to the organization, to your, to your point, Bonnie, right? We're an i a provider doing the logistics, global logistics, corporate grade data sanitization to NIST to 888 HIPAA and DOD compliances being NAAA certified to manage the reporting and documentation for that.

Um, and, and making sure that there's ESG impact reporting built into that. So it's everything that everybody would need from an ewas provider perspective, including the data and asset management, transfer liability and ownership, all of that. Um, while on the other side of the house, we're also working with, directly with individuals, with families, with veterans, with and, and directly with nonprofits to help them get digital access.

We, we like to see where the nonprofits nonprofit, we can help them get the technology to do the good work that they do that empowers their mission. Can you talk about digital inclusion? You mentioned this earlier and, and I'm wondering if you could explain it and why it's important.

Yeah, so digital inclusion is, is often the thing that we take for granted, right? It's, it's that digital access. I think Covid really highlighted that the, the story that I didn't always agree with, but was certainly floated around there.

Um, you know, pre pandemic was, well, can't they go to a local library or sit outside of Starbucks and do their homework? And, you know, very early I met a family, their poor daughter had autism and then she was in fourth grade and they were putting her on a city bus to go to the local library that had a two hour time limit to do their homework, to figure out on their own how to use the device, but also to, to accomplish their homework. And they'd miss dinner, they'd hop back on that city bus and go back home in the evening hours.

And that was a typical Wednesday, you know, typical Monday through Friday, quite frankly. So for us, it's, it's more than just getting folks a device. You want a laptop, typically you want something mobile, something goes in a backpack, that type of thing.

Um, with software fully refurbished, ready to go to support, um, someone's needs, right? But secondly, you do need high speed internet, low cost internet. 100% of the people that we work with, uh, typically for internet are low income.

So you want that same high speed experience that we all get, but you want it for 10 or 15 bucks a month. And by working with existing ISPs and the programs that they have, we actually hop on the phone with them, call them, find the internet that works best in their area, make sure that they're not upsold or, or directed in a way that isn't what they're expecting on the backend, um, and help them get the internet that makes sense for them. I would say third, how to use and utilize a device.

This is everything from the basics of how to turn it on and build a resume or, or hop online or stay safe online to even financial literacy. So I mean, the opportunity there is endless once you have that knowhow. And then the fourth and final part is going to be support, right?

So, uh, with anyone that gets a device from us, from a recipient standpoint, it's going to have one year hardware warranty. So if anything breaks or doesn't work, it's a repair replace situation, no questions asked. So we wanna make sure they're fully supported.

If they get stuck somewhere, Hey, I can't figure this out, I need some assistance here. They can text or call or email in and we'll actually guide them through that experience. So giving someone the device, the internet, the training and the support is what really creates that true digital citizen to make sure that this device sustains them through their journey of doing their homework, paying their bills, applying for jobs, going back to school, accessing telehealth, and the breadth of other ways that people utilize a device here in 2024.

org at their wonderful, uh, gala event. And I know now you lead the Southern California chapter. So can you share a little bit more about what that entails?

It was, it was great to meet people from all over the world, but I'm curious what's happening in Southern California. Yes. You know, sustainable it, they've been a wonderful partner from the very beginning.

I was able to meet one of their introductory founders very early on. I had actually come off of an event. He saw us speak for three to five minutes as a, as a keynote at an event.

And he caught me after and said, Hey, I'm meeting a lot of people in IT that feel very bound with their obligations of what they're there to do every day. And they wanna make a difference outside of their walls. How can they help people on the planet?

And you know, in my experience is it has always or often been that when they're at their best, things are quiet. There's not a lot of praise or recognition 'cause things are all working and everyone's supported and connected and, and things are just going swimmingly, no cyber attacks or anything like that. So in working with sustainable IT that they wanted to actually be leaders and trailblazers in that arena of how can we push the envelope for where we are right now?

How can we proactively make a difference for things that come up like gen ai, how can we research, how can we set standards? I've gotten to see this group grow from a, a small dozen folks on a board of directors to, to hundreds of members to a 300 person event. You know, just last week, um, that I had the pleasure of meeting you, AB Bonnie, their, their momentum and continues to grow as the sustainable IT chapter lead in Southern California.

I work more regionally with the folks out here sustainable. It is very diverse. There's every industry you could imagine.

There's every company size. So it's about working with people on that local level, getting them introduced to the idea of sustainable IT, learning from each other, networking, sharing best practices. I think that's the best thing, both at a local and everyone has been through and had those same problems.

And working together allows us to achieve these goals collectively, um, and create that more equitable, uh, secure world and future through technology. Well, a Lot of people are talking about ESG and they'll be talking about it more even next year. What are some of your recommendations for organizations to manage it?

In terms of technical tools? I would say there, there's two things there. The first one would be working with partners and vendors that speak the same language and have the same goals.

So your, your network is an extension of your organization, right? Your customers, your clients know no different. Um, so working with them and making sure that you're revisiting maybe processes, procedures, partnerships that have been around for a long time.

We're in a very different planet than it was just 5, 10, 5 or 10 years ago. And really looking to, to channel those into, to one another. And I think you do that primarily through tangible, similar metrics and reporting.

So that's the big thing, is it's one thing to do good work and, and, and feel like you're making a difference, but if you're not speaking the same language as your employees and your executives and everybody in between, you're gonna miss the mark. Typically, folks are not end to end when they're looking at their sustainability strategies. That's something that I've seen a lot more, particularly, again, driven by sustainable it.

So it's not just the output. There's a lot more opportunity on the front end. So looking at going from a refresh cycle at your organization from three years to four years, well, you just reduced 25% of your footprint and 25% of your cost just by squeezing a little bit more life outta that device.

That certainly could if done the right way and purchased at the right level on the front end, has more time left in it. You also look at energy usage and working with organizations and, and groups like ServiceNow. I know they do a great job of actually tracking energy usage for your devices.

Also the, your networking gear and your servers and switches in the back. So if you have dark data and you're not using it for anything and you're just paying to support it and dumping water and electricity and money into supporting something that you don't long, you no longer need. Right?

Are you sourcing this through renewable energy? Are you buying secondhand devices or are you making sure that your devices, um, are repairable or swappable? You know, over time, and I know there's different manufacturers that are finally moving toward more of a model like that.

So not everything's soldered together and you're stuck and three years later it's done when it comes to hardware and working with procurement and letting sustainability know what what you're doing, um, and letting them be part of that conversation and, and know what you're doing and why you're making certain decisions. That's a good point and well said. Um, looking forward, you know, your organization has already grown and it's, it's so successful and inspiring.

What do you see for the future? What are some of your goals for Human it? We've, we've come a long way.

You know, when I started in, in nine years ago, like I said, it was, uh, lack of better word, dumpster diving. It was folks didn't, we were a nonprofit with a dream and not a lot of reputability because these are people's data. So to hand over your, your hard drive and, and your data to folks, it was, it was a convincing argument to say the least sometimes.

We've always said we're not gonna ask people to sacrifice business services, um, in order to make a difference. So that's something that we've leaned into over the years is we need to be as good, if not better than everybody else out there from a iChat provider perspective and from an e-waste management standpoint, so that we can make a difference in the world. 'cause we can't ask people to sacrifice service or pay more or do anything like that in order to make an impact.

It's our dream is to be that household name of I've got a cell phone in a drawer at home. You know, where, where can I get that wiped and refurbished and get back out there? I, I know it still could be used, right?

Same questions. I'm looking at my IT closet or we're moving to the cloud. What do we do with this stuff?

I'd love for us to be that name that comes to mind and, and give folks an opportunity to make a social and environmental impact on behalf of their organizations by working with us. Also letting nonprofits and organizations and, and, and folks on the wrong side, the digital divide, know that there's someone out there that cares. I think It's great and you can just tell by some of the pictures that you've shared.

And we're, we're sharing now with our viewers the inspiration that you've created, the lives that you're changing, and you are making the planet a better place, less waste, which is always good. So Brandon Smith, thank you so much for joining me today. Thank You having me, Bonnie.

I appreciate it. It's great to be here.