"The poor suffer the assault of powerlessness and exclusion that can decrease their sense of their own humanity. The rich become enmeshed in a system that equates human worth with material possessions, distorting their sense of humanity."—William Barry (27)

Be Good Stewards

Make efficient use of the technology you have been given and the resources it took to produce it.

Each year 50 million PCs become obsolete in the USA. Placed end to end, they would stretch from California to Uganda and back. Much of this technology is still fully serviceable for the needs of African communities.

It took about 89,352,000 tons of raw materials-including fossil fuels, water and metal ores-to produce those obsolete PCs and monitors. (25) That equates in tonnage to about 1,540 very big battleships.

Protect the environment. Reduce the amount of waste that goes prematurely into landfills. (26)

Ninety per cent of America's used computers and monitors are not being recycled. A single recycler in Omaha processes 242 tons of obsolete electronic equipment a year—equal to twelve 40-foot semi loads. And that is less than 10% of what our city is producing each year.

Empower the poor. Give them the tools they need to help themselves.

According to a World Bank forum called "Voices of the Poor," which received feedback from 60,000 people in 60 countries, people wanted access to knowledge and opportunities instead of charity to fight conditions leading to poverty.

"It's our job to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. It's our responsibility to cast off each other's chains."—Former President Bill Clinton (28)