Community Service Spotlight: Gunther puts interest in technology towards recycling computers

Sophomore+Ivan+Gunther+with+a+representation+of+the+volunteer+work+he+did+at+Free+Geek.

Diane Huang

Sophomore Ivan Gunther with a representation of the volunteer work he did at Free Geek.

Diane Huang, Online Editor-in-Chief

It seems that technology bears the brunt of human carelessness and frustration. Whether it’s through a fit of anger or simple carelessness, screens are cracked and hardware is destroyed. All in all, technology is perhaps the most satisfying object to purposely destroy (how many YouTube videos of phones in microwaves are there?) yet one of the more terrifying ones to accidentally do so. However, Free Geek, a project by the non-profit organization, Twin Cities Open Circuit, allows volunteers to take apart computers while feeling good about it.

“Free Geek…takes apart old unwanted computers, salvages the parts that are still functional, and uses those parts to make cheaper computers that they sell as cheaply as possible to [those that need them],” sophomore Ivan Gunther, who volunteered at Free Geek, said.

Twin Cities Open Circuit espouses responsible recycling of technological waste, or “e-waste,” and encourages awareness of the environmental impact of e-waste. “87.5% of [e-waste] goes straight to the garbage, ending up in landfills and incinerators. CRT monitors are especially toxic, containing four to eight pounds of lead. But in that 12.5% that does get recycled, 50-80% is shipped directly to Asia or Africa. That waste in turn is often burned or dumped, polluting the water or air,” Amanda Luker of Twin Cities Open Circuit said. Free Geek aims to give discarded computers to families in need of them that could otherwise not afford it. Thus, after the success of Free Geek in Portland, Oregon, TC Open Circuit opened a Minneapolis location.

[It’s the] most rewarding experience of destruction I have ever felt.

— sophomore Ivan Gunther

Walk-in volunteers at Free Geek are assigned low-skill jobs, such as taking apart the electronics. “It was very manual labor, but it was a lot of fun taking apart stuff and seeing how it worked — almost like reverse legos,” Gunther said.

Gunther’s favorite job was “the block.” To make sure that the hard drives that are turned in don’t fall into the wrong hands, “you smash ‘em,” Gunther said. “There’s something called ‘the spike’ … there’s a large wooden block with a hole through it and a slot for the hard drive. You put the hard drive in…you put the spike in and you take a giant hammer and smash it on the spike — [it’s the] most rewarding experience of destruction I have ever felt,” he said.

At Free Geek, Gunther was able to pick up enough skills to help him build his own computer: “I learned that it’s better to have a screwdriver that’s slightly smaller than the screw and that torques are a lot more important than you think,” he said. Gunther recommends the experience to people who are “especially into technology.”