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Nov. 28 - High School Students Get Energized Learning Three R's - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, via GoVios Students Going Green Handset Recycling Initiative

Schools and the Nature Conservancy to benefit from students' actions, starting with 9:38 a.m. assembly detailing cell phone battery toxicity.

While there are lots of people talking about conservation and environmental issues, groups of Kansas and Missouri students are mobilizing and taking action. When the Students Going Green(TM) Handset Drive kicks off this week at two Kansas City area high schools, the emcee, Joe Caronia, won't be there to lecture about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, a regular teen topic: he will talk about the impact the high school students' prized possession and that of other family members' has on the environment when discarded in the trash. The Handset Drive PowerPoint presentation will paint a pointed picture of what the impact of a single cell phone disposed of improperly has on drinking water - that the contamination effects multiplied out by a single school's student body pose a multi-million gallon crisis of shocking implications. a¨a¨

"America's youth gets the concept of recycling," said Grant Wilms, CEO of GoVios and originator of the Handset Drive concept. "It's the very real proportions they have trouble envisioning. When we put it in terms they can understand - that one cell phone contaminates 40,000 gallons of water and those of a student body of 800 can contaminate 32 million gallons of water, or that tossing just 10 phones can be equated with contaminating a single basketball court covered in 13 feet of water - they don't have to be math geniuses to recognize the stark reality confronting our fragile environment. a¨a¨

"The green movement is about more than political correctness or corporate responsibility. Going Green(TM), and specifically our Students Going Green program, has the potential to transform the way kids view their global impact, their actions and results of their inaction, and of technology in relation to the world's future." a¨a¨

If contaminating the earth's drinking water is not enough to wake the public up, a closer examination of how the minerals are mined to produce a handset and its battery is warranted. For example, the mineral Columbium-tantalite (Colton) is used to create the capacitors in handsets - this mineral is what makes today's handsets smaller.

Colton mining occurs in Australia, Canada and the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo). In just the past several years in the DRC, the reduction of the Eastern Lowland Gorilla population from 13,000 to fewer than 3,000 has been attributed to two main reasons: clearing of the forest for mining and for "bushmeat." The minors and rebels who run the Coltan mines kill the Gorillas for meat. Usually, a Gorilla carcass can fetch around USD$5.00.

"Coltan reclaimed from used handsets can be repurposed to eliminate the need to mine for Coltan," added Wilms.

The Students Going Green handset Recycling program is focused on building student awareness, and it gets youth actively involved in recycling efforts by furnishing them with a Students Going Green recycling bag to collect used handsets and batteries from home. The bags will be distributed to each student by teachers, and, after a week of collecting used handsets, they will be placed in recycle bags and turned in to GoVios. In addition to the educational component, the group or class of kids from each school grade on a district level that collects the most used handsets will be recognized for its achievement with a pizza party. All proceeds from the Student Going Green Handset Drive will be donated to The Nature Conservancy and the participating schools.

The Students Going Green Handset Drive event gets mobilized on November 28, 2007, at Kansas and Missouri high schools: a¨a¨

. Notre Dame de Sion High School in Kansas City, Missouri, gets running with its Handset Drive at its assembly at 9:38 a.m. a¨a¨

. Olathe South High School in Olathe, Kansas, gets moving with the first of four separate assemblies starting at 11:30 a.m. a¨a¨

The Handset Drive will be a one-week drive at which time all handsets will be totaled up and prizes given. a¨a¨

"Excursions by students to area wetlands has already exposed to students to precious and endangered wildlife habitats," added Wilms. "Beginning with awareness and education efforts while kids are young is the key to preserving nature for all of us." a¨a¨

To learn more about the Students Going Green program and its school outreach program, contact Michael Radencich at 800-466-3550. a¨a¨

MEDIA: To make arrangements for pre or post event interviews (GoVios pickup at schools or prizes), or to request additional hi-res photos, contact Michael Radencich at 800-466-3550.

CONTACT:a¨
Michael D. Radencicha¨
Environmental Advocacy Directora¨
GoViosa¨
6520 West 110th St.a¨Suite 202a¨
Overland Park, KS 66211a¨
PHONE. 800-466-3550a¨
FAX. 8153614175a¨
EMAIL: mradencich@govios.coma¨
'http://www.govios.com'
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   Mr. Mike Radencich
   govios
   overland park,    KS,    66211
   USA
   660-367-3599 (phone)
   8153614175 (fax)
   Mradencich@govios.com
   www.govios.com