Recycle your old phone and save the Rainforest? Check out how..
Topher White found an issue while in Borneo Rainforest: Deforestation was happening around every corner and while there were laws and Rangers in place to stop this, they simply had trouble finding these loggers before it was too late. He found that a group of loggers could be hard at work only a block away and, due to the thickness of the forest and the incredible cacophony of sounds it's life produces, the Rangers could not even hear the chainsaws in action. But with this major problem, Topher had a great solution..
Attach used cell phones to trees to monitor the sounds of the rainforest, strictly for chainsaw noises.
Topher re-purposes used cell phones, which millions of people discard every year, to be our ears in the rainforest and help us stop deforestation in real time, rather than waiting until it is too late. His innovation is incredible and proven to be solving a huge issue that people often forget about. Check out his TED talk below (~9 min) and hear his cool story on how it all came together.
If you're like us and want to send him your used cell phones sitting in that endless drawer at home, here's a link to his website with the address. Don't worry, he'll wipe the phones clean before using them as well.