March 4, 2019 | Guelph, Ontario | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

The Guelph Tool Library’s Good Call cell phone recycling program joins zoo’s across North America for the “Gorillas On The Line...Answer the Call” Campaign. The goal of the campaign is to engage 10,000 children and other community members in gorilla conservation action and to collect 10,000 mobile phones for recycling.  New drop off locations have been added at the three Meridian Credit Union branches in Guelph to assist with the campaign.

Since December 5, 2018 the Guelph Tool Library, in partnership with the Toronto Zoo, has been trying to collect 1000 cell phones before Earth Day on April 22, 2019 for the Good Call Program.  Program Coordinator John Dennis states “we are excited to join the Gorillas on the Line…Answer the Call campaign.  Good Call has started off well and we have had a great response from the local community.  We have received just over 200 phones to date and we have sent 77 to the Toronto Zoo for processing through their Phone Apes Recycling Program.”

Elaine Christens of the Toronto Zoo, says “Gorillas on the Line…Answer the Call is a North American Zoo collaboration to raise awareness about the plight of gorillas in the wild. The goal of the campaign is to engage 10,000 children and other community members in gorilla conservation action and to collect 10,000 mobile phones for recycling. By working together, it is hoped to generate excitement, facilitate participation, expand awareness, and celebrate collective conservation impact for gorillas. All phones donated to the Toronto Zoo will be recycled here in Ontario. One-hundred percent of the funds raised will be donated to on the ground conservation programs in Africa, such Ape Action Africa, Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project, Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA).”

To help with the collection of phones new collection boxes have been set up at the three Meridian Credit Unions branches (2 Clair Rd East, 200 Speedvale Ave West, 370 Stone Rd West) in Guelph.  Additional places for dropping off phones include the three Planet Bean locations, 10C, the OPIRG Office at UofG, and the Guelph Tool Library.  Program Coordinator John Dennis said “we have a number of local high schools, businesses, neighbourhood groups and churches helping us out with collecting phones.  People are open to the idea of collecting the phones once they understand the goals of the program.” 

The Good Call Program was started to serve two goals, to help protect habitat for Lowland Gorillas and to provide a source of working phones for people in Guelph that may not be able to afford new phones.  Guelph Tool Library Coordinator Saba Saneinejad said “Good Call was a natural fit for us.  We have expertise to fix phones through our Repair Café Guelph program and it reflects our zero-waste initiative supported through an Ontario Trillium Grant”.

Broken and older cell phones go to the Toronto Zoo for recycling through the Phone Apes Recycling Program.  Newer, working cell phones will be serviced by Tool Library volunteers and given to those that are in need of new cell phones. Chalmers Community Services Centre, Hope House, and the Guelph Community Health Centre have offered to redistribute phones once they become available.

Volunteers are currently working though the donated phones to ensure they are cleared, unlocked, and in working order with the needed accessories. The first set of repurposed phones will go to Chalmers Community Services Centre this month for distribution.  As the program receives additional donations, phones that are working or refurbished will be distributed to the participating locations.

For those wishing to donate a phone, please ensure that the device is unlocked from your provider and cleared of all personal information. This can be done by following instructions provided by the manufacturer, or by visiting our website for more details.

 

About the Guelph Tool Library

The Guelph Tool Library started in 2016.  We have built our membership to over 300 members and acquired over 650 tools.  All the tools in the library have been donated or purchased through donations and are maintained by volunteers.  With a low cost membership of $40/year, community members gain access to a wide variety of tools.  Tool Libraries reduce the carbon foot print of tool use by offering an alternative way to work with and share tools.  They can be contacted at info@guelphtoollibrary.org

About Transition Guelph

Transition Guelph is a group of citizens coming together as volunteers to promote processes and projects for strengthening community resilience and economic vitality. Each project associated with Transition Guelph is initiated by an interested community member, and grows according to local needs and resources. Our goal is to create a richer, more vibrant community through the re-localization of the services and resources that we need in order to survive and thrive in a world of long-term energy cost increases, climate change, and growing instability in the world economy.  They can be contacted at info@transitionguelph.org.