Don't Pitch That Old Cell Phone

AT&T has just announced that they have sold out of their presale allocation of two million units of the new iPhone 4S and the other major carriers are reporting similar sales.

That is a whole bunch of people replacing their old cell phones.  The question is what do you do with your old cell phone once you have upgraded?

As with any technology, simply throwing it away is not a good answer.  Once cell phone can pollute up to 132,000 liters of water and it is estimated that over two million mobile phones are dumped in landfills each and every week.

With October being Domestic Violence Awareness month, you should be aware of a better option.  Not only is this option the green way of ridding yourself of an unwanted cell phone, this option that can help you save a life.

The Julian Center in Indianapolis accepts old cell phones as donations to help victims of domestic violence.

If you are unfamiliar with The Julian Center, their mission is to provide counseling, safe shelter, case management, advocacy and education for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other life crises.  Located in downtown Indianapolis, The Julian Center helps over 5,500 victims each and every year.

So how can your old cell phone help?  By law, operational cell phones are required to always be able to connect to 911 emergency services whether they are activated or not.  When you donate your old cell phone it will be given out as a lifeline to domestic violence victims, ensuring that help is always a button push away.

The Julian Center will also take broken cell phones or those that are missing pieces such as the power adapter.  These broken devices are recycled with the funds being returned to The Julian Center for usage in their various programs.

Donating your old cell phone to The Julian Center is simple!

1. Erase any stored information including your contact list, text messages, and listings of incoming and outgoing messages
2. Make sure your account for that phone has been cancelled or transferred with your service provider
3. Drop off your donation at The Julian Center shelter located at 2011 North Meridian Street or at their donation center, Thrifty Threads, 1501 West 86th Street.

Donating your old cell phone to The Julian Center is not only a green alternative to simply throwing it away, but allows your phone to become a critical lifeline for victims of domestic violence as they seek to regain control of their lives.

If you have any further questions concerning the cell phone donation program, would like to organize a cell phone donation drive, or would like to help The Julian Center in other ways, please contact them at 317-941-2200 or visit their website at http://www.juliancenter.org

C Robert Dillon   is the digital developer at  WISH-TV  in Indianapolis and serves as a technology consultant and on-air contributor to WISH as well as the technology expert and host of the Taming Technology segment on Indy Style. Opinions presented are those of the author and not necessarily of LIN Media, WISH-TV, or Indy Style.  You can keep up with Rob on  Twitter ,   Facebook , or   Google+   .