From e-waste to better mental health

On 7 December 2019 we're asking as many people as possible to bring out your cables to Edinburgh Gardens. We're collecting them, getting cash from a recycler for them and handing that money directly to Lifeline Australia.

The Facebook event is running it all - Bring Out Your Cables

Why Bring Out Your Cables?

In short, because I moved houses with a box of old cables and friends told me they'd done the same.

Surplus to requirements thanks to WiFi and Bluetooth, or the ever-updating USB protocol.

So we found a recycler that would take them off our hands. They said they'd need us to cut the ends off, which we can do with cutters, and wouldn't even charge us for recycling.

They'd pay us $1.80 per kilo of cables!

It didn't feel right to keep the money if we were encouraging people to donate their old cables.

There's merit in diverting e-waste from landfill to recycling but for the effort and the vibes we decided the funds should go to charity.

Much like cables, mental health and services related to mental health don't descriminate. And both cables and mental health services connect people without prejudice or favour.

This seemed like a great fit.

In previous roles I worked at ABC Melbourne producing live radio. For a while, particularly following Prof Patrick McGorry's Austrlaian of the Year award, we were covering mental health quite a bit on the show.

With good reason. Research and data was showing how much of a significant problem so many people were having with different aspects of mental health, beit anxiety, depression, lonliness or others.

Often at the end of an interview the line necessary to include was the Lifeline Australia number as the best place people could call if there was one to call for mental health.

It's a number many people in the ABC who work in roles that require public communication have committed to memory (it's 6 numbers - 13 11 14 - so don't go patting anyone on the back about it!) and will include in reports where necessary.

So Lifeline Australia is the sole beneficiary of our little event.

100% of the money for cables goes to them. And they get the bar profits too.

Oh yeah, we'll have a bar there with a special Edinburgh Gardens themed beer from Bodriggy Brewery.

That's a coincidence - us holding the event at Edinburgh Gardens and Bodriggy doing a beer - it really is. A really nice coincidence.

So come along! Bring Out Your Cables inaguaral event.

It's going to be bare-bones, every expense spared, get the job done, pragmatic beers to be had and maybe a picnic after.

You can help!

By sharing the event around your work or on your socials and bringing out your cables!

If you'd like to host your own Bring Out Your Cables we'd love that!

We can give you a hand.

Ideally, if there's a bit of enthusiasm for the idea we'd love it to be replicated around the country to minimise e-waste, get people connecting and get some more money for Lifeline to answer ever call they get.

Facebook event - Bring Out Your Cables

Chec