No organization has done more than SVTC to call attention to and improve the environmental health and safety practices of the global electronics industry. Since 1982 SVTC has worked with hundreds of communities and companies locally and around the world to raise the environmental consciousness and performance of the high-tech sector.

Twenty years of SVTC activism has expanded awareness of high-tech's toxic legacy and moved industry to eliminate some chemical toxins and begin to adopt more sustainable practices. But the rapid changes and the global growth of high-tech pose new challenges that SVTC is rising to meet.

The beginning of the new millennium marked the maturation of several projects and the opportunity to embark on new and exciting ventures. We were successful in garnering financial support for these projects which allowed us to hire new project staff. We have new enthusiasm for our mission to advance sustainable and cleaner production in the high-tech industry, to actively promote environmental justice not just in Silicon Valley but around the world, and to significantly expand our national and international organizing efforts around high-tech hazards.

2001
Please read our 2001 Accomplishments. There is also a PDF version available.

2000
Read our annual report for 2000. This is a pdf file.

1999
Read about our accomplishments in 1999, or for a PDF version of the 1999 accomplishments.

The Clean Computer Campaign was launched in 1997. This campaign works to clean-up the life-cycle of computer manufacturing and promote environmentally sustainable development, extended producer responsibility and corporate and government accountability. Recent publications include: Exporting Harm:The High-Tech Trashing of Asia, and Poison PCs/Toxic TVs, and End-of- Year Report Cards documenting the environmental performances of computer companies. SVTC coordinates the Computer TakeBack Campaign, a national network of organizations advocating for extended producer responsibility. SVTC staff have attended and spoken at numerous conferences and meetings in the United States, Europe and Asia to find solutions to the growing problems of computer waste.

The Sustainable Water Program is a multi-year effort to eliminate toxic contaminants -- such as mercury and PCBs -- from streams and groundwater and to promote water conservation and closed loop systems in the South Bay. SVTC played a key role in developing the Silicon Valley Environmental Index. SVTC's Clean Streams/Clean Bay Project, brings Oak Grove and Pioneer High School Students together with SVTC staff to monitor local streams for toxic PCB contamination using bagged clams.

The Health and Environmental Justice Project is a partnership to identify, reduce and prevent exposure to toxic chemicals. SVTC was awarded a four-year grant from the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences. This project will be conducted in collaboration with the Santa Clara Center for Occupational Safety and Health, the Santa Clara County Health Department and UC-Berkeley researchers. We have developed an ambitious four year workplan focusing on empowerment, health data collection and management, and cleaner production.

The International Campaign for Responsible Technology is an international network launched by SVTC in 1992 to ensure that high-tech development is sustainable and non--polluting. SVTC staff have attended conferences in Europe and the United States, have written articles for publications such as the FORUM Journal for Applied Research, and have made presentations at numerous university classes and conferences on the environmental, occupational, economic and social impacts of high-tech development in communities around the world.

Communications and media continues to be a priority for SVTC. With concentrated efforts on media outreach and communications, SVTC received national media coverage in the LA Times, Chicago Tribute, Christian Science Monitor, World Watch, National Public Radio and the Portland Oregonian. SVTC's award-winning web site (www.svtc.org) and the Family of ECO-Maps were highlighted on web-based news such as C/NET, Salon.com, and Wired.

The Pollution Prevention Center serves as a catalyst for developing state-of-the-art pollution prevention strategies to reduce toxic discharges into San Francisco Bay. An agreement signed in 1993 with the City of San Jose grew into the Pollution Prevention Center (PPC). Industry, local government, and environmental representatives serve on its governing body. Ted Smith is a board member.

The Environmental Partnership is a collaboration between industry and environmental organizations that grew out of Joint Venture:Silicon Valley. Ted Smith is a founding board member.