2010-12-07ch1_our_disposable_livesTommy7:00 AMUpdating His Status/img/our-disposable-lives/facebook-homepage.jpgWhen Tommy wakes up each morning he turns on some music and checks Facebook. After he updates his status with a comment about this week's viral YouTube video, he texts his friend Michael asking if he needs a ride to school. Teens send an average of 1,500 texts a month according to the <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/topics/Teens.aspx" target="_blank">Pew Research Center.</a> Plus, kids are getting phones at younger ages, which means more people are buying, using and throwing away cell phones than ever before. Recycling phones helps decrease e-waste in landfills, check out <a href="http://recyclemycellphone.org/why.shtml" target="_blank">RecycleMyCellPhone.org</a> for more details.7:50 AMFixing a Broken Device/img/our-disposable-lives/street-map.jpgAs he starts his car, Tommy notices that his GPS is flashing an error message. He's only had it for a year, so he decides to take a quick look at it. He shuts off his car engine instead of idling as he examines the broken device. Tommy's pretty good with electronics, but he'll have to take this one in to be repaired. He'd really like to buy the latest model, but if it can be fixed, he doesn't want to waste it. In 2003, Americans spent $96 billion on electronics according to research by the Consumer Electronics Association. By 2005, 1.5 to 1.9 million tons of used or unwanted electronics were dumped into landfills. 9:35 AMFeeling Spaced Out/img/our-disposable-lives/saturn-odl.jpgIn between classes, Tommy tweets on his smartphone about his day with details about his breakfast and broken GPS. He checks his favorite site that has a <a href="http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/" target="_blank">new image from space each day</a>. Tommy hopes to use his tech savvy for a career at <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/index.html" target="_blank">NASA</a>. He's thinking of majoring in computer science or engineering in college. Who would have thought going to space camp over the summer would turn into a career ambition? To find options about a career with NASA, explore their <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/careers-index.html" target="_blank">career advice for students.</a> 11:05 AMJunk in the Atmosphere/img/our-disposable-lives/space-junk-odl.jpgWhile perusing headlines for the school newspaper, Tommy's two interests have an intergalactic collision -- space junk is orbiting the Earth! Debris from spacecraft is speeding around the planet at 17,500 mph, the U.S. Space Command monitors the space junk to help avoid any damage to shuttles of the International Space Station. Some orbital debris even lands on Earth, falling down like meteors. However, most of it lands in the water. So, why so much man-made junk circling the Earth? Old satellites, nuts, bolts, metal and parts are all forms of waste that NASA cannot dispose of properly. Tommy hopes he can one day help find a way to rid Earth's atmosphere of space junk.2:35 PMMichael and Tommy Brainstorm/img/our-disposable-lives/computer-lab.jpgDuring computer class Michael asks for Tommy's help designing flyers for his new recycling campaign. In an effort to reduce waste and help Michael out, Tommy suggests that they create a website and Facebook group to promote his campaign instead of wasting paper. Did you know that 35% of trees that are chopped down are used for paper production? Recycling paper not only reduces the amount of trees needed for production, reusing paper decreases the amount of paper waste we put in landfills. Get <a href="http://www.channelone.com/news/paper-waste" target="_blank">more facts here.</a> 3:40 PMHis Domain/img/our-disposable-lives/tommy-character.jpgTommy stays late in the computer lab working on the website for the recycling efforts. With the help of his teacher who is now the adviser for the program, they register a domain name and design the site to include environmental resources and the school map to show where the new bins will be located. Tommy emails a couple of his friends from the school newspaper to contribute weekly pieces about the environment for the new site's green blog. To learn more about the environment to write your own blog or articles for the school newspaper, follow the latest news and studies at <a href="http://www.epa.gov" target="_blank">EPA.gov </a> or <a href="http://earth911.com/" target="_blank">Earth911.org.</a>5:00 PMAvoiding eWaste/img/our-disposable-lives//cell-phone-waste.jpgWhile waiting in line at the electronics store, Tommy hopes his GPS system can be fixed easily. He doesn't want to contribute to the ever-mounting pile of eWaste on Earth. After the technician tells him he'll be able to fix it for a small fee, Tommy is relieved and thankful he didn't just throw it out. On his way out of the store he notices a sign calling for recycled electronics -- just what he needed to know in case one of his electronics really breaks. Looks like Tommy has a green future ahead. Do you and your friends use too much technology? <a href="http://www.channelone.com/news/your-turn-teens-and-technology/" target="_blank">Vote in our poll!</a> eWastehttp://www.channelone.com/news/ewaste//img/2007/11/110707-ewaste_m.jpgAbout 1.5 to 1.9 million tons of used or unwanted electronics were dumped into landfills in 2005. Space Junkhttp://www.channelone.com/news/space-junk//img/news/space-junk-m.jpgA study found that there are 4 million pounds of space debris orbiting around the Earth. Find out what it is and why its dangerous for the international space station.