Mike Stopforth

Discovered FreeGeek.org thanks to StumbleUpon Video, which I got addicted to this very morning courtesy of Henk Kleynhans.

Watch the Free Geek Video at StumbleUpon

Free Geek has been ‘helping the needy get nerdy since the beginning of the 3rd millennium”.

From their site:

FREE GEEK is a 501(c)(3) not for profit community organization that recycles used technology to provide computers, education, internet access and job skills training to those in need in exchange for community service.

Free Geek was founded in February 2000 (and incorporated as a 501(c)(3) in April 2000) to recycle computer technology and provide low and no-cost computing to individuals and not-for-profit and social change organizations in the community and throughout the world.

In the four years since its formation, Free Geek has recycled over 360 tons of electronic scrap and refurbished over 3,000 computer systems that are now in use by individuals and organizations in the community.

Free Geek does most of this work with volunteers (at any given time, about 200 are active). The volunteers disassemble the donated equipment and test the components, which are either recycled as electronic scrap or recycled into refurbished systems. These refurbished computers are then loaded with Open Source Software, such as GNU/Linux, Open Office, and other Free Software.

We are proud of being a democratically-run organization, and use consensus in our meetings. Our policy decisions are made by a group of volunteers and staff called the council, and those policies are executed by our staff collective. FREE GEEK is a proud member of the Portland Alliance of Worker Collectives. Our board keeps an eye on our financial and legal decisions.

What a great idea. So who’s going to do it here?