Alex Lin - Brower Youth Awards 2007

In 2004, Alex read an alarming Wall Street Journal article about the growing E-Waste crisis. When he was nine, Alex had co-created a community service team called Westerly Innovations Network (WIN) and it seemed fitting to motivate his team to tackle E-Waste. Thus, Project WIN '05 was born. Alex's leadership and dedication contributed to a slew of amazing accomplishments including a recycling drive which collected 21,000 pounds of E-Waste and the creation of a permanent E-Waste receptacle in town, which has collected more than 60,000 pounds of waste. WIN '05 helped draft and pass an ordinance in Alex's town and a statewide bill banning the dumping of E-Waste. Alex persuaded his school superintendent and director of technology to incorporate refurbishing donated computers as part of his school's computer curriculum, resulting in the collection, restoration and distribution of 260 computers to students in his hometown, Sri Lanka, and Mexico. Alex recently helped build an Internet café in Cameroon, and is now setting up a pilot system for providing refurbished computers to international youth through the United Nation's Environment Program and launching a Bridging Divides program with U.S. businesses and schools.