Sunday, July 22, 2018: 11:00 am (Booth): Across North America, passionate people help out at their community Free Geek (or a similar organization) to refurbish discarded computers and make them useful tools again for people who need them. In the process of this, people build community, gain skills, and help the planet. Challenges to successful operations include ethical e-waste recycling practices, troubleshooting and repair, parts management, drive imaging, ensuring free and open-source software (FOSS) use, managing volunteers, organizational structure and governance, financial sustainability, and ensuring a balance between community needs and interests. Participants from Free Geek and similar organizations will discuss these challenges, with success stories and wrong turns, and how they manage to keep the doors open and lights on to serve the public good.

Dan Bartholomew, Ryan Fukunaga, Zachary (Zac) Slade, Charlie Coile, Joel Izlar