Ask for Conflict-Free Electronics

As if worrying about the health effects of long-term cell phone use weren't enough, now we're learning that our phones are actually contributing to the appalling violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

We've told you before about the Enough Project, an initiative of the Center for American Progress that aims to raise awareness of (and put an end to) the conflict in the Congo. In May, the project launched a YouTube campaign dubbed Come Clean 4 Congo, inviting aspiring videographers to do their part in raising awareness of the root causes of violence in the area.

Now, the project is asking consumers to urge lawmakers and electronic industry leaders to ban conflict minerals.

Since 1996, the Congo has been home to the deadliest conflict since World War II. More than 5.5 million people have died and countless women have been raped as armed groups work to intimidate the people in order to control the area's vast natural resources.

But just what does any of this have to do with our iPhones and Blackberries? Plenty.

The four main minerals used in consumer electronics — gold, tantalum, tungsten, and tin (known as the three Ts) — are found in rich supply in the Congo. Armed groups make millions each year illegally taxing, smuggling and trading these minerals to countries in Asia to buy weapons. Acting much like a mafia, the groups control the extraction and export of the minerals, using intimidation tactics to keep the profitable natural resources within their control.

The good news is, action can follow awareness. Just this week, the Conflict Minerals Trade Act of 2009 was introduced in the US House of Representatives. If passed, the bill would put in place a system of audits and regulations that would prohibit companies from importing conflict minerals into the United Sates. Click here if you'd like to send a letter to your representative urging him or her to support this bill.

But as consumers, we can also vote with our wallets, demanding conflict-free products from our electronics manufacturers. For starters, you can send this letter urging industry leaders to make conflict-free products only.

Watch the video below for more information on conflict-free minerals.

Photo courtesy of compujeramey via Flickr.