When Chico native Dakota Rose arrived in Hollywood, he found himself surrounded by the latest technology. And working at some of the biggest animation studios, he saw a lot of it.
While amazed, this new reality put into perspective his childhood in the Chico orchards.
“I didn't get my first computer until very late in life. I had dial-up internet while most people had far faster connections,” Rose said.
Looking back, he understood that he had fallen behind in the digital divide.
Now the executive director of the local nonprofit Tech Toss, Rose wanted to ensure the next generation of Butte County residents has access to the technology they need to avoid digital isolation.
The organization is known for its e-waste recycling, but that’s only an intermediate step in its larger process and mission.
The idea behind Tech Toss is to take some of the surplus hardware from large corporations and put it in the hands of the people who need it.
“We’re sort of stepping in to serve that middle divide … helping large corps find homes for their hardware that they no longer value, but we can find new homes for,” Rose said.
The beginnings
Rose spent more than a decade in Hollywood working in video editing for studios like Disney, Pixar and Hulu.
That's where the idea for Tech Toss was born. Because of legal requirements and contracts, many studios had three-year security audits with their tech equipment.
After extensive projects were completed, studios had to upgrade their high-end hardware, which meant the old hardware ended up in the nearest dumpster.
“That sort of shocked me because some of those workstations are worth upwards of $2,000 to $5,000 in some cases,” Rose said.
Seeing this pattern, Rose started rescuing the discarded technology and breathing new life into them, finding new homes for the devices with family and friends.
“People who care about smaller communities can make a larger difference.”- Dakota Rose, creator
“That's why to this day most of my family members are using $3,000 workstations that were used to cut Pixar commercials,” he said. “Because even if they're just checking their email, I really don't like to see that stuff go to waste.”
Rose would take what he learned and bring it back to Chico in 2022 to make the nonprofit a reality.
The nonprofit takes surplus donations from local and national organizations, refurbishes what is often older technology then donates them back to other nonprofits. Tech Toss refers to these as grants.
Since July of last year, Tech Toss has provided $30,000 worth of equipment grants. These grants have included digital literacy labs, laptops and monitors.
Some of the recipients include Butte Environmental Council, St. John's Episcopal Church and Little Red Hen.
Beyond the refurbishing
The organization also hosts classes on STEM programming, creative arts and digital literacy in its fully stocked computer lab. In addition, the lab offers 4K webcam telecast capabilities and can be rented out for lectures.
The nonprofit also offers internships for students at both Chico State and Butte Community College.
“It makes me feel very proud,” Rose said. “People who care about smaller communities can make a larger difference.”
Rose hopes to expand Tech Toss with more help. Its team is looking at developing a camera rental program using cameras that have already been donated, as well as expanding its class offering to include filmmaking, digital art and cinematography.
Ultimately, Rose wants the community to see Tech Toss as more than just an e-waste program or career developer, but more as a third space in Chico for like-minded people like artists, gamers, those who adore tech.
“Anyone who has bonds over software or arts or cares about just sustainability, we're really wanting to help uplift what's going on in Butte County,” Rose said.
He sees so much talent here and would hate for it to go to waste.
