EPEAT Registered Computers Prove Beneficial for Green Technology Initiatives

A critical element in green technology efforts is improved computers to better support the environment.

 

According to the latest report from The Green Electronics Council (GEC), green computers are selling quickly and providing benefit.

 

The GEC report measured the environmental benefits from the sales of EPEAT registered "green" computers and uncovered the increased benefits from these purchases.

 

Computers that are EPEAT registered offer support for green technology initiatives and meet at least 23 mandatory environmental criteria.

 

The computers offer a reduced level of cadium, lead and mercury and are more energy efficient. They are also easier to upgrade and recycle.

 

Jeff Omelchuck, Director of the Green Electronics Council, which manages the EPEAT green computer program commented on the research in a statement to the press,

"Everyone wanted to know if buying 'green' computers really mattered…Well, we did the math and the numbers blew us away. We didn't believe the initial results so we did the math again using more conservative assumptions, but the environmental benefits of just six months of EPEAT registered computer sales are still astounding."

For the calculations, they utilized the Environmental Benefits Calculator, which was developed by the University of Tennessee under a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

 

The findings, outlined in a recent news release, uncovered that in just the first six months of sales for EPEAT registered green computers, when compared with traditional computers, environmental benefits were found.

 

The reports findings were based on products sold only during the last half of 2006, Omelchuck also noted in a statement. These benefits included:

 

-- 13.7 billion kWh of electricity was saved. (enough to power 1.2 million U.S. homes for a year)

 

--24.4 million metric tons of materials were saved (equivalent to the weight of 189 million refrigerators)

-- 56.5 million metric tons of air pollution, including 1.07 million metric tons of global warming gases were prevented.  (the equivalent of removing 852,000 cars from the road for a year)

-- 118,000 metric tons of water pollution was prevented.

-- Toxic material use was reduced by 1,070 metric tons (equivalent to the weight of 534,000 bricks, including enough mercury to fill 157,000 household fever thermometers)

-- The disposal of 41,100 metric tons of hazardous waste was avoided (equivalent to the weight of 20.5 million bricks)