Environmental Leader

The U.S. Government plans to require federal agencies to buy PCs and computer monitors that are energy efficient and include reduced levels of toxic chemicals, according to Computerworld. The Department of Defense, NASA and the General Services Administration jointly detailed an interim rule on the new purchasing requirements. Comments on the proposal are being accepted through Feb. 25. The new requirement will formalize within the government the use of the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, or EPEAT.Last January, President Bush issued an executive order that required federal agencies, among other things, to procure more environmentally-friendly products, and in March, the White House recognized “environmentally preferable” computer manufacturers.

The federal government has a total installed base of 6.7 million desktops and laptops across its agencies, and it buys about 2.2 million new systems each year, according to Shawn McCarthy.

EPEAT registered computers are having a significant environmental impact.

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