Heather Clancy

THE BUZZ

June 04, 2007

Since I exited the month of May thinking green technology, I guess it's fitting that I return back to blog-land with a short item about the latest Hewlett-Packard green technology breakthrough: The vendor this morning said that it has achieved the first (yes, the one and only so far) Gold level environmental status for a business desktop as designated by the Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool.

The tool, more commonly known as EPEAT, is used to rate/rank desktop computers, notebook computers and display hardware according to 51 environmental criteria that look at three basic areas: the type of materials used to make the product, its energy efficiency, and the ease with which the equipment can be recycled or redeployed at end of life. Of those green technology criteria, 23 are mandatory; 28 other factors are used to determine the product's status as Bronze, Silver or Gold.

The reason this matters is the federal government in January mandated that 95 percent of all federal IT purchases for certain hardware be comprised of EPEAT-registered equipment, according to the organization. There were more than 150 desktop systems registered at the Bronze and Silver levels at my last check. Is it worth your time to figure out which ones those are and represent them in your commercial accounts?

So, what about the system in question?

The HP rp5700 Long Lifecycle Business Desktop PC is the first one to grab Gold status by meeting more than 75 percent of the optional EPEAT green technology criteria. The company said the system is built with 95 percent recyclable components and a tool-less chassis that makes it easier to take it apart. HP said the desktop also includes an "80 percent efficient" power supply that is about 15 percent more efficient than a traditional power supply.

And that's just the EPEAT stuff. The system also meets the Environmental Protection Agency guidelines for post-consumer recycled content in packaging and it meets the check-off requirements for the European Union RoHS (restriction on the use of hazardous substances) regulation. It also can operate at higher ambient temperatures than its kin (40 degrees Celsius vs. 35 degrees Celsius).

The EPEAT program is promoted by the Green Electronics Council, partially funded by a grant from the EPA.

Will the HP desktop make a difference in your own green technology activities? Zap me an e-mail at hclancy@cmp.com.