Many of us are looking into ways by which we can pare down the environmental impact  our lives have on the planet. But now that computers are such a dramatic part of our lives, the issue’s somewhat complicated. After all, we can take notes without having to use a slice of dead tree that used an enormous amount of electricity and hazardous chemicals to manufacture. On the other hand, the computers we use also need a lot of juice and have hazardous chemicals in them, which require careful handling during manufacturing and disposal.

This week, I’m going to look at five things you can do to mitigate the environmental impact of your tech gear.

Let’s start by looking at the beginning of the e-food chain. If you have plans to buy a new machine, take a look at the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) created by the Green Electronics Council in Portland, Ore. Currently the scale looks at computers and monitors, but it will expand to cover other types of electronics in the future. In fact, according to the organization’s FAQ, a group is now looking at factors that affect digital imaging equipment.

EPEAT looks at a set of 51 criteria and a product must meet requirements of 23 to qualify for EPEAT registration. The product is then awarded a gold, silver or bronze rating based on how they rate on 28 other criteria. Manufacturers aren’t required to submit their products, so you won’t see every model of computer from every company on the organization’s rolls.

So why does this benefit you? If it’s important to you to get a more environmentally friendly machine, EPEAT’s evaluations give you an unbiased look at how green your machine is. You can organize by manufacturer and even export the list of machines to an Excel spreadsheet. Just don’t print it.

My computer that I bought last fall earned a Gold rating from EPEAT. How does your computer fare?

5 Ways You Can Cut Your Electronic Environmental Impact:
No. 4: Turn Stuff Off
No. 3: Manage Your Printing
No. 2: Convergence
No. 1: Recycle