The Climate Savers Computing Initiative today announced a partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR program to accelerate the adoption of energy-saving technology and practices. Over the next three years, the two organizations will collaborate on technical specifications and work together to promote the adoption of energy-efficient PCs and servers and the use of power management to enterprises and consumers.

“Today’s partnership announcement unites ENERGY STAR and industry in an effort to rally the technology industry to reduce computer energy consumption and fight climate change,” said Bob Meyers, principal deputy assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air & Radiation.

“The ENERGY STAR brand is the most universally recognized symbol of energy saving products around the world,” said Mark Bramfitt, Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s representative on the Climate Savers Computing board of directors. “By recommending systems that have earned the ENERGY STAR, the Climate Savers Computing Initiative is making it easier for our members to identify and choose energy-efficient systems, a critical step toward our goal of reducing computer power consumption by 50 percent by 2010.”

As members of the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, companies commit to reducing energy consumption from a majority of their computing equipment by:

• Pledging to purchase high-efficiency computer equipment;
• Optimizing existing computer systems to use power management capabilities, such as hibernation and sleep modes; and
• Ensuring in subsequent years they purchase computing equipment with increasing levels of efficiency.

Under the terms of the partnership, ENERGY STAR becomes the Climate Savers Computing Initiative’s baseline technical recommendation now and in the future. The Initiative recommends that consumers and enterprises buying new PCs choose systems that meet or exceed the latest ENERGY STAR specification, and use computer power management on existing and new systems.

The Climate Savers Computing Initiative will continue working to define and promote best practices for computing efficiency, and will provide technical input into future ENERGY STAR specifications. The EPA will provide power management tools and resources for Climate Savers Computing members and will offer technical assistance to help Climate Savers Computing enterprise members implement power management.

The two organizations will also engage in joint marketing programs and recruitment efforts, and the Climate Savers Computing Initiative will participate in and support the EPA’s ENERGY STAR Low Carbon IT Campaign, which was also launched today.

About EPA

ENERGY STAR was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy efficiency. Today, ENERGY STAR offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions to save energy, money and help protect the environment for future generations. More than 12,000 organizations are ENERGY STAR partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes, buildings and businesses. For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit www.energystar.gov or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937).

About the Climate Savers Computing Initiative

The Climate Savers Computing Initiative is a nonprofit group of eco-conscious consumers, businesses and conservation organizations dedicated to reducing the energy consumption of computers. More than 175 companies and organizations have joined the Climate Savers Computing Initiative since its launch in June 2007, and thousands of individuals have pledged their support. The Initiative is led by Dell, EDS, Google, HP, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, Pacific Gas & Electric and World Wildlife Fund. Sponsors include AMD, Delta Electronics, eBay, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Lite-On, Marvell Semiconductor, NEC, Sun and Supermicro.

For more information about the Initiative and to pledge your support, visit www.climatesaverscomputing.org.

Climate Savers® is a trademark or registered trademark of World Wildlife Fund Inc., an international conservation organization. Used under license.

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