Great tips on how to “green” your dorm room

While outfitting your dorm room, remember to look for environmentally friendly products. An easy way to find products that you can trust as being good for the environment is to look for the ENERGY STAR. Products that have earned the ENERGY STAR label meet strict energy efficiency requirements set by Environmental Protection Agency, so they use less energy, save money and help fight climate change. From laptops and printers for your schoolwork, to TVs and mini fridges for your study breaks, ENERGY STAR products make it easy for you to make a difference.

Here are a few tips to help you shop “green” for back to school:

ENERGY STAR lighting: If a table lamp is part of your dorm decor, make sure that it’s ENERGY STAR qualified. ENERGY STAR qualified lamps use less energy mainly because they integrate compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), which use 75 percent less energy than regular incandescent light bulbs.

ENERGY STAR computers: A high-performing computer is a must for school. With ENERGY STAR, you’ll know you’re getting a computer that is good for the environment and comparable in performance. Whether you choose a desktop or laptop, a computer that has earned the ENERGY STAR uses up to 65 percent less energy and can still satisfy all your school demands. If you’re also in the market for a printer or other office products, you can look for ENERGY STAR, as well. If all imaging equipment—printers, faxes, scanners, etc.—sold in the United States met ENERGY STAR requirements, annual savings would grow to nearly 4 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to emissions from more than 700,000 cars.

ENERGY STAR mini fridges: How cool is it to keep your food and drinks in an ENERGY STAR, energy-saving mini fridge? You get easy access to the “energy” you need while using less of it in the process. ENERGY STAR qualified refrigerators use 20 percent less energy than non-qualified refrigerators so you can enjoy your break knowing you are doing something good.

ENERGY STAR electronics: No dorm room is complete without an ENERGY STAR qualified entertainment system, right? With all that work, everyone needs some time to decompress and with ENERGY STAR qualified TVs, DVDs, Blu-Ray Players, and speakers, you can really relax—not only from your work, but also knowing that your electronics are using less energy, even when they are off. That's because ENERGY STAR specifications for TVs, and other electronics, are more efficient both when the TV’s off (in standby mode), and when the TV’s on (in active mode). But you will never miss that extra power since even the latest and greatest in TV technology can earn the ENERGY STAR. What you will notice is how good you feel helping the environment. If each TV, DVD and home theatre system purchased in the U.S. this year had earned the ENERGY STAR, we would prevent more than 6 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year, equivalent to the emissions from 570,000 cars!