Timing is good for consumer electronics vendors that are interested in selling green technology.

Higher energy costs, growing public awareness of carbon consumption, new laws regulating e-waste disposal, and recent plans by the impending Obama Administration to invest in renewable energy projects to stimulate the U.S. economy are inspiring both vendors and buyers to focus on environmentally suitable products.

The Sustainability Planet pavilion at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas very nearly doubled in size this year, with a couple dozen companies displaying green packaging, alternative power sources, tools such as solar rechargers, and gadgets for assessing energy use. In addition, many major vendors devoted sections of their CES booths to publicizing their environmental efforts--everything from lowering the wattage demands of common products such as TVs and DVD players to launching recycling efforts and buy-back programs.The Sustainability Planet pavilion at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas very nearly doubled in size this year, with a couple dozen companies displaying green packaging, alternative power sources, tools such as solar rechargers, and gadgets for assessing energy use. In addition, many major vendors devoted sections of their CES booths to publicizing their environmental efforts--everything from lowering the wattage demands of common products such as TVs and DVD players to launching recycling efforts and buy-back programs.

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Toshiba won kudos--in the form of "green" ratings by Greenpeace, released during the week of CES--for producing eco-friendly laptops. The environmentalist group's periodic report recognizes manufacturers' efforts to adopt ecologically resposible practices, but the numbers show that all tech vendors have a way to go. The product rated as "greenest"--Lenovo's L2440x computer monitor--earned a score of only 6.9 on a 10-point scale. Meanwhile, Toshiba's Portege R600 received a score of 5.57 out of 10.