Dell, Hewlett-Packard, CTL top list of environmentally preferable computers

July 24 -- More than 60 products from three electronics manufacturers have made the federal government´s inaugural list of environmentally preferable computers.

Dell Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co. Inc. and CTL Corp. desktops, laptops and monitors earned a spot on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency´s initial list on its Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, or EPEAT, database.

The federal government developed the EPEAT tool over a three-year period in conjunction with more than 100 representatives from environmental groups, government officials, large-volume computer buyers, electronics recyclers and manufacturers.

The database will allow large-volume purchasers such as government agencies, private companies and universities to take environmental performance into account when make computer-buying decisions.