State Electronics Challenge — Has your Agency Joined?

May 28, 2013

Celebrating two years as a national program, the State Electronics Challenge is now working with 112 Partner organizations from around the country—and more are joining almost weekly.

The State Electronics Challenge (SEC) is a free program that encourages state, regional, tribal, and local governments, including schools and other public entities, to demonstrate environmental sustainability and reduce costs by "greening" the management of their office equipment.

Why Office Equipment? Computers are the poster-child for environmental concern. They are ubiquitous, pervasive and constantly changing. Computers, monitors, copiers and printers contain toxic materials; they are heavy users of energy and paper and are often hard to recycle. Nearly everyone has seen or heard about the negative practices in end-of-life scenarios for electronics. The SEC offers a positive strategy for addressing the problem.

Partners are state and local government agencies, tribal governments, any school, college or university, and other public entities that sign up to participate in the program. Currently, the SEC has 112 Partners in 36 states representing more than 151,000 employees. For a list of current Partners, see the website.

Partners reap many benefits:

• Conserve energy
• Cut operating costs
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• Avoid solid and hazardous waste
• Take toxic materials out of commerce

How does the program work? The SEC provides strategies, tools and support that assist Partners in:

• Buying green equipment, using the EPEAT^® rating system
• Using equipment efficiently by reducing energy and paper consumption
• Recycling unwanted equipment responsibly using certified recyclers

Who is Eligible to Participate:

• State agencies
• Tribal governments and organizations
• Cities, counties, and towns
• K-12 schools
• Colleges and universities
• Public utilities
• Public libraries

Partner Environmental Results and Outstanding Partners

The impressive 2012 SEC Partner Environmental Results were recently posted. SEC Partners are eligible for one of three recognition levels – Bronze, Silver, or Gold - based on completion of SEC program requirements.

This year's outstanding partners include:

• City of Corvallis, Oregon
• City of Providence, Rhode Island, School Department
• DuPage County, Illinois
• Manitou Springs School District, Colorado
• City of La Crosse, Wisconsin
• Vermont Agency of Natural Resources
• City of Tacoma, Washington
• Ohio Environmental Protection Agency

Support for the State Electronics Challenge is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and sponsorship by Samsung Electronics, Panasonic, the ISRI R2/RIOS program, and the Consumer Electronics Association. For more information, contact Lynn Rubinstein.