Agencies To Seek Greener Computers Agencies that buy most of the government’s computers have agreed to follow stricter environmental and energy-efficiency standards in their purchases. Under a memorandum signed Nov. 15, the 12 agencies also agreed to recycle old computers and other electronic devices. The government discards about 10,000 computers every week, according to the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive. Agencies signing the agreement are the Executive Office of the President, Environmental Protection Agency, General Services Administration; and the departments of Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, Transportation and Veterans Affairs. They account for 83% of the government’s annual IT budget. The memorandum sets four goals to be met by 2008: All computers must have “green” attributes, such as containing as little mercury as possible. All computers must last at least four years. 95% of computers must use Energy Star, the federal standard for energy efficiency. All computers that cannot be reused must be recycled. Agencies will consider whether the goals are cost-effective, said Federal Environmental Executive Ed Piñero. He said equipment that is environmentally friendly may cost more up front, but agencies will save money by using the equipment longer, reusing it and recycling.