It’s getting to that time of year when schools are starting back up and everyone is heading out to stock up on necessities. EcoGeek has a few items that can go on your green tech shopping list...

It’s important to have the right computer equipment on your desk from day one. Thankfully, there are a lot of green options to choose from, especially since Dell came out with its new green PC. You can choose a color that suits your style, or go classy with the bamboo cover. That would, after all, match a new bamboo-covered external hard drive for a back-up database, which you’ll want since computers are notorious for crashing in the middle of term papers.

If you want something cute, rather than sleek, you can hold off and wait for the tiny 10.5 oz PC CherryPal to come out. Compliment either selection with a green-running monitor like the zero-watt monitor from Fujitsu Siemens.

If you’re not a PC person and prefer your Mac Book, you can go green by charging it via solar power with an Apple Juicz or a Powergorilla.

Should you need a green router, you can pick up a new router from D-Link that saves significantly on energy use. And to finish off your set-up, grab Google’s mouse made of recycled materials, and wow your classmates with the world’s first green USB drive.

Now on to classroom items. If you’re hunting for school uniforms, you can head over to HippyShopper for organic attire. GreenEyedFrog has the skinny on earth-friendly pens, pencils, and cases -- not all that geeky, but basic necessities nonetheless. Also, you’ll need a stapler for all those papers you’re handing in, but you can lighten your load by going with a staple-less stapler and save the earth on resources that go into staple-making.

Carrying textbooks is a drag, so when you can, load them up on an e-reader. You can go stylish with the Sony Reader, or go for easy downloading with the Kindle. We’re still waiting on the Papyrus, so no PMing your teacher or asking classmates for hints yet. Sigh.

To make sure you wake up for class on time, try out a water-powered clock. Pack everything up in your solar backpack so you can charge your gadgets on the run, and you’re good to go.

Have fun, learn lots!

Truth be told, the energy efficiency of your notebook PC isn't as important as the energy efficiency of your desktop PC. After all, your desktop is a lot bigger and a lot more power-hungry.

till, it's good to fight for the green cause when you can, and that's why website MetaEfficient has come out with a new list of the "greenest" notebooks of the year.

In addition to looking at power consumption, the judges considered reduction of hazardous materials, recyclability, and packaging. Ratings from the Green Electronics Council's EPEAT, Energy Star, and the E.U.'s RoHS directive were also factored in. Any one of these systems would make a good choice for your high schooler or new college freshman.

And the winners are:

Lenovo Thinkpad X300
Apple MacBook Air
Toshiba Portege R500
ASUS Eee PC
HP 2710p Tablet Computer

MetaEfficient also put together a list of winning desktop PCs, and congrats to Apple and Lenovo for earning spots on both lists.

Don Willmott's blog posts are provided by LifeWire, a part of The New York Times Company.