With all the efforts invested in ensuring a more sustainable future for ourselves in the U.S., the effort to adopt high-efficiency standards for electronic household products—computers, phones, televisions, and audio and video equipment—has been a woefully slow one. Even Energy Star, the joint program of the EPA and Department of Energy that certifies and labels energy-efficient products, hasn't included many home electronics among its listings, as of this writing. Yet according to a report commissioned by the Consumer Electronics Association (www.ce.org), our use of household electronics has doubled in just the last ten years.

Many of us are now realizing the pain of this glut in our utility bills and in the challenge of disposing of antiquated hardware. Fortunately, many manufacturers are producing energy-efficient models, largely due to governmental and industry-imposed regulations and the increased costs of doing business. Many global companies have already adopted the European legislative initiative RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances), which  restricts the use of six hazardous materials found in electrical and electronic products deemed harmful or toxic to human health and the overall environment: lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl and polybrominated biphenyl ethers. Here in the U.S., organizations like the Consumer Electronics Association are urging the government to extend Energy Star standards to more products, so it's likely that we'll see continued change for the good.

Consider this figure from Energy Star: If all cordless phones, answering machines, and cordless phone/answering machine combination units sold in the U.S. this year were Energy Star–certified, we could prevent over 650 million pounds of air pollution—the equivalent of taking over 7,000 cars off the road.

Beyond phones, computers and a few other commercial crossover products, finding information to make informed, green buying decisions is difficult, if not impossible. For instance, the CEA has its own site, www.mygreenelectronics.org, which will give you information on the expected cost to operate your home theater system and its proper disposal, as well as which are the greener systems to buy. However, this information, provided by CE manufacturers, industry partners, and the U.S. government, is posted with legal disclaimer that waives any attempt to independently verify its accuracy or completeness.

There also are independent, for-profit sites providing information on greener products. One is Green Electronics (www.greenelectronics.com), which relies on consumer leads and manufacturer sponsorships to identify products that meet higher standards, including energy efficiency, lower-impact manufacturing, longer product life, trade-in value, and recycleability.

Panasonic's 42-inch plasma set

All this means that for now, it's caveat emptor—buyer beware—when it comes to purchasing responsible home electronics. We've rounded up some products that may perhaps make your list.

It's true: Flat screens use three to four times as much electricity as a regular TV, which already accounts for one percent of our energy consumption. Some of the better offerings are Panasonic's plasma sets (42-and 50-inch, retails for under $1,600), which have been optimized for energy efficiency, clean materials, reduced waste, and extended life. On the list for LCD sets are units by Phillips, Sanyo, Sharp, and Sony (42- to 65-inch, $1,200– $7,000), which live up to similar sustainable standards.

One of the compact Bose Lifestyle Home Theater Systems

A growing trend is towards smaller, more compact units that produce big sound. Perhaps the top of the crop is Bose Lifestyle Systems (retail prices begin at under $1,400; www.bose.com, or any Best Buy or Bose store), which allow you to enjoy high-quality surround sound from diminutive cube speakers; units also include DVD/DC player. You can achieve whole-house sound capabilities with the Bose link AL8 homewide audio wireless audiolink, and run two different sound streams simultaneously. For a more compact operation, you might consider the Bose 3.2.1 System ($1,000), which includes two powerful front-facing speakers—great for small rooms. At this juncture, Bose is not prepared to announce its sustainability policies. Stay tuned. 

Check out your iTunes playlist from any room in your house with the TuneView Remote

Hands down, the Apple iPods are the most popular portable music player on the market. And their optimized functionality, clean materials, reduced waste, extended life, and take-back/trade-up programs make them a sure fit as sustainable products. But don't just put your iPod in the recharger when you're at home; all your playlists, songs, and podcasts can be put to use, adding to their functionality. Use a simple adapter cable or buy Apple's affordable iPod dock and connect to any home stereo or boombox. For the ultimate in iPod enjoyment, consider the Denon S-301 ($800; www.smarthomeusa.com). It's a sexy, all-in-one virtual-surround home theater system that lets you navigate the playlist on a connected iPod via your TV screen (its USB input provides connection with other types of music players as well).

For convenience, consider a TuneView Remote ($99; www.mobilewhack.com) and TuneView Dock ($79; www.mobilewhack.com) to view the contents of your iTunes on a color LCD screen from any room in your house; it even works through walls. And Bose Acoustic Wave System ($1,200; www.bose.com) is a nifty option—this one-piece stereo system lets you transform your listening at the touch of a button with an iPod connect kit. 

The Sensaphone Cottage Sitter keeps an eye on your house while you are away.

The more functionality manufacturers put into phones, the more power they draw. However, power usage of a cordless phone/answering machine combination unit is still less than if you bought and used multiple devices with the individual functions. One neat unit is The Dock-N-Talk by Cell Phone ($199; www.cell-phone-accessories.com), which enables use of regular corded or cordless home phones to make and answer home or cellular phone calls. Distinctive rings indicate which phone number is being called.

Some phones can also watch home functions for you while you're away. The Sensaphone Cottage Sitter 1108 Monitoring System monitors rooms and equipment (such as thermostats, water heaters, oil tanks, and computers) for power failures, temperature extremes, intrusions, leaks and water incursion, sounds (such as smoke and burglar alarms), and other conditions. It automatically contacts you by phone at up to eight different phone numbers to alert you of unsafe conditions. The system communicates

The HEPA Certified 300 series Miele Vacuum helps rid your home of allergens.

in voice-synthesized English, and even lets you "listen-in" to actual on-site sounds. Programming and status reports can be called in from any phone. It can also share a single phone line with an answering machine, allowing full operation of both units ($650; www.smarthomeusa.com).

With increased incidences of asthma, hay fever, and eczema, ridding our homes of irritating pollen, dust, and mold should be a priority. But don't count on a bagless vacuum or conventional upright or canister model to do the job. Bagless models are not only messy to clean, they also release particulate matter back into the air. And standard vacuum systems aren't airtight—particles can escape from leaky bags and escape through cracks and innocuous ports, such as that for the retractable electrical cord. Miele vacuums are the only ones that are HEPA certified (a stringent, European standard). Their completely sealed systems prevent particles entering the vacuum from being re-released into the air. The most popular units are the Miele 300 and 500 Series (retails $649–$1,200; Hudson Valley: www.altomarisewvac.com,
845-331-6494; Lower New York and New Jersey: Steve Lomei, Quality Vacuums, 201-564-7200, qvacs@optonline.net).