With September upon us, finding the best laptop for school is top of mind for many students and parents.

Several laptop models are available at a wide variety of price points. Laptops with smaller screens offer greater mobility while those equipped with powerful processors are great for running multiple applications. How do you choose?

While elements such as design, features and price play a big role in the decision making process, the environmental impact of a product can also be a differentiating factor. Get schooled in purchasing an environmentally conscious laptop. Toshiba of Canada's environmental specialist Chantale Mantha offers a few tips on what to look for and how to make your laptop more energy efficient:

- Look for the Energy Star symbol to identify products that offer reduced greenhouse gas emissions, pollutants and energy consumption.

- Check if the manufacturer is a registered manufacturer with the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) to ensure your laptop is energy efficient, made of environmentally safe materials and easier to upgrade and recycle.

- Consider a laptop with an LED backlit display screen. They consume less energy.

- Consider a Toshiba laptop that offers an eco-button and the eco-utility function. The former allows you reduce power consumption with a push of a single button and the latter allows you to monitor power savings in detail.

- Adjust the operating system settings to dim the display screen to reduce power consumption and extend battery life.

- Unplug the power cord from the laptop when not using it. Standby power or vampire power draws electricity from the outlet even when the laptop is not in use.

Out with the old and in with the new. For students upgrading technology, don't forget that there are greener ways to dispose of your old gear. Mantha also recommends checking out Toshiba's environmental recovery and recycling effort (TERRE), a free program that ensures that end-of-life computers are disposed of in an environmentally respectful manner. You can go online to find out how to book a pickup at www.toshiba.ca/terre.