As part of their commitment to environmental responsibility, many retailers are creating stores with the environment in mind. I applaud those retailers who are taking a leadership role in redesigning their stores, developing environmentally responsible practices and working with their suppliers to provide products designed with the environment in mind. However, retailers often overlook how they can benefit from updating their in-store and back-office infrastructure with more energyefficient technologies.

When developing plans to upgrade or replace point-ofsale (POS) systems, manager's workstations and desktops, retailers should follow a path to make their stores more energy-efficient. Embracing these five steps can help transform the energy footprint of your stores.

• Choose a system configuration with an 80 percent efficient power supply
• Choose a system that has power management technology-and enable the technology on existing
• Replace CRT monitors with LCD technology
• Choose a system with a BIOS that offers a wide range of configurable management options
• Choose a system processor that provides the maximum level of power efficiency