[Enesta Jones] 
The digital TV transition 
is coming.
Many people will buy a new TV 
or get rid of an old one.
But which TVs are the 
most energy efficient,
and how can you get rid of your 
old TV in an environmentally
friendly way?
Hi, I'm Enesta Jones of EPA's 
Office of Multimedia.
With me today to discuss the 
environmental aspects of the
transition is Mimi Guernica 
of EPA's Office of Resource
Conservation and Recovery.
Welcome, Mimi, to the show.
[Mimi Guernica] 
Hi, Enesta.
[Enesta Jones] 
Thank you for being here today.
[Mimi Guernica] 
You're welcome.
It's a pleasure.
[Enesta Jones] 
So Mimi, what exactly is the 
digital TV transition?
[Mimi Guernica] 
Well, the digital TV transition 
is a transition from both
an analog and digital format 
to an digital format only. 
You can learn more about 
this transition by going
to www.dtv.gov.
[Enesta Jones] 
Will most people be able 
to keep their old TVs?
[Mimi Guernica] 
Absolutely, and we encourage 
everyone to do that, because
whenever you reduce waste, 
you also reduce pollution
and greenhouse gas emissions.
If you currently subscribe to 
a satellite or cable service,
you're all set.
You don't have to 
worry about it.
If you purchased your television 
from March of 2007 on, it likely
has a built-in digital 
tuner, so it can also
pick up digital signals.
Alternatively, if you have an 
analog television that relies
on rabbit ears, 
that's okay too.
You can go out.
You can buy yourself a 
digital converter box.
It's a one-time purchase, 
and you can get a coupon
from the government 
for about $40.
You can find out more about the 
coupon program by going to
www.dtv2009.gov, or you can 
call 1-888-DTV-2009.
[Enesta Jones] 
And so for those who decide, 
"The time is right.
I should buy a new TV."
What should they look for?
[Mimi Guernica] 
They should look for the 
Energy Star label.
That's the most important thing, 
because when you save energy,
you save money, and you also 
help the environment.
We know that Energy Star 
qualified televisions
save 30 percent more energy 
than standard televisions.
And you can also look for the 
Energy Star label when you
purchase a digital 
converter box.
Digital converter boxes -- 
if all of them in the
United States met the Energy 
Star requirements, we'd be
saving enough electricity to 
power 29,000 homes for a year,
and that's a lot of 
energy to save.
[Enesta Jones] 
So if I decide I want to 
get rid of my old TV,
what should I do with it?
[Mimi Guernica] 
The first thing that 
we encourage everyone
to do with respect to any 
electronic product that
they no longer want is 
to consider donation.
In this case, however, donation 
may not be practicable because
the analog televisions may 
not be of great use to the
charitable organizations.
So please make sure you check 
before you drop it off.
If you're not going to 
donate it, recycle it.
Televisions are made with very 
valuable materials that consist
of metals and plastics 
and glass.
Whenever these materials are 
manufactured and extracted,
that requires energy, which 
means that by using the
recycled materials instead, you 
conserve resources, you reduce
pollution, and you reduce 
greenhouse gas emissions.
So recycle your television.
[Enesta Jones] 
How do I get more information 
about how to recycle my old TV?
[Mimi Guernica] 
A great way to do it is when 
you go to buy a new TV,
ask the electronics retailer 
about any programs that
he knows of.
Maybe the manufacturers 
have a program.
Also, you can go to our 
Plug-In program website
at www.epa.gov/plugin.
There are many different 
programs that are listed
on that website, and probably 
one is near you.
[Enesta Jones] 
Are there different recycling 
options in different states?
[Mimi Guernica] 
Yes, many states have 
well-established
electronics recycling programs, 
but the programs and the
requirements really differ 
from state to state.
Check the Plug-In website 
to be sure.
[Enesta Jones] 
And to encourage more TV 
recycling, has EPA recently
issued a national challenge?
[Mimi Guernica] 
Yes, yes, I'm happy to report 
that we just recently issued
the National Recycling 
Television challenge.
The purpose of the challenge is 
to encourage more collection
and recycling of televisions.
The challenge will be in effect 
until August 2009, and at that
time, the EPA will evaluate all 
the initiatives to figure out
which one is most original, 
easy to use, and sustainable.
And then we'll recognize the 
company that came up with
that initiative.
[Enesta Jones] 
Are there companies 
already on board?
[Mimi Guernica] 
Yes, we already have quite 
a few participants.
In fact, because of their 
participation, there are
700 recycling locations 
nationwide.
If you want to know more about 
the specific participants,
please go to the 
Plug-In website.
[Enesta Jones] 
Mimi, thank you for 
joining us today.
[Mimi Guernica] 
Thank you.
It's really been a pleasure.
[Enesta Jones] 
A lot of information as we 
prepare for this transition.
For more information about how 
to reuse or recycle your old
TV or any electronics, go to 
www.epa.gov/plugin.
Look for information about the 
DTV transition, how to find
an eCycling program in your 
area, and the National TV
Recycling Challenge in the 
"Learn More" links.
For more information about 
Energy Star products,
go to www.energystar.gov.
I'm Enesta Jones.
Thanks for watching 
Green Scene.
See you next time.