VIA, that other chip making company, has released a line of extremely low-power, lead-free CPUs.  The C7 line of chips consume between 20 and 7.5 watts at maximum load.  The most efficient of their chips is capable of running fanless at 1.5 ghz.

Their new Clean Computing initiative focuses on reducing toxic components (lead, mostly), increasing opportunities for solar computing, and low-heat computing.  The ability to run fanless saves power, of course, but it also makes a computer practically silent.  To round off their Clean Computing initiative, VIA has pledged to offset all carbon produced in the manufacture of their C7 line, and then continue conservation efforts to offset their chip's continued (albeit reduced) effect on the planet. And to capitalize on these efforts, they've made some fancy stickers that you might soon see on some of your favorite devices.

 

From the VIA site: "With the introduction of the world's first carbon free computer component designed to offset the electricity to power the processor, over the lifetime of the PC through regional projects in energy conservation, reforestation, and alternative energy, the VIA C7®-D processor in 2006, VIA redefined eco-friendly computing."

 

Spotted at Hugg Via LinuxDevice