At the moment, I have in my testing queue a new business rugged notebook from Panasonic.

This morning, Chip Dehnert, a media contact for Panasonic, briefed me on the product; the Toughbook W7, a business rugged notebook PC with a configuration option that includes embedded radio capabilities.

We started talking about battery life and how the company claims the machine's six-cell lithium-ion battery promises between 5 and 8 hours of life.

That's a pretty good estimate, and Dehnert attributed the long life to the notebook's extensive power management features, such as an ultra-low voltage processor within the Toughbook.

Incidentally, this when he digressed slightly to Panasonic's green ethics. I started poking around on the Internet to see what general information I could find about Panasonic and its mobile PCs in particular.

I found what I was looking for, but I also found that Panasonic's environmental consciousness is not only extensive and rather vigorously promoted on its Web site, it actually graces the front page of the About Us section on the company's Australian Web site.

Now I've written about Green IT for quite some time. The issue is something that has come to be near and dear to my heart since I first heavily entrenched myself in a story titled 5 Steps to Green IT last year.

Since then, it's been a reoccurring topic on this blog, and for those who've been following along, they've probably noticed that what has been my main complaint has been the somewhat obscure promotion of these programs.

For instance, When I dinged Nintendo for scoring zero out of 10 points in Greenpeace's annual Guide to Greener Electronics, I also dinged them for having its rather lackluster recycling effort buried in within its Web site.

Panasonic's greenness, on the other hand, is very front and center. Plus, it is super easy to navigate with lots of great instructions to users for taking advantage of the company's various recycling programs, and links to other recycling programs.

For instance, programs offered by the National Recycling Coalition and EPA are neatly articulated.

I am pretty darn impressed.

Panasonic really breaks down for the customer what exactly they can expect to get out of each program, with very clear directions for participating.

There's some interesting reading on the site as well, such as a 44-page sustainability report on the company from 2007 and a 68-page Environmental Data Book about the company, also published in 2007.

And it is interesting to note that the company's founder Konosuke Matsushita edited a book titled "Environment in the 21st Century and New Development Patterns" and during his retirement he wrote an estimated 44 books on social, environmental, and philanthropic issues, among other topics.

Now I understand of course, that Panasonic isn't the only company to do this. In fact, Apple also offers extensive information on its environmental policies. But I feel like Apple's online environmental credo seems to be a lot of information, but short on direction to consumers as to how they can really rethink their IT recycling, or overall green habits.

You also have to dig around for it and have to inevitably go to the Web site's site map to find it.

This was a refreshing find. I hope to find more like it.