It's OK to be a Grinch when it comes to giving green tech

If you're buying someone on your holiday gift list some sort of electronic gadget, I'm giving you the greenlight to be a pain with your retailer or the product manufacturer about doublechecking the green credentials. I'm usually pretty undemanding when it comes to my own purchases because I am really bad at shopping, but this year, I'm going to insist on giving green. And I won't be afraid to be a curmudgeon about it.

That's because more of the people on my list expect these devices to be environmentally friendly, if new data from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is taken into consideration.

In its new report, "Going Green: An Examination of the Green Trend and What it Means to Consumers and the CE Industry," the organization reveals that 89 percent of U.S. households want a more energy-efficient television. Slightly more than half (53 percent) said they would be willing to pay a premium to know that the technology they're buying is more environmentally friendly.

The problem, of course, is that there is no single standard label declaring green principles that you can stick on packaging (if there is any, actually). Yes, Energy Star tells you what is more energy-efficient, but it doesn't cover recycling intentions or materials and so on. The Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool, for is part, doesn't handle consumer devices. At least, yet. So, if you want to buy green, there's a whole lot of questions and guessing and good faith involved right now.

Approximately one-third of the 960 adults surveyed by the CEA said they intend to make a green consumer electronics purchase sometime in the next 24 months. Help the people on your list by making sure you check the green spectrum for every piece of tech you buy this season and next year, and don't be afraid to push for the information you need to make an informed purchase. Or walk away from the transaction.