The annual back-to-school sale has acquired a greenish tinge. The Boston Globe has an interesting piece detailing how stores across the country are offering more environmentally-conscious products to their student consumers, including solar-powered backpacks (pictured here) that can re-charge an iPod, plus loads of school supplies made from recycled materials.

Most of these products come at a premium, but Wal-Mart, of course, is still managing to keep even its green goods cheap. The retail giant is selling an inexpensive computer that it says consumes far less electricity than the average box. Colleges themselves have also started trying to mend their ways, as a number of schools across the country are beginning to shrink their environmental footprints.—Gregory Mone