GreenPix Zero Energy Media Wall
Billboards and LED signs decorate the skylines of most cities and are so common many don’t think twice about them. But most advertising doesn’t aid the environment—billboard signs take years to decompose in landfills, and LED signs emit power and have a high carbon footprint.
Yet, these companies and countries below are advertising in an eco-friendly way that gets your attention since they help the environment, rather than harm it:
GreenPix Zero Energy Media Wall
At the 2008 Olympics in Bejing, GreenPix Zero Energy Media Wall was premiered, which is unlike any seen before. At the time it was the world’s largest color LED display, 24,000 sq. ft., and powered by solar energy.
The screen soaks up the sun during the day and then uses that power to stay illuminated at night. The LED screen has a lower resolution than most LED signs to showcase artsy, abstract visuals while keeping the carbon footprint low. The solar panels allow in natural light, but are created to reduce heat gain.
Eco-Friendly Coke Billboard
This Coke billboard is as green as you can find. The 60 by 60 foot billboard in the Philippines was covered in Fukien tea plants that soak up air pollution with each plant absorbing up to 13 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
The plants were set in 3,600 pots made from old Coke bottles that help the plants grow sideways. To water the plants a drip irrigation system was put in that saves water and fertilizer since the water drips slowly to the roots of plants.
Times Square Solar and Wind LED Sign
In 2008, the first solar and wind-powered Ricoh digital billboard came to Times Square. It has 16 wind turbines and 64 solar panels. The wind turbines generate enough power to keep the sign lit even after four days of no sun or wind.
The lease for the sign is about $200,000 a month. But since the sign generates its own electricity is saves as much as $12,000-15,000 a month and prevents on average 18 tons of carbon from being put in the air yearly.
Chipotle Upcycles Billboards
Chipotle Mexican Grill has upcycled the vinyl from old billboard ads into lunch bags and sells them online to raise money for the Chipotle Cultivate Foundation, which funds initiatives that support sustainable agriculture, family farming and culinary education. The bags were designed for Chipotle by Loomstate, a sustainable apparel firm and made by Billboard Ecology Partners.
Billboard Ecology has diverted more than 1 million square feet of billboard and banner waste into durable products through using less energy than traditional recycling methods. Every 20,000 bags made for Chipotle keeps 78,000 square feet of billboard vinyl out of landfills.
These are just a few examples of using or re-using advertising in an environmentally-friendly way. How does your business try to incorporate green advertising?
Sherri writes for Focus Digital Displays, a LED sign provider which manufacturers its digital LED displays in the United States to reduce its carbon footprint.
