For years there has been a critical demand within the sign industry for a book on the structural engineering of signs. This comprehensive text more than meets that demand -- it exceeds it. Sign companies, ...
Why is the same LED that's touted for its environmental friendliness a "green" threat?
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Last week, I heard, for the first time, that a city government had questioned LED signs’ “green” compliance – not their color, but their potential, environmental impact. Specifically, the issue related to a complete life cycle – what happens to the display after it’s completed its useful life.
How ironic. The “green” community touts these same LEDs as the incandescent lamp’s future replacement. I’ve heard no grumbling about those LEDs being potential pollutants. LEDs that replace a higher-energy product are safe, but those used in a new application are untested and potentially dangerous. Somehow, the sign LEDs are something to fear. Hmmm.
I shouldn’t be surprised. As a sign medium, this rapidly emerging, highly visible technology is likely to inspire environmentalists’ ire. Maybe the same folks who focus on the “greening” of America consider illuminated, changing-information displays visual pollution.
For the record, nothing in an LED, in any color used in digital displays, has ever constituted an environmental hazard. Each diode comprises a naturally occurring crystal and electrical leads, encased in a plastic shell. Each LED connects to a standard, printed circuit board that’s (depending on the manufacturer) encased in epoxy. The rest of the sign comprises standard-issue wiring, power supplies, ribbon cables and transformers. A basic computer, the system’s brains, represents the only environmental threat.
Though we know LED technology, as used in large-format displays, isn’t toxic, we shouldn’t discount the green issue. Those of us who produce, sell or use digital technology for our livelihood should arm ourselves with the facts. Those who dislike signs will add the “green” component to their quiver of weapons in the battle against digital displays.
Honestly, I’d never considered the concept of a whole life cycle, as it relates to signs, or much else, for that matter. But, apparently, there’s quite a move afoot to force technology manufacturers to provide a cradle-to-grave template for their products. This could become an issue for digital signs, which require permits before they can be installed. If a sign user must show the product’s life in a schedule, along with a commitment for an approved disposal method, what next?
This seems far-fetched, but the industry should establish a template now, before sign-industry detractors grasp this concept as another means to stifle industry growth.
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