Green AV
What is it and where is it going?
Written By: Tony Sprando
Sustainability was at the top of the global agenda before the pandemic in 2020. But this thought was put to the wayside as disposable wipes, masks, and gloves now litter our sidewalks. With governments having bigger fish to fry, will the fight for sustainability come back? Though maybe not just yet, there is no question that sustainability is definitely is a movement here to stay, and with things finally starting to go back to normal, its importance will resurface. Green AV is the AV sustainability movement made popular in Europe around 2019. When it comes to sustainability it’s easy to point the finger at gas and oil companies. This is what we have done for the past decade, but it’s time that everyone (and every company) take a bit of responsibility. Making the world more sustainable, going green, and reducing waste to increase and preserve life on earth starts with every individual.
Because AV caters to clients and circles mainly around technology there isn’t a lot of invitations for green AV. The main source of sustainability through AV comes from partnering with a company called LEED. Described in an article by Market Scale last year as, “Promoting and recognizing sustainable efforts, the U.S. Green Building Certification Institute offers Leadership in Energy and Environment Design, or LEED, certification, which the Institute boasts as the “most widely used green building rating system in the world.” Though the major factors that go into earning LEED certification deal more with footprint, occupancy, energy, and water usage, and other data points that don’t directly correlate to AV solutions, integrators can help clients achieve their goals in numerous ways.” -What Sustainability Looks Like in the AV Industry.
LEED helps AV experts help their clients choose more sustainable options when integrating new technology. Market Scale also says that “by leveraging appliances and solutions that are able to be automated to turn off when not in use, spaces can cut down on wasted energy greatly. Choosing premium solutions with improved energy consumption is also tremendously beneficial. If appliances are more energy-efficient by design, the total cost of ownership decreases and disposal rates drop in the face of increased durability.”
One other large factor of Green AV is to reduced waste. As mentioned in past articles, it’s important as an AV expert to encourage a design and AV solution that is going to last. Having technology that is designed to be updated with the constant changing times reduces the need to constantly update a business’s systems. The nice thing about sustainable energy and green AV is that in a lot of ways it can save money. No technology is going to be timeless, but there is AV technology that’s going to outlast others.
Reducing how much your technology is powered on saves on energy bills. AV solutions and designs that are built to last several years reduce future business costs. It’s true that going the extra mile to use renewable sources of energy for your technology (like solar panels) can be more expensive up front, but when incorporating other green AV ideas, a company can break even on this change and sometimes come out ahead. Green AV, though currently not as prevalent, will defiantly be in the limelight in years to come, and getting ahead of the game is just one small change for the better.
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