Reduce, reuse, and recycle:  It’s the three-word mantra of the "green" movement and has been for several decades.  The idea, of course, is to reduce the use of resources, reuse as many of those resources as possible and recycle resources to make them suitable for other purposes instead of just discarding them.

However, sometimes you have to look beyond the product itself to understand its impact on the environment.  For example, an automobile doesn’t just use fossil fuels to operate. Fossil fuels were used in making the automobile, as well as in mining the metal that became the car or truck, operating the machinery that built the auto and fueling the truck or train that delivered the automobile to the dealership. 

In short, products can have life cycles that make their impact much greater than most people realize.  The same is true of air filters used in computers, telco equipment, medical equipment and other applications.

It takes energy to make an air filter, of course.  The media has to be produced, as does the frame, whether it’s metal or some other material.  But air filters have a unique advantage in the green arena.  They actually help other equipment operate more efficiently and so contribute to a greener world.

Let’s take cleanable, reusable air filters, for instance. These products can increase operating efficiency and reduce the amount of waste produced.  For example, permanent filters from Universal Air Filter® are designed and configured to maximize surface area to reduce pressure drop and promote increased service life.

What’s the effect of reduced pressure drop?  More airflow, which, in turn, helps dissipate heat.  Better heat dissipation means that smaller cooling fans can be used.  And smaller cooling fans use less energy and actually save money during equipment operation.

Further, cleanable, reusable air filters, like disposable ones, keep dust from accumulating on circuit cards inside equipment cooling applications.  Preventing dust from gathering also leads to cooler equipment operation.  The system runs at higher efficiency and can also last longer.

Reusable air filters eliminate the need for producing new frames for each filter.  All that has to be replaced is the air filter media, not the entire assembly.  The frames can be cleaned and reused, thereby reducing waste and lowering maintenance costs. 

A surprising benefit of some of these green air filters is their ability to lower insurance costs.  They reduce the chance of having to replace large equipment because of fire and smoke damage.  Some of the media used are flame-resistant.  The air filter acts as a guard against the spread of flame and helps put out the fire.