What time period is the current day a part of?
anthropoecene epoch
Tragedy of commons
- indiv consume shared resource
- return waste to common resource
benefit 1
harm all
Carry capacity
Upper limit of sustainable population
Environmental resistance qualities
- Resources
- Toxin accumulation
- Disease
What is sustainble development
Development that meets the needs of present without compromising the needs of future
3 elements of sustainable development
- economic growth
- environmental protection
- social equality
Brutland commision key concepts
- poor ppl needs
- tech/social demands on environment
What is sustainable engineering
Design of systems that does not harm future
4 Rs
- Reduce
- Repair
- Recycle
- Reuse
Embodied energy/carbon
- energy used / GHG released over life of product
- from extraction to the end
% of embodied energy/carbon in avg. buildings consumption
20~25%
Design stage sustainability options
- sourcing / material selection
- manufacturing construction
- use / maintenance
- end of life
Sustainable sourcing considerations
- green / local materials
Sustainable material / construction considerations
- minimize waste
- lightweight design
- appropriate site location
Sustainable use and maintenance considerations
- efficient heating
- water treatment
- rain water harvest
Sustainable end of life consideration
- Recycling
- Reclamation
Sustainability articulation steps
- define objective
- stakeholder analysis
- fact-finding
- synthesis
- reflection
3 components of sustainability objective
- motivation
- articulation
- size and time scale
What step is LCA at in sustainable articulation
- Step 3, fact-finding
3 considerations during LCA synthesis
3P
- ppl
- planet
- prosperity
Is LCA quantitative?
yes
Benefit of LCA
- systematic
- quantifiable
- numercial comparison of alternative
What does LCA not include
- technical solution
- economics
- social impacts of changing tech
Does LCA ensure all sustainable criteria
No
