Sustainability There are four “ don ’ ts ” of sustainability, adapted on the following slides, are taken from “ the Natural Step ”, originated by Karl Henrik Robert of Sweden.

1. Don ’ t take excess from the ground and spread it on the Earth ’ s surface.

2. Don ’ t make new things (unknown to nature) and spread them on the Earth ’ s surface.

Bioaccumulation of PCBs in the Great Lakes Source:

PCBs in the Arctic n PCBs enter the St. Lawrence and other waterways n Initially picked up by algae and zooplankton in Gulf of St. Lawrence n These in turn are consumed by relatives of shrimp called copepods. n Copepods are the primary food of smaller fish, who are consumed by mackerel and larger fish n Ultimately seals, whales and finally polar bears and humans. n PCBs concentration in human breast milk of Inuit's on the west coast of Greenland and Baffin Island rises to the level of toxic waste.

3. Don ’ t harvest renewable resources at a faster rate than they can recover.

The Favela (Brazil) vs. McMansion (USA) 4. Don ’ t allow a skewing of resources to select parts of the human population.

The do ’ s of sustainability n Move closer to solar as the primary energy source. n Use local resources first. n Keep resources in place. n Natural systems are best, imitate local ecosystems as much as possible in designing human systems. Account for Nature ’ s services. n Do not externalize costs, internalize them. n Develop communal resource management systems. “ Small is Beautiful ” : example - microlending

Solar and Wind Power

Erosion on Madagascar: what happens when soil cover is lost

Erosion in the Betsiboka River Valley, Madagascar

Riparian Buffer for erosion control, Putnam County, Ohio

Logging with horses

Table 14.2

Table 14.3

Industrial Ecology The “ science of sustainability ” n Predicated on two precepts: – We are interested in sustainability – We want to remain industrial n The Master Equation n ISAT 428: Industrial Ecology

Industrial Ecology n Two personalities: – An analogy with the cyclic nature of biological economies – A set of methodologies for pursuing sustainability n Goal: mimic the inherent efficiency of nature n Information is key

What are the analogs to n Species? n Population? n Community? n Ecosystem? n Niche? n Predator/Prey relationships? n Succession?

Master Equation n where – Population is growing (as is growth rate) – GDP is the country's Gross Domestic Product, also growing in rough proportion to the drive toward increased quality of life – Env_impact is largely technology driven, and has a somewhat bell shaped curve with time. Env_impact per unit_GDP must shrink if overall Env_impact is to shrink.

Tools n Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) n Design for Environment (DFE) n Material Flow Analysis (MFA)

Life Cycle Assessment n An underpinning tenet of Industrial Ecology n Predicated on the ability to evaluate the (relative) impacts of production or design decisions throughout the life span of the product in question.

Three Major Elements of LCA n Inventory Analysis: This optimization problem first requires information about impacts n Impact Analysis: Then alternative strategies are compared n Improvement Analysis: Evaluation and implementation of opportunities to reduce environmental impacts

Design for Environment n One of the DFx family: – Manufacturability – Reliability – Cost – &c n Brings results of LCA to product/service design

Material Flow Analysis n Similar to LCA but based on mass balance around a geographic system (e.g. a nation) Examines movement of material with view towards reduction ( “ dematerialization ” ) n Can be used for energy as well