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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. http://www.naturalstep.org/
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1. Don ’ t take excess from the ground and spread it on the Earth ’ s surface.
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2. Don ’ t make new things (unknown to nature) and spread them on the Earth ’ s surface.
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Bioaccumulation of PCBs in the Great Lakes Source: http://concernedcitizens.homestead.com/osf.html
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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. http://eces.org/articles/000754.php
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3. Don ’ t harvest renewable resources at a faster rate than they can recover. www.esig.ucar.edu/rates/
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The Favela (Brazil) vs. McMansion (USA) 4. Don ’ t allow a skewing of resources to select parts of the human population.
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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
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Solar and Wind Power
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Erosion on Madagascar: what happens when soil cover is lost
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Erosion in the Betsiboka River Valley, Madagascar
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Riparian Buffer for erosion control, Putnam County, Ohio www.oh.nrcs.usda.gov/.../riparian.html
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Logging with horses
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Table 14.2
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Table 14.3
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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
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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
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What are the analogs to n Species? n Population? n Community? n Ecosystem? n Niche? n Predator/Prey relationships? n Succession?
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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.
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Tools n Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) n Design for Environment (DFE) n Material Flow Analysis (MFA)
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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.
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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
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Design for Environment n One of the DFx family: – Manufacturability – Reliability – Cost – &c n Brings results of LCA to product/service design
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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
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