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Use of the Economic Input-Output Life-Cycle Assessment (eiolca) Website

Use of the Economic Input-Output Life-Cycle Assessment (eiolca) Website. By Chris Hendrickson, H. Scott Matthews and Mike Griffin Green Design Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15208, USA. Some Sustainability Tools.

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Use of the Economic Input-Output Life-Cycle Assessment (eiolca) Website

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  1. Use of the Economic Input-Output Life-Cycle Assessment (eiolca) Website By Chris Hendrickson, H. Scott Matthews and Mike Griffin Green Design Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15208, USA

  2. Some Sustainability Tools • Triple bottom line assessments (multi-objective optimization) • Life Cycle Assessment • Expand range of design alternatives (not a tactic limited to sustainable infrastructure, of course…) • New technology (datalogger, new materials) • Alternative approaches (different modes)

  3. Some Other Common Tools • Materials flow analysis • Appropriate boundary setting. • Risk and uncertainty analysis. • Life cycle cost analysis. • Design heuristics (reduce energy use, eliminate waste material)

  4. www.eiolca.net Website Components • Economic Input-Output Model of US Economy (~480 economic sectors) • Impact Vectors: Air emissions, Energy use, Toxic emissions, Employment. • 1992 and 1997 Benchmark models + annual models of US economy • Tutorial on model use. • Forum for discussion.

  5. History of Website • Initial version on spreadsheet. • Moved to web for free public use in 2000 with 1992 Benchmark Input-Output Data. • Update to 1997 Benchmark in 2004. • Papers on input-output life cycle assessment method and applications from 1992 on. • Plan to update to 2002 Benchmark in 2007.

  6. Use of Website • >1,000,000 uses of the model (over 10,000 per month). • Education/research uses most frequent. • Numerous industrial and government uses. • Numerous international uses. • ‘Hybrid applications’ with process models and input-output model common.

  7. Most Popular Sectors

  8. Most Popular Impacts

  9. Book for Documentation in 2006 • Theory. • Applications: appliances, buildings, energy generation and transmission, logistics, motor vehicles, and services • Extension to regional and safety impacts.

  10. Residential Life Cycle Energy Source: Ochoa, Hendrickson, Matthews and Ries, 2005

  11. Motor Vehicle Energy Use

  12. Example: Power Tool Datalogger

  13. Datalogger Triple Bottom Line • Permits profitable re-manufacturing to replace loss making recycling. • Develops information on tool use. • Reduces material use overall. • Creates new low-cost tool option. • No privacy issues raised (unlike autos!) • Must balance cost (including environmental cost) of datalogger versus benefits – return rate of used power tools is critical.

  14. Some Relevant On-going Green Design Inst. Research • 2002 Benchmark Update. • Mixed unit input-output models: metal flows and monetary transactions. • Regional Models. • Other national models with international trade flows. • Construction, energy (especially electricity), infrastructure and transportation alternatives life cycle assessment applications.

  15. Switchgrass (Cellulosic) Ethanol

  16. Local Action: Carnegie Mellon

  17. Some Carnegie Mellon Projects (cont)

  18. Conclusions • Making sustainability operational requires political will but also effective tools and technology. • Triple bottom line assessment: economic, environmental, social • Life cycle perspective essential • Challenges should not lead to paralysis.

  19. Some Resources • Center for Sustainable Engineering (ASU, Carnegie Mellon, Texas): http://www.csengin.org/ • Carnegie Mellon Green Design Institute: www.gdi.ce.cmu.edu • Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment: website at www.eiolca.net. Book: Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Goods & Services: An Input-Output Approach, 2006.

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