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Measuring Environmental Impacts Through Biologically Inspired Design

This concept delves into defining and evaluating multifaceted environmental impacts. It covers waste, carbon dioxide emissions, water usage, habitat destruction, toxins, and nonrenewable resource consumption. The significance of setting system boundaries is emphasized, along with the multidimensional nature of impact measurement. The text explores comparing different environmental factors, focusing on the entire lifecycle analysis of products. Key points include waste measurement by weight, carbon dioxide equivalents, water usage, greenspace destruction, toxicity levels, and nonrenewable resources depletion. The importance of consistent boundary definitions and lifecycle analysis is highlighted.

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Measuring Environmental Impacts Through Biologically Inspired Design

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  1. Measuring Impacts on the Environment Biologically Inspired Design 15 October 2009 Craig Tovey

  2. Main Conceptual Points • Define System Boundaries • Environmental Impacts, in the plural. Measurement is multidimensional • Comparison is usually much easier than an evaluation from scratch • Evaluate the product’s entire lifecycle

  3. Main Factual Points • Waste • Carbon Dioxide • Water • Habitat or Green Space • Toxins • Use of non-renewable resources

  4. System Boundaries Only measure what crosses system boundaries • It is never easy to define the system • Example: use wood in Georgia  Transport wood by truck • Example: use electricity in Georgia  Burn coal

  5. Impact is Multidimensional • Dimension: something you can measure • What is better, paper or plastic? • What is better, a hybrid or gasoline car?

  6. Impact is Multidimensional • Dimension: something you can measure • What is better, paper or plastic? I don’t know • What is better, a hybrid or gasoline car? I don’t know

  7. Impact is Multidimensional • Dimension: something you can measure • What is better, paper or plastic? I don’t know • What is better, a hybrid or gasoline car? I don’t know But I can tell you the tradeoffs

  8. Waste • Measure by weight (e.g. kg) • Stuff that goes into landfills • Does not include toxic waste

  9. Carbon Dioxide • Global Warming • Greenhouse Gases • Carbon Dioxide Equivalents, in kg or lb

  10. Water • Gallons of clean water used

  11. Greenspace • Acres or km^2 of forest, jungle, arable land destroyed • Habitat destruction • Endangered species are markers for habitats

  12. Toxins • Crude measure in kg • Tables of toxicity sometimes available but unclear how to use e.g. plutonium.

  13. Nonrenewable Resources • Oil • Coal • Natural Gas • Metals and metal-bearing minerals

  14. Comparison • x-x = 0 even if you don’t know x. • Often much easier • Be consistent about system boundaries • FUNCTION, not activity car-years, not cars; warmth not BTUs.

  15. Lifecycle Analysis • Manufacture • Transportation and Storage • Use • End-of-Life. Disassemble, possibly recycle • Examples: decommission nuclear reactor; dispose of battery

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