Reducing Environmental Impact of Products: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) - Prof. Sarah T. Gi, Papers of Mechanical Engineering

Download Reducing Environmental Impact of Products: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) - Prof. Sarah T. Gi and more Papers Mechanical Engineering in PDF only on Docsity! Gille-MAE 124/ESYS 103 1 Assignment for Paper #2 (2006) Due Thursday, June 1, 12:01 am. (That’s the night of May 31.) Submit via turnitin.com How could “Life Cycle Assessment” (LCA) have reduced the environmental impact of a product that is in common use in the United States? This assignment requires you to: 1 Identify an appropriate consumer product for consideration. Possible obvious examples include: • Motor vehicles; • Consumer durables (washing machines, dishwasters, etc.); • Energy supply mechanisms; • Packaging; although you can, of course select any product that interests you. 2 Discuss briefly the methodology of LCA as it applies to your examples; 3 Identify possible alternative products or processes that would reduce the environmen- tal impact or improve the efficiency of the product that you have chosen, while still satisfying consumer needs; 4 Consider why these more environmentally benign alternatives have not completed suc- ceeded in the marketplace; 5 Suggest approaches to encourage adoption of low environmental impact products with- out loss of the functionality required of your chosen product. You should substantiate your arguments with appropriately referenced research, and you should cite your sources using properly formatted footnotes or endnotes. Your paper should be 2500 to 3000 words in length not including your footnotes (or endnotes) and bibliography. As always, late papers will not be accepted for any reason. If you have an extenuating circumstance requiring an extension, set up a time to speak with the TA ASAP.