Following on yesterday's Principle 3: Cradle to Cradle and Closing the Loop, the fourth principle in our series looks at life cycle analysis (LCA) and understanding the resource use involved in every stage of a product's life, from design through disposal (or reuptake into another manufacturing cycle, as in a "cradle to cradle" scenario). When we analyze a product's life cycle, two of the important factors are the "embodied (or embedded) energy" and "virtual water," both of which are accounting methodologies for establishing the total energy or water required for a product or service to exist in the world, including raw material extraction, transport of parts, disassembly, and decomposition or recycling. From an environmental perspective, a value cannot be accurately placed on a product or service without considering the cost of all of these in-between and indirect phases. Greener Miles: Embedded Energy, Life-Cycle Assessments and Greenwashing -- There are many programs and services available today to offset the impact we know we make, such as emissions from driving. But those offsets don't necessarily address the embedded impacts and costs in manufacturing and disposing of vehicles, which is where most of the damage happens. How can we see -- and offset... (more)

(Posted by WorldChanging Team in Sustainable Design at 9:23 AM)
Read more at: http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/006663.html.