Systems Perspectives on Industrial Ecology
Course facts
- Payment: Free, no certificate
- Credits: Non Credit
- Learning style: Self-paced, start anytime
- Resources: Lecture Notes; Presentation Assignments; Written Assignments
- Before you start: ESD.10 or 3.56.
MIT OpenCourseWare details
- As taught in: Spring 2006
- Department: Engineering Systems Division, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering
| Course Details | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
||||||
| Outcomes | ||||||
|
||||||
| Price & Terms | ||||||
|
||||||
| Technical | ||||||
|
||||||
| Specification | ||||||
|
||||||
Life-cycle assessment and materials flow analysis for engineers, with sustainability metrics, resource economics and environmental policy.
Engineers can change the environmental footprint of modern life, but only with tools that show which design and operating choices are actually better. This course examines life-cycle thinking and quantitative methods for judging the impacts of extracting, processing, using and recycling materials, alongside the economics of materials, products and markets. It starts with competing views of industrial ecology and sustainability, works through life-cycle assessment step by step, scales up to national materials flows, and closes with environmental policy.
What You Will Achieve
- Define the goal and scope of a life-cycle assessment
- Build a life-cycle inventory and handle allocation and recycling
- Compare impact assessment methods such as EPS and EcoPoints
- Analyze materials flows at the scale of a national economy
Program Overview
Views on Industrial Ecology
Paradigms, sustainability and resource economics.
- What is industrial ecology?
- Sustainability: concepts and metrics
- Resource economics
LCA Method and Impact Assessment
Life-cycle assessment step by step.
- Scope and inventory
- Inventory allocation and recycling
- Impact assessment with EPS and EcoPoints
- Materials flow analysis
Materials Flows and Policy
National flows and policy strategies.
- National materials flows
- A material flow case study
- Environmental policy making
Course Completion
Job Outlook
Life-cycle assessment and materials flow analysis are used in sustainability consulting, product design, environmental engineering and policy analysis.
Good for: Engineering students who want quantitative tools for judging the environmental impact of materials and products.
Keep in mind: A spring 2006 course with notes for some lectures and briefs for four assignments and two team case studies; there is no textbook, so the reading comes from assigned papers and handouts.
Bottom line: A solid grounding in life-cycle thinking for engineers, best paired with a current LCA text.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the case studies?
Two team projects: a life-cycle assessment of a product, and the life-cycle impact of changes to a system, each with a report and presentation.
Is there a set textbook?
No. Because the course covers a broad range of topics, it relies on assigned readings, lecture notes and handouts instead.
How far does it go beyond single products?
It scales up to national materials flows and a material flow case study, then covers environmental policy making in two sessions.
User Reviews
Write your review
You must be logged in to post a review.
Reviews can only be posted by registered learners. Log in or create a free account, then you will return here to post.
There are no reviews yet.