3. JEN VAN DER MEER!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
3!
3!
4. REBECCA SILVER: I AM A MICHIGANDER!
FARM LAND. SHUTTERED FACTORES. !
WHEN YOU GROW UP IN SUCH STARK CONTRAST, YOU ASK WHY.!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
4!
4!
5. LANSING, MI!
HOME OF OLDSMOBILE SINCE 1897. UNTIL IT CLOSED IN 1998.!
!
1970: 131,500 Residents; Peak Population.!
1990: 127,000 Residents. 32,100 Manufacturing Jobs.!
2010: 114,000 Residents. 18,400 Manufacturing Jobs.!
!
!
!
!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
5!
5!
6. THESE PROBLEMS ARE SYSTEMIC!
GAS STATIONS WITH NO GAS. TRAIN TRACKS WHICH LEAD TO NOWHERE.!
!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
6!
6!
7. AND LINGER LIKE SCARS ON THE LANDSCAPE!
EARLIER THIS YEAR DETROIT FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY.!
THERE ARE 78,000 ABANDONED BUILDINGS IN THE CITY.!
40% OF THE STREET LIGHTS DO NOT WORK.!
MICHIGAN IS THE ONLY STATE WITH A DECREASING POPULATION.!
!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
!
7!
7!
8. WHY?!
THE CLEAN AIR ACT PASSED IN 1970.!
THE 1973 ARAB OIL EMBARGO SHOOK THE AUTO INDUSTRY. !
LARGE, GAS-GUZZLING CARS GAVE WAY TO SMALL, FUEL-EFFICIENT
JAPANESE IMPORTS.!
!
INNUMERATE OTHER FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS SITUATION.!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
8!
8!
9. TODAY WE OUTSOURCE OUR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT !
CARS FROM MEXICO. WATER FROM FIJI. ELECTRONICS FROM CHINA.!
WE KEEP MAKING THE SAME MISTAKES. !
BUILDING TOMORROWS POST-INDUSTRIAL CITIES.!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
9!
9!
10. PRODUCTION IS GLOBAL, IMPACT IS PERSONAL!
HOW CAN I LEARN FROM THE PAST TO !
DESIGN A BETTER FUTURE?!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
10!
10!
11. REBECCA SILVER!
CAREER: Recovering product designer, full-time sustainability maven. Ive led
sustainability initiatives with the Environmental Defense Fund, Walmart, Adidas, United
Technologies Corporation and others. I aspire to create products and services customers
love, while minimizing their environmental footprints.!
!
BFA: Industrial Design, Rhode Island School Of Design.!
MBA: Business, Ross School Of Business, University Of Michigan.!
MS: Environmental Science, The School Of Natural Resources And Environment,
University Of Michigan.!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
11!
11!
12. A FROG STEPPED INTO A POT OF TEPID WATER!
CURRENT EVENTS!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
13. RADIOACTIVE PLUME COMING TO THE U.S. IN 2014!
A radioactive plume of water in the Paci鍖c Ocean from Japan's
Fukushima nuclear plant, which was crippled in the 2011
earthquake and tsunami, will likely reach U.S. coastal waters
starting in 2014.!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
13!
14. PLAN TO BAN OIL DRILLING IN AMAZON IS DROPPED!
The president of Ecuador offered the world what he considered an
enticing deal: donate $3.6 billion to a trust intended to protect 4,000
square miles of the Amazon jungle and his country would refrain
from oil drilling in the rain forest. The world has failed us,
President Correa said as he withdrew the offer six years later.!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
14!
15. WE ARE FIGHTING FOR OUR SURVIVAL!
Atolls are at risk of becoming
uninhabitable if sea levels rise
The Paci鍖c is 鍖ghting for its
survival. Climate change has
already arrived," said Christopher
Loeak, president of the Marshall
Islands.!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
16. IS CLIMATE CHANGE CAUSING EXTREME WEATHER?!
At what point do you realize youre
the frog in the boiling pot of water?!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
17. QUIZ: WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE?!
A radioactive plume of water in the Paci鍖c Ocean from Japan's
Fukushima nuclear plant, which was crippled in the 2011
earthquake and tsunami, will likely reach U.S. coastal waters
starting in 2014.!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
17!
18. AMOUNT OF CO2 IN THE EARTHS ATMOSPHERE!
A radioactive plume of water in the Paci鍖c Ocean from Japan's
Fukushima nuclear plant, which was crippled in the 2011
earthquake and tsunami, will likely reach U.S. coastal waters
starting in 2014.!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
18!
19. WICKED PROBLEMS!
WICKED PROBLEMS HAVE NO SOLUTION, YOU CAN ONLY MOVE THE NEEDLE.
CHARACTERISTICS OF WICKED PROBLEMS INCLUDE:*!
!
1. There is no de鍖nitive formulation of a wicked problem!
2. Wicked problems have no stopping rule!
3. Solutions to wicked problems are not true-or-false, but good-or-bad!
4. There is no immediate and no ultimate test of a solution to a wicked problem!
5. Every solution to a wicked problem is a "one-shot operation"; !
6. Wicked problems do not have an enumerable set of potential solutions, nor is there a
well-described set of permissible operations that may be incorporated into the plan!
7. Every wicked problem is essentially unique!
8. Every wicked problem can be considered to be a symptom of another problem!
9. The existence of a discrepancy representing a wicked problem can be explained in
numerous ways. The choice of explanation determines the nature of the problem's
resolution!
10. The planner has no right to be wrong!
!
≒ Rittel & Weber, Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning. 1973.!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
19!
20. CLIMATE CHANGE IS A SUPER WICKED PROBLEM!
SUPER WICKED PROBLEMS ARE CHARACTERIZED BY FOUR ADDITIONAL
FEATURES: *!
!
1. Time is running out; !
2. The central authority needed to address it is weak or non-existent; !
3. Those who cause the problem also seek to create a solution; and !
4. Hyperbolic discounting occurs that pushes responses irrationally into the future!
!
!
* Quote from Source: Environment.research.yale.edu!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
20!
21. WHERE DOES DESIGN FIT IN?!
BEGIN BY LOOKING AT OUR IMPACTS!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
21!
22. INDUSTRY CONSUMES 28% OF GLOBAL ENERGY!
Million Tonnes Oil Equivalent (Mtoe)!
WORLD ENERGY CONSUMPTION (2010)!
3500!
Other Source*!
3000!
Biofuels and Waste!
2500!
Natural Gas!
2000!
1500!
Oil Products!
1000!
Crude Oil!
500!
Coal!
0!
Industry!
Transport!
Other**!
Non-energy use***!
Consumption by Sector!
* Other source includes geothermal, solar, wind, electricity and heat, etc.
** Other covers residential, commercial and public services
*** Non-energy use covers those fuels that are used as raw materials in the different sectors and are
not consumed as a fuel (such as petrochemical feedstock)
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
22!
23. INDUSTRY CONSUMES 28% OF GLOBAL ENERGY!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
23!
24. EXERCISE: WHAT ROLE DOES DESIGN PLAY?!
IRON & STEEL!
CHEMICALS & PETROCHEMICALS!
NON-FERROUS METALS!
NON-METALIC MINERAL!
TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT!
MACHINERY!
MINING & QUARRYING!
FOOD & TOBACCO!
PAPER PULP & PRINT!
WOOD AND WOOD PRODUCTS!
CONSTRUCTION!
TEXTILE & LEATHER!
OTHER!
!
!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
!
24!
26. PROVOCATION!
Without answers to these questions that people are seeking,
there are limits to the role consumption can play in our shift
to a more sustainable economic model. As product
designers we have the means to uncover these answers,
and communicate the backstories of the things we make.!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
26!
27. EXERCISE: IF OBJECTS COULD TELL THEIR STORIES!
FIRST: Dump out your backpack.!
SECOND: Pick an object that is intriguing to you.!
THIRD: Take half an hour to 鍖nd out 鍖ve new things about the history of the object or how
its manufactured.!
FOURTH: Present your 鍖ndings to the class, and a story about yourself.!
!
RULES: !
You must leave the building. !
Interview at least 3 strangers.!
No internet allowed. !
Bring back photos as evidence.!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
27!
28. IF OBJECTS COULD TELL THEIR STORIES!
PRESENTATIONS!
!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
29. GOALS & EXPECTATIONS!
CLASS RULES!
!
GOALS!
!
SEMESTER OVERVIEW!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
30. CLASS RULES!
1. Email/call if you will be late or miss a class.!
2. Lids down when a fellow student or guest speaker is speaking.!
3. Laptops are for note taking and project work/only.!
4. No phones during class.!
!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
30!
31. COURSE GOAL!
As creators, know whats in the stuff you make. Eco-design is
not a spectator sport. Take responsibility. Take action. Lead
conversations. Become the environmental expert. !
!
Think 10, 20, and 100 years ahead. !
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
31!
32. OVERVIEW OF SEMESTER!
1 | September 4: Life Cycle Assessment Core Lecture!
2 | September 11: Stocks Energy & LCA Tools Introduction!
3 | September 18: Stocks Materials!
4 | September 25: Stocks Water!
5 | October 2: Stakeholders Corporations!
6 | October 9: Stakeholders External Stakeholders!
7 | October 16: Environmental Impact Core Lecture!
8 | October 23: Midterm Presentations!
9 | October 16: Transport & Further Exploration on Impacts!
10 | November 6: Manufacturing!
11 | November 13: Point of Purchase and Consumer Use!
12 | November 20: End of Life!
13 | November 27: Will Reschedule for Thanksgiving Holiday - Fieldtrip!
14 | December 4th: Final Presentations!
15 | December 11th: Final Presentations!
!
!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
!
32!
33. CLASS ASSIGNMENTS & GRADING!
ASSIGNMENTS!
≒ Mid-term presentation & project dossier; interim gut-checks!
≒ Final presentation & project dossier; interim gut-checks!
≒ Readings + Leading two class discussions on readings (5 Groups)!
!
GRADING!
25%: Showing up prepared/verbally participating!
15%: Class readings & presentations!
25%: Mid-term presentation & dossier!
35%: Final presentation & dossier!
!
!
!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
33!
34. CORE PRINCIPLES OF LCA!
LCI, LCA, AND LCIA!
!
GOALS, FUNCTIONAL UNIT, SCOPE & SYSTEM BOUNDARIES!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
35. LCA: BY THE NUMBERS!
LCI LIFE CYCLE INVENTORY
ANALYSIS!
Identify and quantity energy, water, and
materials usage and releases!
!
LCIA LIFE CYCLE IMPACT
ASSESSMENT!
Assess the ecological and human impacts
and effects of energy, water and material
use and environmental releases identi鍖ed in
the inventory analysis.!
!
INTERPRETATION!
Evaluation of the results with understanding
of uncertainty and assumptions used to
generate the results.!
!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
35!
36. GOAL & FUNCTIONAL UNIT!
GOAL!
Help guide designers in the development of new products and services, toward a net
reduction of resources and emissions. !
!
Additional Goals Could Include:!
Establish baseline information for a process!
Provide information and direction to decision-makers!
Support product certi鍖cation!
Support public policy!
Identify data gaps!
Rank the relative contribution of individual steps or processes!
Support broad environmental assessments!
!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
36!
37. GOAL & FUNCTIONAL UNIT!
FUNCTIONAL UNIT!
The unit of comparison that assures that the products being compared!
provide an equivalent level of function or service.!
!
Example: Paper vs. Plastic!
Function is to carry groceries; functional unit could be de鍖ned as a speci鍖c volume/weight
of groceries (3 lbs of groceries)!
≒ COFFEE!
≒ PAINT!
≒ LIGHT BULB!
!
!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
37!
39. ASSIGNMENT: PICK A PRODUCT!
THIS PRODUCT WILL BE THE FOCUS OF YOUR CLASSWORK FOR THE ENTIRE
SEMESTER!
!
Designer Chair!
iPhone App!
Water Filter!
Takeout Packaging!
Backpack!
Infant Toy!
Lamp!
Non-Phone Tracking Device!
!
!
!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
39!
40. ASSIGNMENT!
BY END OF CLASS TODAY!
1. Specify your product: Brand, customer, price-point!
!
BY NEXT WEEK (PRESENT AT BEGINNING OF CLASS)!
1. First draft of goal and functional unit!
2. First draft of customer/product pro鍖le!
!
!
LIFE CYCLES & FLOWS | WEEK 1: SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 !
40!