• Last updated 4/9/08 by alanwells

Waste Reduction "The first practice to adopt in waste management is to reduce the amount of material to be disposed of. Employing the practices of dematerialisation and designing for disassembly to facilitate reuse and recycling is a means of achieving this.   Reducing the waste generated also minimises the pollutants released into the environment from landfill sites, incineration and dumping at sea.   Another aspect of achieving good waste management is to specify materials that are inert or biodegradable. For example, paints and varnishes that are water-based or... read more

• Last updated 9/29/11 by stins

What is a Life Cycle Assessment? A life cycle assessment (also known as life cycle analysis, life cycle inventory, ecobalance, cradle-to-grave-analysis, well-to-wheel analysis, and dust-to-dust energy cost) is the assessment of the environmental impact of a given product or service throughout its lifespan.   The goal of LCA is to compare the environmental performance of products and services, to be able to choose the least burdensome one. The term 'life cycle' refers to the notion that a fair, holistic assessment requires the assessment of raw material production,... read more

• Last updated 4/9/08 by alanwells

Designing for Disassembly "What's the best future we can imagine for our disused stuff? We can design things to be disassembled, but the ultimate strategy would use excellent materials, easy to recover - and ward the landfill off in perpetuity. The goal is the closed loop, in which objects are continuously remade, spiraling upward in quality and harmlessness. This is the trash of the finest ingredients, reflecting the fact that things can't last forever, and that fashions, in fact, change frequently... Making things easy to take apart also makes them easy to repair."... read more

• Last updated 4/9/08 by alanwells

Closing the Loop "Products can be designed so that their individual components are easily retrieved at the end of their life; this can be instrumental in facilitating recycling and reuse of materials. Designing for the reuse of materials is one way of reducing the amount of material destined for landfill.   "In exhibition design waste can be greatly reduced if an exhibition is designed for disassembly. To do so successfully designers must consider disassembly from the conception stage. They should determine who will be responsible for dismantling the exhibit and... read more

• Last updated 4/20/08 by vegipowrd

The following principles of sustainable design were penned by William McDonough, author of Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things. These guidelines serve as an excellent place to start on the path to understanding sustainable design in any field. 1. Insist on rights of humanity and nature to co-exist in a healthy, supportive, diverse and sustainable condition. 2. Recognize interdependence. The elements of human design interact with and depend upon the natural world, with broad and diverse implications at every scale. Expand design considerations... read more