USGBC Federal Summit, Washington, DC29 April 2003

TOOLS:TOOLS:

The Latest in Green Specs andThe Latest in Green Specs and

Life Cycle AssessmentLife Cycle AssessmentAlison Kinn BennettAlison Kinn BennettUS EPA Environmentally US EPA Environmentally Preferable Purchasing ProgramPreferable Purchasing Program

Dr. Teresa PohlmanDr. Teresa PohlmanPentagon Renovation ProgramPentagon Renovation Program

Michael Chapman, AIAMichael Chapman, AIAModeratorModerator

Life Cycle Life Cycle

AssessmentAssessment

water use water use

transportation transportation

energy use energy use

resource resource useuse

(depletion)(depletion)

resource resource extraction extraction

effects effects

emissions to wateremissions to water

solid wastessolid wastes

emissions to airemissions to air

A methodology for assessing the A methodology for assessing the environmental performance of a environmental performance of a

product over its full life cycleproduct over its full life cycleCourtesy of the AthenaTM Institute

Life Cycle StagesLife Cycle Stages

Cradle – to – gateCradle – to – gate

(Manufacturing)(Manufacturing)

Courtesy of the AthenaTM Institute

Environmental EffectsEnvironmental Effects

On-site ConstructionOn-site Construction

Operations & MaintenanceOperations & Maintenance

(Occupancy)(Occupancy)

End – of - LifeEnd – of - Life

Initial Initial

embodiedembodied

RecurringRecurring

Final EmbodiedFinal Embodied

EmbodiedEmbodied

OperatingOperating++

The US LCI Database ProjectThe US LCI Database Project

Courtesy of the AthenaTM Institute

A public/private research partnershipA public/private research partnership

Project ObjectiveProject ObjectiveTo develop a publicly available database for commonly used materials, products, and To develop a publicly available database for commonly used materials, products, and processesprocesses

RationaleRationale Support decision-support systems and toolsSupport decision-support systems and tools

e.g. ATHENA, BEES, LEEDe.g. ATHENA, BEES, LEED

Support supplier-specific LCA workSupport supplier-specific LCA work Provide regional benchmarks for assessing company, plant or new technology dataProvide regional benchmarks for assessing company, plant or new technology data Provide the foundation for subsequent life cycle assessment tasksProvide the foundation for subsequent life cycle assessment tasks

Cradle-to-Gate FocusCradle-to-Gate Focus

Material AcquisitionMaterial Acquisition

Courtesy of the AthenaTM Institute

Life Cycle StagesLife Cycle Stages

Primary ManufacturingPrimary Manufacturing

Secondary ManufacturingSecondary Manufacturing

Use/Reuse/MaintenanceUse/Reuse/Maintenance

Recycling/Waste ManagementRecycling/Waste Management

Resource extractionResource extraction

Recycled materialsRecycled materials

A Simple Classification SystemA Simple Classification System

Courtesy of the AthenaTM Institute

Level 1 – product comparison tools & info sourcesLevel 1 – product comparison tools & info sources

Level 2 – whole building design or decision support toolsLevel 2 – whole building design or decision support tools

Level 3 – whole building assessment frameworks or systemsLevel 3 – whole building assessment frameworks or systems

Support systemsSupport systems