February 23

New tools for putting environmental life cycle thinking into action

February 23: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
MPCA's St. Paul offices | Webcast available

Register today (free) to attend in person or via webcast

Join us for a discussion of new tools and studies that can aid business, government and non-profits in understanding and evaluating the greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution impacts of goods and services throughout their environmental life cycles. The discussion will focus on the development and practical uses of three new tools: a life cycle analysis (LCA) tool for assessing the GHG impacts of individual products; an LCA tool for assessing "scope 3" emissions from the entire supply chain of a company, government, or non-profit; and a first-of-its-kind study in the U.S. examining the GHG impacts of a whole state's consumption patterns. Moderated Q&A will follow the presentations.

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Panel members

Holly Lahd (University of Minnesota) helped develop two new tools released in fall 2011 by the GHG Protocol: the Scope 3 and Product Life Cycle standards. She is currently a graduate researcher at the University's NorthStar Initiative for Sustainable Enterprise. Her expertise is in applied economics, sustainability strategy, GHG inventories, and life cycle assessment. She will present overviews and applications of both the Product and the Scope 3 Standards.

Thaddeus Owen (Herman Miller) works on product design and design for the environment for the Herman Miller corporation, a leader in design and manufacture of furniture and work spaces, named by Fortune magazine as “Most Admired” and by Fast Company magazine as one  of the 50 most innovative companies.  He led Herman Miller’s participation as a corporate “road tester” of the GHG Protocol Product Standard during its development. Mr. Owen will share Herman Miller’s experience of road testing the standard and how the company incorporates life cycle thinking in product development.

Madalyn Cioci (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency) works on waste and pollution prevention for the MPCA, ranging from policy development and research to providing technical assistance. She is currently studying and promoting reuse as well as helping to incorporate LCA into the state of Minnesota’s procurement system. She will moderate the discussion and present the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s recent Consumption-based Emissions Inventory.

Resources

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) is the most widely used international accounting tool for government and business leaders to understand, quantify, and manage greenhouse gas emissions. This initiative, a decade-long partnership between the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, is working with stakeholders around the world to build a new generation of credible and effective programs for tackling climate change.

Consumption-based Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory for Oregon presents research commissioned by the Oregon state Department of Environmental Quality to estimate emissions – both in-state and elsewhere - associated with consumption by Oregon residents, businesses and governments. More than half of these consumption-based emissions occur in other states or nations.