SUSTAIN 1S03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Green Energy Act 2009, Our Common Future, William Mcdonough
12 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
January 15, 2018
Silent Spring
Written by Rachel Carson in 1962
Brought environmental issues to the general public, highlighting a connection to nature rather
than dominance over nature
Bhopal
Union Carbide plant in India that manufactured pesticide leaked MIC gas into the local water
system
Immediate death toll approx. 2,300 people; over 500,000 affected
Emergence of Responsible Care (1985) and REACH
Our Common Future
Document that discussed how to meet the needs of the current generation without
oproisig future geeratios aility to eet their eeds
Factored in economics, policy, etc.
LEED, IE (LCA)
Concept of Corporate Social Responsibility
Kyoto Protocol
Practical approach to greenhouse gas management
Tutorial – January 17, 2018
Brandon Smit – smi[email protected]
January 22, 2018
Environment and the Economy
Value of ecosystem: $33 trillion/year; approx. $4,500 per person on Earth
What influences productivity? Specialization, efficiency and technology
What can influence supply and demand? Marketing, cost and utility
Elasticity
Highly elastic – small change in price leads to significant change in supply or demand
Highly inelastic – significant change in price leads to a marginal change in supply or demand
What influences elasticity? Substitutes, buying power, utility
Competition
The ideal is a perfet opetitio here soeoe doest hae to fator i affordaility i
making decisions
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
- Many alternatives; supply and demand in equilibrium; consumers have leverages;
low/reasonable threshold to entry (what resources someone/thing requires in order to
participate in a market)
- Green Energy Act
EB = P x A x T
EB = environmental burden
P = population
A = affluence (higher affluence = increased consumptive technology)
T = technology (consumptive technology)
Argument that equation should be EB = P x A / T because technology can actually reduce our
environmental burden
Video – The Story of Stuff
Materials economy
Externalized costs
Planned and perceived obsolescence
Primary measures – changing design and how materials are used
Secondary measures –
Cradle to Cradle – William McDonough and Michal Braungart
Design things that can return to nature or perpetually be reused
Natural materials have a system that is linked to an industrial system; industrial materials must
stay in industrial system
Industrial Ecology
Oe idustrys aste eoes aothers ra aterial
Redesign industrial systems to mimic ecological systems
January 29, 2018
The role of policy in sustainability
Poliy are priiples of atio
Public policy – legally established policies of a government
- Influenced by private interest, international organizations, lower levels of government
- Incentive or restriction
- Political will – action in the face of controversy, against majority, public opinion, or even
in contradiction to political ideology
- NIMTOO – ot i y politial offie
Coal Phase-Out in Ontario (assigned reading)
50% of sulphur emissions that arrived in Hamilton came from Ohio valley
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Brought environmental issues to the general public, highlighting a connection to nature rather than dominance over nature. Union carbide plant in india that manufactured pesticide leaked mic gas into the local water system. Document that discussed how to meet the needs of the current generation without (cid:272)o(cid:373)pro(cid:373)isi(cid:374)g future ge(cid:374)eratio(cid:374)(cid:859)s a(cid:271)ility to (cid:373)eet their (cid:374)eeds. Highly elastic small change in price leads to significant change in supply or demand. Highly inelastic significant change in price leads to a marginal change in supply or demand. The ideal is a (cid:858)perfe(cid:272)t (cid:272)o(cid:373)petitio(cid:374)(cid:859) (cid:449)here so(cid:373)eo(cid:374)e does(cid:374)(cid:859)t ha(cid:448)e to fa(cid:272)tor i(cid:374) afforda(cid:271)ility i(cid:374) making decisions. Many alternatives; supply and demand in equilibrium; consumers have leverages; low/reasonable threshold to entry (what resources someone/thing requires in order to participate in a market) A = affluence (higher affluence = increased consumptive technology) Argument that equation should be eb = p x a / t because technology can actually reduce our.
