LCA IX is the annual meeting and conference of the American Center for Life Cycle Assessment (ACLCA). It brings together hundreds of academics and professionals in environmental life cycle, as well as industry, government, and NGOs. I was there this past week in Boston because I focus on sustainable engineering and design. One aspect of that is developing techniques to integrate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) into the product development process. I am somewhat of an outsider in this club, but I do admit I left the conference with renewed vigor to find the intersection between LCA, sustainability and product development.
The goal of the conference was to discuss methods of life cycle assessment to promote sustainability in products, industries, infrastructure and companies. It was an interesting gathering of professionals from Europe, Asia and the Americas. On the whole, it was both an inspiring and daunting four-day experience. It is promising that the field is advancing quickly, but that hint of isolation lingered–as if you are among the few people on the planet that get the potential of this technology. It was like being at a meeting of a secret society. If you’re in, you know the lingo and you understand the importance, but if you’re not, it seems confusing and exclusive…
http://thenewgreeneconomy.com/blog/life-cycle-assessment-101-why-does-it-matter.html
