Life Cycle and Material Flows
Understanding the exact context of how things interrelate or where things come from and go provides us greater ecological wisdom. Exploring how things flow on to new forms and uses gives us a greener awakening. Just look how water transform from a cloud, to rain, to water, to ice, back into the air over and over again.
There are many phases how an organism or product goes through. All living and non living thing go through a series of stages throughout its life and death. For example our very body composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen eventually returns back into our larger ecological cycle.
Life on this planet consists of many cycles revolving around and around. Whether it is the hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, or whatever cycle that occurs understanding how these cycles interrelate are vital to our advancement. For example accounting for materials flows gives us greater understanding our larger life cycles. Because material flows accounts track the movement of goods into and out of the economy, they can be used as early warning indicators of potential threats to human health and undesirable changes in natural resources.
To best understand resource management we have to look at the bigger picture of the flow of materials. Back in 2008 the World Resource Institute accounted for materials flows (http://materials.wri.org.)
First look at consumption in the U.S. per capita material consumption in the United States is more than 50 percent higher than the average of 15 European Union countries In absolute terms, total material consumption increased from 1975 to 2000 by 57 percent to 6.5 billion metric tons in 2000. Per capita consumption increased by 23 percent. The majority of growth can be explained by an 83 percent increase in built infrastructure of materials associated with industrial development.
Also this study looked at material outputs. Nearly 2.7 billion metric tons of materials were returned to the environment as waste (outputs) in 2000. Total outputs have increased by 26 percent since 1975, and the most environmentally harmful outputs—synthetic and persistent organic chemicals, radioactive compounds, and heavy metals—have increased by 24 percent to 16 million metric tons.
While many policies to control point-source and industrial pollution levels have curbed hazardous releases into the environment, toxic releases from diffuse sources such as imported consumer electronics have increased. For example, more than 60 percent of the cadmium consumed in 2000 was contained in imported batteries. Only 32 percent of all cadmium was recycled in 2000.
Life cycle is all about observing a product’s entire cycle, from cradle to cradle furthering sustainable management. The 2008 WRI study documented total consumption of materials grew 57 percent over the study period, to 6.5 billion metric tons in 2000. If the United States had been a sustainable economy during this period, we would have avoided the creation of 25 billion tons of waste (and its subsequent disposal into our air and water and onto our land).
Understanding material management includes a exploring its entire footprint. Just examine how waste water is a 9 billion ton commodity that certainly can be better managed in this country.
In the U.S. today we recycle 35 percent of our municipal trash of the quarter billion ton of our total refuse pile. This translates in the amount of energy yearly consumed by about 10 million homes. Each American generates 4.4 pounds of waste each day up 63 percent from 1960*.
Today Three R’s is being expand with extra ones: Refuse, and Rot. Refuse is about precycling by only purchasing what you need. Rot is about following nature and allowing things to compost into new organic material or let it rot. Understanding life cycle is essential to examine how long a product lasts, the amount of greenhouse gases resulting from its use and other important factors.
As we improve resource management then we will shift to more environmentally preferable actions. Material flows accountability will provide a better scorecard of successful management. Better life cycle and materials accounting will monitor vital environmental indicators. Just emulate our water cycle and much will be gained Material flows help us best track the movement of goods into and out of the economy. We all prosper by eco-accounting so we can best go forth by mimicking our greater cyclic world.
.* Is Recycling Worth It, Jonna Poncavage, www.motherearthnews,com page 65 2/2015
There are many phases how an organism or product goes through. All living and non living thing go through a series of stages throughout its life and death. For example our very body composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen eventually returns back into our larger ecological cycle.
Life on this planet consists of many cycles revolving around and around. Whether it is the hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, or whatever cycle that occurs understanding how these cycles interrelate are vital to our advancement. For example accounting for materials flows gives us greater understanding our larger life cycles. Because material flows accounts track the movement of goods into and out of the economy, they can be used as early warning indicators of potential threats to human health and undesirable changes in natural resources.
To best understand resource management we have to look at the bigger picture of the flow of materials. Back in 2008 the World Resource Institute accounted for materials flows (http://materials.wri.org.)
First look at consumption in the U.S. per capita material consumption in the United States is more than 50 percent higher than the average of 15 European Union countries In absolute terms, total material consumption increased from 1975 to 2000 by 57 percent to 6.5 billion metric tons in 2000. Per capita consumption increased by 23 percent. The majority of growth can be explained by an 83 percent increase in built infrastructure of materials associated with industrial development.
Also this study looked at material outputs. Nearly 2.7 billion metric tons of materials were returned to the environment as waste (outputs) in 2000. Total outputs have increased by 26 percent since 1975, and the most environmentally harmful outputs—synthetic and persistent organic chemicals, radioactive compounds, and heavy metals—have increased by 24 percent to 16 million metric tons.
While many policies to control point-source and industrial pollution levels have curbed hazardous releases into the environment, toxic releases from diffuse sources such as imported consumer electronics have increased. For example, more than 60 percent of the cadmium consumed in 2000 was contained in imported batteries. Only 32 percent of all cadmium was recycled in 2000.
Life cycle is all about observing a product’s entire cycle, from cradle to cradle furthering sustainable management. The 2008 WRI study documented total consumption of materials grew 57 percent over the study period, to 6.5 billion metric tons in 2000. If the United States had been a sustainable economy during this period, we would have avoided the creation of 25 billion tons of waste (and its subsequent disposal into our air and water and onto our land).
Understanding material management includes a exploring its entire footprint. Just examine how waste water is a 9 billion ton commodity that certainly can be better managed in this country.
In the U.S. today we recycle 35 percent of our municipal trash of the quarter billion ton of our total refuse pile. This translates in the amount of energy yearly consumed by about 10 million homes. Each American generates 4.4 pounds of waste each day up 63 percent from 1960*.
Today Three R’s is being expand with extra ones: Refuse, and Rot. Refuse is about precycling by only purchasing what you need. Rot is about following nature and allowing things to compost into new organic material or let it rot. Understanding life cycle is essential to examine how long a product lasts, the amount of greenhouse gases resulting from its use and other important factors.
As we improve resource management then we will shift to more environmentally preferable actions. Material flows accountability will provide a better scorecard of successful management. Better life cycle and materials accounting will monitor vital environmental indicators. Just emulate our water cycle and much will be gained Material flows help us best track the movement of goods into and out of the economy. We all prosper by eco-accounting so we can best go forth by mimicking our greater cyclic world.
.* Is Recycling Worth It, Jonna Poncavage, www.motherearthnews,com page 65 2/2015
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