Total Cost Assessment (TCA) is a key tool for organizations to evaluate their sustainable development considerations.  It enables a better decision making process by evaluating all of the "what if's" correlated to the choices.

For example, this method was recently put to practice in Japan to evaluate and compare the risks associated with creating biofuels from two different sources.  The study, facilitated by EarthShift founder and Chair of the TCA Roundtable, Lise Laurin, assessed the use of waste to produce methane as well as the use of raw crops to produce ethanol.

Looked at through the eyes of the stakeholders and the community, utilizing waste to produce methane not only provides a service by producing the methane but also by simply using the waste in conjunction with creating useful by-products of compost & manure. It creates a win-win situation on top of being cost effective. Dr. Kiyotada Hayashi of the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization of Japan organized and funded the study.

For more detailed information on TCA, read up about it on our website or check out one of EarthShift's TCA facilitation workshops, often given in conjuction with the AIChE. For more information on the biofuels study keep your eyes on this newsletter--we'll notify you when it has been published in a peer-reviewed journal at a future date.