Building the Sustainability Pathway!
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EarthShift NewsletterSeptember 2010
 New EarthShift Logo no tag lineGreetings!

EarthShift is excited to announce the launch of our new website.  We have worked hard over the last months to bring everything together and provide you with a site that is easily navigated and helps to share all of our services and experience.  We invite you to take a look and tell us your thoughts.  www.earthshift.com
  • Advanced LCA practitioners- sign up now for our annual USEtox class taught October 7 in beautiful Portsmouth, NH by Mark Huijbregts, of Radboud University Nijmegen. 
  • Join us for the online Recycling in SimaPro course Sept 28 & 29 and learn about methods used for modeling Recycling in LCA
  • Learn more about Greenhouse gas emission compliance by signing up for the free MotivEarth webinar, offered September 30th. Click here to register.
  • PS box smallAnnouncing PackageSmart, a forward looking tool for sustainable packaging decisions.
PS Logo small


PackageSmart simplifies life cycle assessment allowing packaging designers and managers to evaluate the environmental implications of multiple packaging options. It helps designers to answer questions like what happens if you lightweight, choose different materials, increase recycled content, institute a take back program or alter shipping and distribution pathways? 
 
Using terminology familiar to packaging engineers and designers, PackageSmart allows your company to cost effectively integrate environmental assessment into the earliest phases of the design process.  From ideation, to prototyping to production you can continually assess the environmental implications of your choices. 

Click here to find out more about this new software and watch a five minute video.  
SPSimaPro update 7.2.4
The SimaPro 7.2.4 update was released last week.  All SimaPro users with a valid service contract should have received the update.  This was strictly a software update to fix some minor bugs and improve the multi-user installation process.  No updates to the databases were included.
If you did not receive the update or if you need to renew your service contract contact us.
aclca logoACLCA- call for student volunteers
The ACLCA is accepting applications for student volunteers for this year's LCA X conference.  Students help with the mechanics of the meeting and receive free registration.  This is a great opportunity for students looking to get in to the LCA field.  If interested, access the volunteer application system at http://iere.org/student/.
Free Greenhouse Gas permitting Webinar

Triggered by the EPA's Endangerment Finding that greenhouse gases (GHG) pose a threat to public health, the EPA has established the GHG emissions criteria for PSD (Prevention of Significant Deterioration) and Title V permitting under the Clean Air Act. The GHG thresholds for air permitting and implementation schedule were set on May 13th in The Tailoring Rule and since many of our clients will be affected by this rule, EarthShift has partnered with MotiveEarth to offer a free webinar on strategizing for the air permitting process.  MotiveEarth specializes in preparing companies for state and federal greenhouse gas and environmental compliance.  In addition, they support the voluntary efforts of companies seeking to differentiate themselves by taking leadership positions in sustainable practice. 

The webinar will be offered Thursday, September 30th at 1pm EST.  Please register on our website .

Toxicity in LCA:working with USEtox- October 7

This one day in-person class covers the theory behind the life cycle impact assessment methods for toxicity, provides explanation of fate, exposure and effect assessment, as well as the similarities  and differences between the toxicity models included in various LCIA methodologies, such as CML2000, IMPACT2002+, TRACI, and ReCiPe.  

The training is given in Portsmouth, NH by dr. Mark Huijbregts, who is a lecturer at the Radboud University Nijmegen, principal developer of the USES-LCA model suite, and co-developer of the USEtox consensus model.

What is USEtox?

USEtox is a scientific consensus model which includes characterization factors for  human toxicity (more than 1000 substances) and for ecotoxicity (more than 2500 substances). UNEP encourages the use of the USEtox model by businesses and governments for characterization modeling of human and ecotoxic impacts in LCIA.  The US EPA will incorporate USEtoxTM into TRACI.
 Recycling in LCA- September 28 & 29 

Have you ever thought about the life-cycle of a product that is made from recycled material?  What about the life-cycle of a product  that is recycled at the end of life?  When you really think about modeling recycling it can make your head spin.  For instance if you are building a product made from recycled materials should you account for the impacts of the raw materials extracted in a prior life? Or if your product is going to be recycled at its end of life, do you account for the impacts to refurbish your product in its next life?  And if you are using recycled materials and also planning to recycle your product at its end of life, is it correct to ignore the prior life's raw material impacts and the future life's waste impacts?  Where do the boundaries lie?  How do you allocate for these issues?

This course, Recycling in SimaPro, will go over the methods used for recycling scenarios as well as how and why to use them.

 
Watch this Video where EarthShift training manager, Laurel McEwen explains Four Recycling Models for LCA!
In This Issue
New PackageSmart Software
SimaPro Update
ACLCA- Student volunteers
MotivEarth Webinar
Toxicity in LCA; working with USEtox
Recycling in SimaPro
SimaPro LCA software
SP
 

SimaPro is a  tool to collect, analyze and monitor the environmental performance of products and services.
 
Drill down and get to the source with SimaPro

  • Transparent Unit Process Data
  • Process, Input/Output and Hybrid LCA's
  • Complete Networks
  • Hotspot Analysis 
Custom Tool Development
Get your own environmental impact calculator with:
 
  • Easy to use & Simplified Interface
  • Comprehensive Data & Calculation ability
  • ISO Compliant Reporting Features 
Quick Links
Upcoming Training Courses...  
 
ReCiPe Method- September 23
1.5 hr course to introduce you to the new ReCiPe impact assessment method.
LCA for Decision Makers Seminar- September 23
2 hr seminar to introduce organizations to the process and benefits of using LCA as
the cornerstone of their sustainability claims.
Recycling- September 28 & 29
2 part/ 5 hr course on building recycling scenarios in SimaPro.
LCA for the Building Industry- October 6
3hr course to introduce the steps of an LCA, how it applies to the building industry and how to use three tools, SimaPro, Athena's Eco-calculator and Athena's Impact Estimator.  
1 Day on-site course covering USEtox the impact assessment method for toxicity.
Creating Impact Assessment Methods- October 12
2.5 hr introductory course to the methods of LCA.
Parameters- October 13
2 hr course on building parametrized models in SimaPro to quickly compare results under different scenarios.
Applied LCA in SimaPro- October 21 & 22
Online course to introduce Life Cycle Assessment Methodology and the SimaPro LCA software.
Creating Impact Assessment Methods- October 26
3hr online course on creating your own IAM.
Impact Assessment Methods- November 30
3 hr course on the major IAM's in SimaPro and how to choose the best method.
*Intro to LCA in SimaPro onsite
- December 2 & 3 
Our classic two-day in-depth introduction to LCA and SimaPro. 

*indicates on-site class (all others are online)
Contact Us!!
EarthShift
802  434-3326