Post the in-class group assignment on sustainable models of production/consumption no later than Sat. March 2. (remember to include names of everyone in your group)
ECON2505ID ENV ECON, SP2019-HD21
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Post the in-class group assignment on sustainable models of production/consumption no later than Sat. March 2. (remember to include names of everyone in your group)
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Sustainable Models of Production/Consumption
Group Members: Angel Campbell, Rachel Broomes,Yanhong Liu, and Hemraj Mohabir
Model:Cradle to Cradle
Industry : Clothing
We decided to apply the cradle to cradle model to the clothing industry. We are proposing an eco-efficient method for the production and consumption of clothing. The current methods are depleting natural resources and polluting the environment. Not only do these methods have devastating effects on our environment, but they are also causing major health risks. Our new method would allow customers to return their used clothing .These materials will then be utilized to create new articles of clothing. Customers returning clothing will be given an incentive do so. We will provide them with a discount on the purchase of new clothing.This model will reduce customer waste, decrease the need for natural resource extraction, and allow the company to market themselves as being sustainable and eco-friendly.We find this new method of production and consumption to be a win-win situation.
group members: Sikandar, Anish, ibrahim, ronghui
model: Take-make-waste
product: paper cups and plates
industries: restaurants
take-make-waste is a something you get from the ground to create a product and after you done using the product you can dispose it back in the ground. lots of restaurant uses plastic or glass cups and plates, it takes years for the plastic to dispose it self, which ins’t safe for the environment, using paper plates and cups which are made out of the trees, we can always recycles them easily. even though cutting trees are still harmful for the environment we still need a way to stop using plastic which is more harmful, specially for the ocean, our ocean is polluted and the number one reason is plastic, so many sea animal get damaged because of these plastic product. this product not only will it be cheap to make it will also help the environment.
Group Members: Henry, Pablo
model: Industrial Ecology
product: Boxes/Plastic
industrial: package delivery
Industrial Ecology is something that helps the environment lessen the use of their products to reduce the impact on the environment. One example of package delivery is that we get our product from the box and after we either dispose it or just throw it out on the streets. The idea that we have for this is that we use ecofriendly packaging, so we can reduce the endangerment of animals; this is because things inside the packaging have plastic to cushion the product inside the box and hold it in place. Once we get our product we just throw out the box and plastic and after we throw it out we have no place to get rid of the plastic. Our idea is to recycle the boxes by giving it back to the company so they can reuse it to ship out other items out. Another idea is using ecofriendly cushioning or boxes. If we use that we can recycle easier and reduce the plastic waste on the environment.
Group Members: Utsab Dasrao, Phillip Jiang
model: Industrial Ecology/ Closed loop system
product: Food
industrial: Convenience stores/ Markets Supermarkets
The idea we had was the wasted food was going to be sent to the homeless and any remaining would be composted. I would like to create a composting investment to our country with these billion to million dollar companies. It will drastically lower the food crisis and improve our sustainability prerogative. If a superpower or first world country like america takes the leading steps other countries are sure to follow by example.
The issue: Companies are AFRAID of doing this for legal reasons and the possibilities to be sued. (Not the compost idea. Giving products to the homeless). It comes from the fear that the food might be bad enough to poison or lead them to medical problems. While that may occur it is unlikely, this is only an issue due to the cultural problem our country has, the suing culture. My solution to that is the people receiving this benefit should sign a waiver not holding the company liable. The companies should also hire inspections for the food, if not the companies then the government as this is a world wide issue. So the government should contribute to the general well-being of the public. The government works for the people not against the people.
Yes, required composting and donation of unused food by supermarkets would likely have a significant impact on the food waste problem,
and could begin to close the loop.
Group Members: Farid Rodriguez, Jose Calderon
Model: Cradle to Cradle
Industry: Electronic Stores
Product: Computers
Several computer components are often discarded by people upgrading. Often these components still function but people don’t have the know how to make use of these components. Electronic stores can incorporate a cradle to cradle model by not only buying these used parts and selling them but by using these components to create a new computer tower. Although this is effective up to a point due to the advancing rate of the technology and compatibility between components, this drastically reduces the waste produced for this industry.
To convince a board of directors I argue that there will always be a market of which we can buy from. There is a steady flow of new tech as seen by Moore’s Law, as a result, used components will always be on the market. Additionally, a cheaper and functional computer has a place in a market for people with a budget.
Choosing this model will help reduce the GHG emissions since we are effectively closing the loop of the take make waste model. Computer components are hard to dispose since they must be incinerated (sending materials like lead and mercury into the atmosphere, soil, and water sources) or sent to landfills. Extending the life of theses components effectively reduces the number of emissions caused by incinerating electronics.
Group Members: Danielle Casagrande, Monet Ametefe
Model: Cradle to Cradle, Product as service, Shared Economy
Industry: Clothing
Product: Maternity and baby clothes
We would incorporate Product as Service, Cradle to Cradle and Sharing Economy. A new clothing, based on Stitch Fix, would sell baby and maternity clothes, and when the mother has returned to close to her original size and the clothes don’t fit anymore the clothes would be returned, professionally washed and given to another expecting mother. Same with the baby clothes, this company would sell baby clothes for the growing baby and when the baby finally grows out of it, it is returned, cleaned, given to another family and that baby will be given a new set of clothes and cycle would continue.
The use of this system would greatly reduce the amount of clothes being thrown out, especially for newborns. The water would reusable by being filtered and clothes would be washed powered by solar and wind energy. The company’s goal will be to reduce the amount of clothing waste due to rapid newborn growth.