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Fundamentals and Applications of Life Cycle Assessment

Lead with Life Cycle Assessment: Innovate for a Greener Future

Course Description

The “Fundamentals & Applications of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)” course is designed for working professionals seeking to deepen their understanding of environmental impact assessment. This comprehensive course delves into the theoretical foundations and methodologies of LCA, guiding learners through the four-step process to evaluate the environmental impacts of products, processes, and systems. Emphasis is placed on understanding and applying the LCA methodology, including quantifying and estimating environmental impacts and analyzing results to inform policy and decision-making.

Participants will engage in detailed calculations and practical exercises using industry-standard software, while also exploring various sustainability metrics and differentiating LCA from other sustainability tools. Through real-world case studies and practical exercises, learners will differentiate LCA from other sustainability tools, understand its applications in diverse contexts, and develop actionable insights to drive sustainable practices within their organizations, ensuring a robust grasp of LCA’s theoretical and practical aspects.

Course Procedures

TBA

  • Learning Outcomes
  • Assessments
  • Course Outline

By the end of the course, you should be able to:

  1. Evaluate the environmental impact of various products, processes, systems, and supply chains using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology.
  2. Differentiate LCA from the other tools in sustainability and environmental assessments, including the advantages and limitations of each.
  3. Analyze LCA results to identify effectiveness, limitations, and actionable changes in policy, company practices, or supply chain components.
  4. Employ various LCA software to conduct environmental impact assessments tailored to specific contexts within your community, geographical locations, and government bodies.
  5. Analyze the ethical considerations and potential biases in the LCA process and results within the context of real-world case studies.

“How does LCA fit in a bigger picture? It’s the ultimate goal of this course” – Dr. Kurt Rosentrater.

Throughout this course, you will complete a variety of assessments, including:

  • Journal reflections
  • Case study analyses
  • Exercises using various software
  • LCA 4-Step Process
  • Module 01: Why Sustainability?
  • Module 02: Introduction to LCA Methodology
  • Module 03: LCA Software
  • Module 04: Challenges & Opportunities: How LCA Can Be Used for Good or Ill
  • Module 05: Policy Differences and How LCA Can Help to Make Policies
  • Module 06: Economic and Social Aspects (outside LCA)

Course Procedures

This course opens for registration on TBD. All coursework must be completed before the course ends on TBD. The approximate time to complete this course is TBD hours. You can complete the modules at your own pace.

This is an asynchronous course. All lectures are recorded and available in the course for you to review independently.

You will receive a certificate of completion upon completing the assessments at the end.

Course Materials

In addition to the materials provided within the course, you will be required to use the following software:

  • Sustainable Minds: You will pay an annual user fee for this cloud-based service. There is a 1-day free trial.
  • GREET: You will download this free software.
  • Microsoft Office Suite: You will utilize Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Contact Information

Contact isopd@iastate.edu for more information.

Registration Cost: $TBA USD

Course Hours: TBA Hours

Course Start Date: TBA

Course End Date: TBA

Course Access Time: TBA Days

Instructor

Kurt Rosentrator Profile Photo

Dr. Kurt Rosentrater

Dr. Kurt Rosentrater is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and Food Science and Human Nutrition at Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA. His expertise is in food and grain processing systems, alternative recycling and reprocessing strategies, improvements in processing efficiencies, life cycle assessment, techno-economic analysis, modeling and simulation, plant layout, and process design.

Prior to his work at Iowa State, he was a Lead Scientist with the United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research. Previously, he was an assistant professor at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL, in the Department of Engineering and Industrial Technology. Before this, he worked for a design-build engineering contractor in Iowa and was responsible for process and equipment design, as well as plant and site layout for agri-industrial manufacturing facilities. He attended Iowa State University where he received his BS, MS, and Ph.D. in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering.

 

Companies That Have Taken This Course

  • MidAmerican Energy
  • Alliant Energy
  • Xcel Energy
  • Duke Energy
  • Siemens
  • Burns & McDonnell
  • Black & Veatch
  • Arizona Public Services Co
  • Oklahoma Electrical Supply Co
  • ABB Group
  • Salt River Project
  • SAS Institute
  • Muscatine Power and Water
  • Cedar Falls Utilities
  • Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro
  • Western Area Power Administration
  • Canus Corporation

Iowa State University’s graduate program in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering has reclaimed the top spot in U.S. News and World Report magazine’s latest rankings of 2019 graduate programs.