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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

The course begins the date we receive your registration and payment. All course work must be completed within __ months of that date. The approximate time to complete this course is TBA. Once your registration information is received, we will send you your login information to access the course site.

You will be able to complete the learning modules at your own pace. For each learning module, you will engage with recorded lectures, videos, readings, and other instructional materials, with the option to view the PDF PowerPoints used in lectures. These materials will support you as you engage in learning activities and assessments, including practice quizzes, journals, reflections, calculations, and summaries. 

  • 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.

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

This course requires use of a computer. A mobile device will not be compatible with the course format and some 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.

At a Glance

Registration Cost: $TBA USD

Course Hours: TBA Hours

Course Start Date: TBA

Course End Date: TBA

Estimated Time to Complete Course: TBD

Course Access Time: TBA Days

Instructor

Kurt Rosentrator Profile Photo

Dr. Kurt Rosentrater, Professor

Dr. Kurt Rosentrater is a Professor in the Departments of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and Food Science and Human Nutrition at Iowa State University and a visiting professor at Polytech Montpellier in Montpellier, France, and ISARA Agrapole in Lyon, France.  He teaches courses and conducts research on bioprocessing, handling, storage, and preservation of cereal grains, oilseeds, and other biological materials.  For over two decades, he has been working to improve the sustainability of biofuel, beverage, grain, feed, food, and agricultural-based systems.  He has been developing sustainable, economical coproducts and value-added materials, such as enhanced feeds, foods, biofuels, bioplastics, biocomposites, industrial intermediates, and ingredients. A key component to these efforts is life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis in order to understand and improve environmental impacts as well as reduce costs.

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.