Goal
Students explore the opportunities and constraints provided by industrial ecology in the real world at the local and regional scales.  Students also read and respond to essays and articles that present unsettling arguments or that make disturbing claims about the current trends in issues related to industrial ecology.
 
Learning Outcomes
After completing the activities associated with this unit, students should:

• be able to compare the usefulness of data used in life cycle analyses;
• recognize the role that values play in evaluating the relative environmental impacts of certain products (e.g., cloth versus disposable diapers);
• understand the major barriers to, and opportunities for, implementing industrial ecology;
• understand how barriers to implementing industrial ecology are intensified at the international scale; and
• be able to respond critically to arguments against the feasibility of implementing industrial ecology.

Activity 3.1  Life cycle Analysis	-- Data analysis, recognition of values in assessing data, and creative writing
Activity 3.2  Industrial Ecology Game	-- In-class game on creating inter-industry cooperation
Activity 3.3  Industrial Ecology Field Trip	-- Field trip or guest presentations
Activity 3.4  Free Trade and Agriculture	-- Text comprehension, in-class debate, and critical writing
Activity 3.5  A Critical Brief	-- Writing a critical brief responding to hot-button issues in industrial ecology

 

Suggested Readings
The following readings accompany the activities for this unit.  Choose those readings most appropriate for the activities you select and those most adequate for the skill level of your students.

• Background Information to Unit 3 (all students should read)

• Graedel, Thomas and Braden Allenby. 1995.  An introduction to life cycle assessment.  In Industrial Ecology.  New York, NY:  Prentice Hall.
• Hocking, Martin B.  1994.  Disposable cups have eco-merit.  Nature 369 (12 May):  107.
• ________.  1991a.  Paper versus polystyrene:  A complex choice.  Science 251 (1 February): 504-505.
• ________.  1991b.  Paper versus polystyrene:  Environmental impact.  (Letters section).  Science 252 (7 June): 1361-1363.
• Portney, Paul R. 1995. The price is right:  Making use of life cycle analysis.  Issues in Science and Technology 10 (2): 69-75.

• Edgington, Stephen M.  1993.  Industrial ecology:  Biotech’s role in sustainable development. Bio/technology 13 (January):  31-34. (provided in the printed version of this module).

• Globerman, Steven.  1993.  Trade liberalization and the environment.  In S. Globerman and M. Walker, eds.  Assessing NAFTA:  A tri-national analysis.  Vancouver, Canada:  The Fraser Institute, pp. 293-314. (provided in the printed version of this module)
• Ritchie, Mark.  1993.  Agricultural trade liberalization:  Implications for sustainable agriculture.  In R. Nader, ed. The case against free trade:  GATT, NAFTA, and the globalization of corporate power.  San Francisco, CA:  Earth Island Press, pp. 163-194.

• Helvarg, David.  1996.  The big green spin machine:  Corporations and environmental PR.  The Amicus Journal 18 (2): 13-21. (provided in the printed version of this module)
• Puckett, Jim.  1994.  Disposing of the waste trade:  Closing the recycling loophole.  The Ecologist 24 (2): 53-58.
• Tierney, John.  1996.  Recycling is garbage.  The New York Times Magazine (30 June): 24-29, 44, 48, 51, and 53.

 

Activity 3.1  Life Cycle Analysis

 
 
Goals
Students compare the material, water, and energy flows of the life cycles of the three products (paper, plastic, and ceramic cups).  Students recognize the complexities involved in life cycle analyses including data quality, boundary delineation, and value judgments.
 
Skills

• qualitative/quantitative data assessment
• determining relevant and non-relevant data
• identifying the role of values in making data interpretations
• position formulation
• creative writing
• role playing

• Student Worksheet 3.1
• Supporting Material 3.1 (needed for Option 2)
• Suggested Reading (for all options):  Graedel and Allenby (1995); Portney (1995)
• Suggested Reading:  Option 1:  Hocking (1994, 1991a, and 1991b); Option 2:  Hocking (1991a); Option 3:  Hocking (1994)

Option 1
Divide the class into three groups, each of which will represent paper, plastic, or ceramic cup makers.  Ask each group 1) to conduct research outside of class to calculate the material flows, energy consumption, and water consumption for all three products and 2) to prepare an argument for why their product is more environmentally sound than the others.  The three suggested readings by Hocking (1994, 1991a, 1991b) will be helpful to that end.  Students should perform the calculations individually outside of class before meeting in group to compare results and discuss.  Together they should consider how they could improve their product to make less of a problem.  On the assigned day, ask each group to present their calculations and their arguments.  You may wish to structure the class discussion like a debate with each group defending their product.

Option 2:
Students practice their creative writing skills by finishing a dialogue between fictional colleagues in the life cycle analysis field about the relative environmental impacts of paper versus polystyrene cups.  [The dialogue is provided in Supporting Material 3.1.  Students will need Table 1 from the suggested reading by Hocking (1991a) to make sense of the dialogue.]  Students will first summarize the dialogue in Supporting Material 3.1 and then complete it by leading the discussion toward some sort of closure or consensus.  In addition to the dialogue, students will also write a few paragraphs answering the questions below:

• Was any relevant information left out of the discussion?
• Were any of the comments in the dialogue redundant or unimportant?
• Do you agree or disagree with what anyone said?  Why?
• Can all the variables in this debate really be measured quantitatively?
• Are any value judgments evident?
• What seems to be the biggest roadblocks to deciding which cup is best?

Students write a two-page essay about the article to encourage critical thinking about the assumptions and value judgments underlying life cycle analyses.  In their essays, students will address the following questions:

• What criteria did Hocking choose for his analysis?
• Where did he draw the boundary of the system?
• Does he consider the energy use associated with disposing of or recycling disposable cups?  How would you determine the energy used in disposing of a cup?
• Would the test results have been different if he had selected both materials flow and energy flow as his criteria?
• What cup should you use and why?

 

Activity 3.2  The Industrial Ecology Game

 
Goals
Students see the potential (or lack thereof) for industries to cooperate by reusing each other's waste products.
 
Skills

• library/Internet research
• team and class collaboration

• Suggested reading:  Edgington (1993) (provided in printed version of this module)
• 3” by 5” note cards

Before class, select several industries whose material and energy inputs and outputs are complementary.  For example, a meat packing industry could provide hides to be used in making leather furniture, or a soda manufacturer could provide waste plastic bottles to a carpet maker.  Divide the class into small groups of three to four students and assign each group one of the potentially cooperative industries (make sure that each group has a different industry).  Give each group a stack of 3” ? 5” index cards and ask them to write each output that their industry creates on the cards including the principal product and by-products (one per card).  At the top of each card, they should also write the name of their industry.  Finally, on a separate sheet of paper, students should make a “shopping list” of the material and energy inputs that their industry requires.  Allow them 10 or 15 minutes to complete this task.

Next, tell the groups that their task is to create an industrial ecology park (like the one in the suggested readings).  They must circulate throughout the classroom looking for sources of the inputs on their “shopping list” and attempting to find “takers” for their outputs.  If they find a source of their inputs, students take the appropriate card from that industry.  When they find a taker for one of their outputs, they give the appropriate card to that industry.  The goal is to get rid of all of their output cards and to collect all of the necessary input cards.  Allow only 5 or 10 minutes for this part of the activity to provide a fast-paced, open-market atmosphere.

After the trading, bring the class together to discuss the process.  Ask them how well they did in finding buyers for their outputs and in finding sources for the materials they need.  Were they successful in creating an industrial ecology park?  What difficulties did they encounter?  If time allows, you may choose to draw a diagram or flowchart of the industrial park on the chalkboard attempting to link all of the industries.

Variations

1. If your class has had little experience with this subject or if you have time constraints, you may choose instead to provide a set of completed cards to each group on which you have already listed the outputs for their industry; you can also provide them with the “shopping list” of inputs they need.  This will require some preparation before class on your part, but it may allow the activity to run more smoothly because you can ensure that the inputs and outputs from all the industries are complementary (although they need not be perfectly complementary).
 
2. If you have sufficient time and would like to make the activity more detailed, assign industries to each group and give them three or four days to research its processes and to prepare their output cards and their “shopping list.” This will allow students to get a more thorough understanding of the real material inputs and outputs of the industry.  Similarly, you can use some of the industries that students have already examined in earlier activities so that they are familiar with their processes.  This will reduce the need for students to do additional research, and it will link this activity to others in the module.
 

 

Activity 3.3  Industrial Ecology Field Trip

 

Goals
Students learn about an industrial firm first-hand by visiting the site, interviewing the people who work there on a daily basis, and developing a flowchart of the firm's system.
 
Skills

• interviewing
• field observation

• Transportation to the site for the class

Ask students to prepare for the site visit by investigating conventional practices within the targeted industry through their library.  (Alternatively, if you are familiar with the firm, provide students with this background information.) This allows students to become familiar with the economic and social context of the firm and its industry, including a listing of categories of people who benefit (or are negatively affected) by the firm.
For additional background preparation, you can ask students to develop a flowchart of the industrial process, including inputs and outputs of the firm’s operations.  A useful way for them to organize this might be to borrow the formats for materials flows in raw materials processing, manufacturing, and customer use from Socolow (1994), with case examples for the automotive, beverage, camera, and clothing industries from France and Thomas (1994).  This part of the activity is not necessary if you have particular time constraints or if students have had sufficient practice in previous activities creating flow charts.

Once students have gained an understanding of the firm and its industrial system, they are ready for the site visit.  Companies who are proud of their environmental record are likely to be open to visits by students of environmental sciences, while those with less rosy records may be reluctant to extend a welcome.  With a little persuasion and persistence, however, it is possible to get into many sites (even the grayest of industries benefit from the public relations they gain by opening their doors a little bit).  Once inside, students should (1) pay particular attention to the processes of materials and energy flows, (2) ask questions about the product cycle and the firm's management practices, and (3) take notes of their visit.

After the visit and as a homework assignment, ask students to review their notes and prepare a one to two page written assessment of the performance of the firm. Using the concepts learned through classroom lectures, background readings, and other activities, students should devise their own methodology for assessing the performance of the industry.  You may want to refer students to readings on impact assessment to enable them to have a firm grounding in the variety of procedures and concerns found in other assessment techniques.*   Although the students’ assessments are apt to be qualitative, you may encourage students to bring comparative quantitative data into the assessment, as well.

In the next class session after the visit, conduct a debriefing to discuss the visit and to compare students’ notes and written assessments with the background information and flowcharts gathered before the visit.

Variation:  Inviting Industry into the Classroom
Sometimes there are logical reasons why site visits are prohibited.  Suitable sites may be too far from the school, resources for travel may be lacking, or class size may make a field trip difficult. Some firms may be unwilling to permit visitors, citing liability, staffing, or production disruption reasons; size of class may also be a factor, since most factories are designed for efficiency of operation and not as classrooms or laboratories. In any of these cases, bring the industry to the classroom!

Most firms maintain public relations offices, and many have programs for public education.  Speakers bureaus and company officials may frequently be tapped to present a classroom discussion of the environmental affairs of the firm.  With appropriate pre-planning by the instructor, this can be a reasonable alternative to taking students on site for a first-hand look.  Prior to the class presentation, students should read some focused literature about the particular industry to gain some familiarity (this can include their own research, articles that you provide, or literature provided by the firm).  As an in-class or out-of-class exercise, students can develop a checklist for assessing the performance of the firm (see the main activity above).

A telephone call to the local or regional office of a particular industrial firm is certain to yield information, if not an actual acceptance of an invitation.  Contacting national trade organizations or industrial associations may also prove fruitful, as most industries maintain public relations offices or environmental quality assurance programs.  There is nothing quite so effective, however, as finding a personal contact within a plant and exploiting that firm’s image within the local community as a means of bringing the speaker to the classroom.
 

 BACK

 

Activity 3.4   Free Trade's Effects on Sustainable Agriculture:  A Debate

 
 
Goals
Students develop a position on an international policy issue (international trade regulation) that has serious potential effects on the future of industrial ecology.
 
Skills

• assessment and comparison of opposing arguments
• position formulation
• debating
• text comprehension

• Student Worksheet 3.4

Suggested readings: Ritchie (1993), Globerman (1993) (provided in printed version of this module)

On the assigned day, hold a class debate. You should help keep the debate on track and ensure that all students get a chance to speak.

If you wish, you can ask students to write an op-ed piece in which they defend their assigned position.  Essays should be no longer than two pages.
 
 
 BACK

 

Activity 3.5  A Critical Brief

 
 
Goals
Students write a critical brief in which they react to controversial issues in industrial ecology.
 
Skills

• critical reading and writing
• position formulation

• Student Worksheet 3.5
• Suggested readings: Helvarg (1996) (provided in printed version of this module), Tierney (1996), Puckett (1994)
• Supporting Material 3.5a  (includes a list of alternative suggested readings)

Students read and respond to one or more controversial articles in a three- to four-page critical brief.  A critical brief should achieve two goals: 1) it should be descriptive, briefly stating the premises, major themes, or arguments of each point of view; and 2) it should be evaluative, critically analyzing and critiquing the premises, arguments, and conclusions of each viewpoint.

Depending on your time constraints and your classroom situation, you can have students read just one, several, or all of the suggested readings.  Additional topics and the references for suggested readings are provided in Supporting Material 3.5a.