Sustainability and Design for Environment ME415, ENVIR 415, and CEE 495 Course Homepage  Project Resources  2009 Project Description: Designing a Zero Waste System Project milestones Week 1: Team formation (you must have 4-6 people on your team) Week 2: Description of the project topic and literature review due Jan. 15 Week 3: Project proposal (goal and scope) due Jan.22 Week 4: Project analysis plan due Jan. 29 Week 7: Project inventory analysis due Feb. 19 Week 10: Project presentations and final project reports due Mar. 12 Background Here, we define a "zero waste system" as one in which there is no net waste throughout the life cycle. For any given system (a product, industrial process, organizational process, or policy) zero waste may or may not be possible and it is your team's task to find out. Please prepare your team reports as follows: Week 1: Team formation (you must have 4-6 people on your team) Please choose a team leader and the leader should email the full names of the team members to the instructor with DFETEAM in the subject line. Week 2: Description of the project topic and literature review due Jan. 15 (approx. 3 pages + references) Choose a system to evaluate, of personal or professional interest.  Include in your report: A description of the system and the function or service it provides A description of the system life cycle, including a life cycle process flow diagram A qualitative review of literature describing materials and energy use and waste and environmental impacts for the life cycle List your references (cite all sources used and see http://wally.rit.edu/pubs/guides/apa.html  for citation formatting examples) Week 3: Project proposal (goal and scope) due Jan.22 (including any revisions to your "description of the project topic and literature review" + approx. 5 pages + references) (pdf example process alternatives) Define your design goals (e.g., zero climate change emissions, zero toxics use, zero energy use, etc.) Define your functional unit (quantify what your system does) Define your system scope, including a table listing unit processes, the most common technology(s) used, and some technology alternatives by life cycle stage.  List your references (cite all sources used and see http://wally.rit.edu/pubs/guides/apa.html  for citation formatting examples) Week 4: Project analysis plan due Jan. 29 (including any revisions to your previous sections + approx. 2 pages + references + appendices) Describe the analytical method(s) you will use to estimate flows, credits, and impacts for your life cycle.  You should identify and describe all data sources or estimation methods by unit process (materials and energy use and waste) or any software or on-line tools you intend to use.  Also, justify why the method(s) used are the best for your system life cycle (as a brief paragraph or a table comparing available methods as they apply to your system). Identify what information is needed to execute your analytical method(s).  Some gaps are fine, and the instructor will help you fill these information gaps. List your references (cite all sources used and see http://wally.rit.edu/pubs/guides/apa.html  for citation formatting examples) Consider including method details in appendices as appropriate. Week 7: Project inventory analysis due Feb. 19 (including any revisions to your previous sections + up to 5 pages + references + appendices) Execute your analytical methods resulting in the estimation of flows, credits, and impacts for your life cycle. Consider identifying a baseline system as a place to start and completing the analysis on that baseline before tackling a wide range of alternative system structures.  To the extent possible, estimate the sources of major flows, credits, and impacts (by each of the materials that make up the product, by unit process, by life cycle stage, etc. Consider including calculations and un-aggregated results in appendices as appropriate. Week 10 and finals week: Project presentations (Mar. 10 and 12) and final reports due Mar. 17 (including any revisions to your previous sections + up to 5 pages + references + appendices) Identify and evaluate system alternatives that move the system towards the design goals.  Develop system design guidelines towards zero waste or impact minimization (what does a superior system look like?) Finally, describe any limitations to your analyses and any recommendations for further work. Consider including calculations and un-aggregated results in appendices as appropriate. For your project presentations (which will be during class), teams may choose between preparing a short film (so think about something you would post on youtube) or making a presentation in which all team members speak. For more information, contact Associate Professor Joyce Smith Cooper at cooper@me.washington.edu