Science AMA Series: We are Dr. Rich Helling and Dr. Han Zhang from Dow,
here to talk about sustainability and applying Life Cycle Thinking to
guide choices. AUA!
Abstract
Who has the better sustainability profile, a vegetarian who drives a
Hummer or a meat-eater who drives a Prius? Is it always better to buy
local produce? Is a new innovation – really “more sustainable” than
the existing alternative in the grand scheme of things? The answers are
complicated. The reality is that people make choices daily around what
they perceive to be a more sustainable option, but the real answer is
often not intuitive. In this AMA, we’d like to talk about the concept of
life cycle thinking as a framework for understanding sustainability
holistically. We have spent our careers assessing the products people
make or buy, from raw materials to end-of-life, from “cradle to
grave.” We will discuss Life Cycle Assessment, a specific science that
measures the mass and energy flows to determine the potential impact of
“stuff.” There are also simpler tools that you can use to incorporate
life cycle thinking into a much broader range of decisions – from
questions around R&D investments, to what to buy the next time you stop
at the store. RICH HELLING: I am chemical engineer (Sc.D. from MIT) and
the Director of Sustainable Chemistry at Dow. I have been with the
company for nearly 30 years, and for the last decade, I have
concentrated on how to use life cycle thinking – in particular applying
LCA and related tools to identify opportunities for innovation and to
differentiate new products in the marketplace. I have authored 23 papers
and hold two patents. I am a certified LCA Professional, a member of
Michigan’s Green Chemistry Roundtable and active in working groups of
The Sustainability Consortium. HAN ZHANG: I am the Sustainability and
Advocacy Manager for one of Dow’s business units and have extensive
experience managing the company’s sustainability reporting, including
publication of our Global Reporting Index (GRI) G4 Annual Sustainability
Report and annual submissions to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.
Previously, I worked in life cycle assessment, biofuels development and
strategic implementation of alternative energy plans in the energy
industry. I hold a PhD from the University of Michigan’s School of
Natural Resources and the Environment, as well as master’s and
bachelor’s degrees in thermal engineering from Tsinghua University in
China. We will be back at 1 pm ET (10 am PT, 5 pm UTC) to answer your
questions, ask us anything! Thanks for the many questions and the great
discussions! It’s great to see the excitement and insights about life
cycle and sustainability topics. We have to go now, but will try to get
back to some of the questions!