Readings:
There is one primary reading. It's titled "Design, Ecology, Ethics and the Making of Things," which is a Centennial Sermon delivered by William McDonough at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City on 7 February, 1993. You can link to the site athttp://minerva.acc.Virginia.EDU:80/~arch/pub/sermon.htmlIt nicely hits on many concepts of LCA, relates them to buildings, and weaves it all together within an ethical framework.
A secondary reading is a class handout entitled "Private Property and Takings."Questions:
1. The US economy generates 500 million tons of hazardous toxic waste per year, 2 tons per person. The question is, do we as citizens bear a responsibility for that waste and where it ends up?2. US companies ship a large amount of these "wastes" to other countries having different environmental standards. In some cases, the materials are sold to businesses elsewhere, allowing US firms to not only avoid disposal costs, but to actually produce income. In these cases, whose standards ought to apply?
3. Why is private property ownership so important in the Anglo-American political, legal and economic tradition? What barriers exist to more widespread acceptance of the leasing of products, rather than owning?
4. What role should the US government play in life-cycle analysis usage? Should it be entirely left to the markets to determine whether it is worthwhile?
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