EVALUATING THE ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE OF SERVICE SECTOR INDUSTRIES

The overall goal of this research is to evaluate and quantify the environmental impacts of service industries through the application of life cycle assessment (LCA). Service industries represent the majority of the United States economy, accounting for nearly 75% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), however, their environmental implications have often been overlooked as they are deemed cleaner by comparison to their manufacturing counterparts. In order to identify which aspects of services are responsible for significant environmental loadings, and determine which areas have the most room for improvement the impacts need to be assessed using methods such as life cycle assessment. This research uses hybrid life cycle assessment to establish a framework for evaluating the impact of service industries. The evaluated service industries, professional services (consulting) and healthcare, combined account for more than 20% of the US GDP. The results of the professional service assessment demonstrated the environmental significance of travel and transportation as well as building premise impacts on the overall impacts of the service. Of the total annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the professional services firm evaluated, 40% were a result of transportation while 24% were attributable to the impacts of the building premises, both primarily driven through the combustion of fossil fuels. Business travel and employee commuting were both about 20% of the annual GHG emissions for the firm, numbers that could be reduced greatly by purchasing more fuel efficient vehicles and instituting telecommuting programs. Improving fleet fuel economy through purchasing more fuel efficient vehicles and allowing 50% of the work force to telecommute one time per week resulted in a 5% decrease in the firms overall annual GHG emissions. This research also evaluated the impacts of healthcare services, focusing on determining the life cycle impacts of single-use disposable products in a hospital operating room setting. The research evaluated the impacts of the production and disposal of the single use disposable products used in multiple hysterectomy procedures. The research found that the major impacts of the products were a result of material production, which accounted for between 88-97% of the environmental impacts of products

PAL: Toward a Recommendation System for Manuscripts

Book-recommendation systems are increasingly common, from Amazon to public library interfaces. However, for archives and special collections, such automated assistance has been rare. This is partly due to the complexity of descriptions (finding aids describing whole collections) and partly due to the complexity of the collections themselves (what is this collection about and how is it related to another collection?). The American Philosophical Society Library is using circulation data collected through the collection-management software package, Aeon, to automate recommendations. In our system, which we’re calling PAL (People Also Liked), recommendations are offered in two ways: based on interests (“You’re interested in X, other people interested in X looked at these collections”) and on specific requests (“You’ve looked at Y, other people who looked at Y also looked that these collections”). This article will discuss the development of PAL and plans for the system. We will also discuss ongoing concerns and issues, how patron privacy is protected, and the possibility of generalizing beyond any specific software solution.

Life cycle assessment as a tool for improving service industry sustainability

A fundamental principle of business states that the primary purpose of a corporation is to generate a profit for its stakeholders. Historical belief posited that this profit must come at the expense of the environment and that environmental health and corporate profitability are mutually exclusive principles. More recently however, the ideas of corporate citizenship and sustainable development have demonstrated that corporations have a larger role than simply generating a profit. Some corporations have begun to evolve by including the principles of sustainable development and the triple bottom line into their growth and development plans. Promoting social well-being, minimizing environmental degradation, as well as maximizing economic profitability, is quickly becoming common practice. © 2012 IEEE

A comparative analysis of performance and cost metrics associated with a diesel to biodiesel fleet transition

With energy security, economic stabilization, and environmental sustainability being at the forefront of US policy making, the development of biodiesel production and use within the United States has been growing at an astonishing rate. According to the latest DOE energy report, biodiesel production and consumption in the US has decreased since its peak in 2008, but still remains an important factor in the US energy mix. However, despite recent studies showing that B5 has similar performance qualities to that of the currently used ultra-low-sulfur petroleum diesel (ULSD) fleet managers and corporations still remain hesitant regarding a switch to B5. This research examined the major areas of concern that arise with transitioning fleets from ULSD to B5 with the goal of alleviating those concerns with quantitative results from an actual fleet implementation and transition. In conjunction with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) a comparison of cost, cold weather fuel properties, engine performance, fuel economy, and maintenance and repairs was conducted using data obtained over 3 years from a pilot study. The results found that B5 performed as well or better than ULSD in all performance metrics.Biodiesel Fleet management Life-cycle costing

Environmental Impacts of Surgical Procedures: Life Cycle Assessment of Hysterectomy in the United States

The healthcare sector is a driver of economic growth in the U.S., with spending on healthcare in 2012 reaching $2.8 trillion, or 17% of the U.S. gross domestic product, but it is also a significant source of emissions that adversely impact environmental and public health. The current state of the healthcare industry offers significant opportunities for environmental efficiency improvements, potentially leading to reductions in costs, resource use, and waste without compromising patient care. However, limited research exists that can provide quantitative, sustainable solutions. The operating room is the most resource-intensive area of a hospital, and surgery is therefore an important focal point to understand healthcare-related emissions. Hybrid life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to quantify environmental emissions from four different surgical approaches (abdominal, vaginal, laparoscopic, and robotic) used in the second most common major procedure for women in the U.S., the hysterectomy. Data were collected from 62 cases of hysterectomy. Life cycle assessment results show that major sources of environmental emissions include the production of disposable materials and single-use surgical devices, energy used for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, and anesthetic gases. By scientifically evaluating emissions, the healthcare industry can strategically optimize its transition to a more sustainable system