BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Materials and Sustainable Technology - Professor M F Ashby CUED Em
 eritus
DTSTART:20130222T140000Z
DTEND:20130222T150000Z
UID:TALK42159@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Ms Helen Gardner
DESCRIPTION:“Sustainable technology” has many interpretations.  Centra
 l to all are the concepts of Natural Capital (the planet’s resources)\, 
 Human Capital (the health\, education and social development of the human 
 population of the planet) and Manufactured Capital (the value of man-made 
 institutions\, infrastructure and wealth).  “Sustainability” is not a 
 single-valued parameter that can be quantified and optimized.  Issues of s
 ustainability are intrinsically complex\; their assessment requires accept
 ance of this complexity and working with it.  The contemporary scientific 
 literature contains many projects with the word “Sustainable” in the t
 itle\; these articulations generally aim to support one or another of the 
 three Capitals listed above but few support all three.  Progress is possib
 le only with well-balanced compromise.\n	Introducing this complexly into t
 eaching is challenging.  This talk will describe a framework for exploring
  sustainability from a Materials perspective.  It suggests a methodology f
 or the sustainability-analysis of products or projects\, supported by a ne
 w CES Edu database\, SUSTAIN\, that provides some of the necessary inputs.
   It has an elementary and an advanced level (like many of the other CES d
 atabase).  Its Materials data-table is expanded to contain the countries o
 f origin of materials and a measure of their criticality (a measure of the
  security of the supply chain).  Its Nations data-table provides backgroun
 d on the economic\, political and social conditions in the 210 Nations of 
 the world from which materials might the drawn or goods manufactured.  Its
  Legislation data-table provides summaries of European and US legislation 
 and Regulations that bear on the sourcing\, use and disposal of materials 
 and products.  The data-tables are linked\, making connections that allow 
 the complexity to be explored.  The method and database will be illustrate
 d by applying them to a contemporary development – the electric car.
LOCATION:Oatley Seminar Room\, Department of Engineering
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR