ATLANTA — Jim Lewis, chairman of the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute’s Sustainability Council, recently participated in a panel discussion about life-cycle assessments (LCAs) at a sustainability workshop in Atlanta, Ga. The workshop was developed by ASTM International Committee E60, Sustainability, in response to strong demand from ASTM committee members. “There is a demand for factual data out there related to sustainability. LCA is one of the best tools we currently have to quantify environmental impact,” said Lewis.

Speakers included Michael Deru of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo.; Paul Firth of UL Environment; Rita Schenck, executive director at the Institute for Environmental Research and Education; Wayne Trusty, president of ATHENA Sustainable Materials Institute; and others.

More than 70 attendees heard from top experts in the field of LCA. The first part of the workshop covered state-of-the-art LCA practice and associated opportunities and challenges and included the following speakers and topics: Jane Bare, LCA methodology; John Jewel, Schenck, and Trusty, LCA practice; and Deru and Firth, LCA opportunities and challenges.

During the second half of the workshop, panelists discussed the use of LCA in product development, LCA for product selection, and LCA incorporation into standards. Response to the program was overwhelmingly positive, with one attendee noting that the program should be held at every ASTM committee week.

The Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute is performing an LCA for precast concrete. The research began in the fall of 2008. The two-phase project should be completed sometime in 2010.

For more information on LCA of precast concrete, or how precast concrete can contribute to sustainable design goals, contact Emily Lorenz, P.E., LEED AP, PCI’s director of sustainability, at (312) 583-6773 or elorenz@pci.org. You can also visit our website at www.pci.org.