Title

Integration of Life Cycle Assessment into Planning and Pavement Design

Time

1:40pm - 3:00pm

Location

1605 Tilia, Room 1103, West Village

Abstract

Consideration of environmental impacts is typically introduced in transportation decisions through transportation planning and the environmental review processes. Recent state-level legislation in the United States (such as Buy Clean California Act) institutes requirements to track the environmental performance of construction materials in bidding on public projects. To support these new initiatives, as well as the overall environmental impacts reduction of transportation infrastructure, the accurate and systematic quantification of environmental impacts is a crucial need. To that end, this seminar focuses on analyzing the potential ways in which life cycle assessment (LCA) can be introduced into various phases of transportation planning and project delivery. Additionally, the role of environmental product declarations (EPDs) in this process was investigated from a technical and organizational perspective. The need for a feedback loop between the quantified environmental impacts and decisions, as well as the efficient data transfer among the stakeholders, are emerging as the key elements for the efficient and systemic environmental footprint reduction.

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Milena Rangelov has earned her BS and MS in Civil Engineering at the University of Belgrade. She got her Ph.D. at Washington State University, where her research focus was on concrete durability, material characterization and concrete pavements. She is currently a visiting NRC postdoctoral fellow at the Federal Highway Administration on Sustainable Pavements Program, where she researches the integration of life cycle thinking into pavement design.