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Academia

Advancing the Study and Skills of Life Cycle Assessment and Sustainability

As the world embraces the sustainability business movement, colleges and universities have to provide their students with the knowledge and skill set that offers a strong integration of sustainable practices, successful business initiatives, and innovative design.

EarthShift Global is at the forefront of this movement, currently providing Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) software such as EarthSmart for LCA and PackageSmart for package designers and engineers, lab packages, training, and guidance to over 180 Universities in North America.

EarthShift Global actively engages in academia with training, outreach, and methodological development designed to advance student and practitioner knowledge and skills. We lead training in existing and novel approaches at LCA conferences and industry events; this training raises the level of knowledge about existing approaches and fosters the development of novel approaches that can cope with existing life cycle management challenges at organizations.

We understand the importance of nurturing the LCA community and promoting emerging leaders in the field. As a result, EarthShift Global has sponsored the student poster competitions for the main industrial ecology venues including ISSST and ACLCA. To promote the inclusion of a life cycle curriculum in education, we also provide free training resources and software access to community colleges

We provide software and training to over 180 colleges and universities, including:

Arizona State University, University of Los Andes, Blekinge Institute of Technology, California Polytechnic State University, Oregon State university, Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania, University of Waterloo (Canada), Michigan State

“I have taught packaging sustainability since the Spring 2008 to MSU packaging students. The main goal of this course is to evaluate the environmental footprint of product/packaging systems using LCA concepts and streamlined LCA software.
After using many types of software, I have found that PackageSmart does a great job of encouraging system thinking and developing a product/packaging life-cycle perspective among my students.”—

Rafael Auras, Ph.D., Associate Professor, School of Packaging, Michigan State University
www.packaging.msu.edu

We Support a Future Where Sustainable Business is the Common Business

EarthShift Global’s Sustainability Professionals will introduce your students to the LCA methodology and teach them practical skills for incorporating sustainability into their studies and their future careers. Our renowned Practical Life Cycle Assessment Training Lab will easily and affordably enhance the sustainability curriculum and give students an advantage in their field.

Participating institutions benefit from:

  • 50% discount on all our regularly scheduled training courses
  • Discounted software options and affordable lab training packages, inclusive of semester long LCA software accounts
  • Proven online training modules
  • Direct access to our knowledgeable and seasoned sustainability professionals through "office hours"

Practical Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Training Lab for University Students

This series of modules introduces students to the LCA methodology and teaches them practical skills for incorporating sustainability into their studies and their future careers. The Recorded Practical LCA training package includes:

  • Ten 10-15 minute training modules for you to work through at your own pace
  • Take away exercises for you to put your new skills to practice
  • 3-month subscription to the EarthSmart software
  • Questions answered by email from an EarthShift Global Sustainability Consultant

The curriculum will teach students to:

  • Comfortably apply LCA in a practical project setting, such as product design decisions
  • Scope out LCA projects
  • Develop practical LCA models for products and processes
  • Have a better understanding of how LCA can be used effectively to achieve sustainability goals

The Recorded Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Training Lab is offered in two convenient formats:

1. Recorded Modules
Students download training modules and watch at their convenience.

  • Format: Students are given a user name and password to access the online modules and provided with access to EarthSmart enabling them to follow course exercises and begin to design and analyze their own LCA models.
  • Price: $ 200 per student/attendee

2. Live Interactive Online Sessions
Online sessions are scheduled at your convenience. Choose either two 3-hour sessions or four 1.5-hour sessions. Minimum of 6 students

  • Format: An experienced EarthShift sustainability professional will lead students through LCA theory and practical LCA exercises in EarthSmart. Students will follow along in the EarthSmart software.
  • Price: $ 625 per student

Order by email: [email protected]
Or call: +1 (207) 608-6228 to place your order and get access to the modules


Perfect in Any Discipline

Engineering and Technical Programs — Students will learn to incorporate LCA into product and system design. This skillset will put them at the forefront of their field where Design for Environment is the way forward.

Environmental Studies and Sustainability Programs — Students will learn a deeper understanding of sustainability using life cycle thinking, and will gain a practical skill in their field.

We also offer Community College instructors free instructional materials and access to EarthSmart Practical Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) software.  To learn more and to request access, please click here.