Key Information
About the content
In this course you will learn the basics of the life-cycle assessment (LCA) method for holistic environmental analysis of products, technologies, and systems. LCA sheds light on the environmental implications of the consumption and behavioral choices we all make on a daily basis.
Syllabus
- Working with unit processes and unit process inventory data
- Study design: goal definition, system boundaries, and functional units
- Compiling the data: life-cycle inventory methods (process-based and input-output methods)
- Understanding impacts: life-cycle impact analysis for land, air, water, and health
- Building a simple LCA model using spreadsheet software
- Results interpretation and reporting
Instructors
- Eric Masanet - Mechanical Engineering and Chemical and Biological Engineering
Content Designer

Northwestern University is an American university located in Evanston (just north of Chicago), in the US state of Illinois. It is one of the most prestigious universities in the world, particularly for journalism, economics and theatre. The university has two campuses, one in Evanston (the main campus) and one in downtown Chicago.
Platform

Coursera is a digital company offering massive open online course founded by computer teachers Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller Stanford University, located in Mountain View, California.
Coursera works with top universities and organizations to make some of their courses available online, and offers courses in many subjects, including: physics, engineering, humanities, medicine, biology, social sciences, mathematics, business, computer science, digital marketing, data science, and other subjects.