Professor David Tyler from the University of Oregon will be giving a talk on April 7^th (Thursday of Week 2) at 5 PM in Lecture Hall 2 on: “Paper, Plastic, or Cotton Tote Bag? What lifecycle assessments tell us about the sustainability of everyday items.”

Abstract: We are confronted with choices every day that impact our environment:  Paper, plastic, or reusable tote bag?  Disposable plastic cup or reusable ceramic mug?  Biodiesel, gasohol, or gasoline?  Prius or Hummer?  How do we really know what’s best for the environment?  This talk will focus on how we evaluate the environmental impacts of various materials and products and some of the fundamental principles of green chemistry and sustainability as well.  Warning: your intuition about environmental impacts is not always right!