Life Cycle Assessment

This short book was written for those interested in constructing a carbon footprint who have been mystified by what they have read from other sources so far, especially if you have read that you need an expensive computer model. You don’t. For many years, a debate centered on the effectiveness of small farms has produced lots of writing, but seldom a clear result. Life cycle assessment is normally associated with a product or a collection of similar products, but it is much less common for impacts analysis for a farm to be performed at a facility-level (that is to develop the footprint of an entire farm). Today a lot of discussion is focused on the implications of a carbon footprint, but few people can clearly articulate the basis for it. This short study will acquaint you with the process and provide a framework that can be used to develop a footprint. The book presents the results of a carbon footprint of a small family-run organic farm. Data and factors are clearly presented along with the sources for all the data used to perform the calculations. The work was performed by a certified professional life cycle assessment practitioner following common industry practices.