Technologies to Reduce Materials Flows in the United States

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

A workshop aimed at Identifying the Grand Challenges to Reducing the Impact of Materials Flows in the United States will be held in 2004 to exploit new information on national Materials Flows to discover existing or needed cross-sectoral technologies to address these challenges. Materials flows accounting data will serve to identify high volume or high hazard materials flows. Four areas of improvement will serve to focus the effort as well: 1) synergy in byproduct materials exchange with benefits accruing to at least two sectors; 2) joint development of technologies common to at least two sectors; 3) technology transfer; and 4) best practices. This workshop is motivated by the recent work on Materials Flows and Energy Accounting by the National Academies and the WRI. The workshop focuses on one way in which these data could enable new lines of research. Experts from industry, the national labs, and academia will be invited to join an organizing committee. This committee will arrange a preliminary videoconferencing or net-meeting. The full workshop will follow and a larger group of attendees will be defined based on the prior Materials Flows analysis and meeting of the organizing committee. The broader impacts from identifying cross-sectoral synergies and the efficiencies that could ensue are potent societal benefits that could follow from this workshop. The cross-disciplinary team and the partnership between and NGO and academia offer a rich source for cross-fertilization of ideas. A final report of workshop results will be disseminated to leaders in the resource industries, university faculty, government managers, and students.