Life cycle analysis

Relevance of conducting a life cycle analysis from a business prospective Environmental awareness is on the rise, and industries and businesses are evaluating ways through which their activities impinge on the environment. In response to this awareness, businesses have provided green products and are using greener processes as well as environmental management tools in their production of goods and services. An example of such a tool is life cycle analysis, also referred to as life cycle assessment.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Life cycle analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Conducting a life cycle analysis is one of the most important processes done today for the successful implementation of environmental sustainability. One of the uses of this process is identifying and categorizing decisive areas whereby the environmental performance of a product can be made better. Businesses will prefer life cycle ana lysis because of its unique characteristics unlike other environmental sustainability systems; for example, it covers all the environmental releases and processes beginning with raw material extraction as well as energy production used in the creation of products, in addition to the use of the products and their final disposal. It is therefore relevant when deciding between two alternatives, as it can help decision-makers make comparisons on the major impacts caused by goods, services or processes (Seliger, Khraisheh, Jawahir, 2011). As a cradle to grave process, life cycle analysis evaluates every stage of the life of a product. The process is also relevant for businesses because it makes it possible to estimate the cumulative environmental effects that result from all the stages involved in the product’s life cycle. These effects may not be included in other methods of analysis, for example effects of raw material extraction or effects son product disposal. This way, the a nalysis process enables businesses to have a comprehensive view of the various environmental aspects of the product as well as a more accurate image of the real environmental trade-offs involved (Cohen, 2010). The cradle to grave life cycle of a newspaper Raw material extraction and processing Newspapers, just like other types of papers, are made of connected fibers. These fibers are obtained from a variety of sources including plants, trees, or even cloth rags. For newspapers, sawmills provide the fiber. Strong paper is usually made from coniferous trees because the fibers found in the pulp of these trees make strong paper.Advertising Looking for essay on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The trees are referred to as softwood trees. The increasing demand for paper has however led to the use of almost every species of trees to extract logs. These trees undergo the logging process, which can be achieved usi ng sawmills (Ranchhod Marandi, 2012). Manufacturing The first step in manufacturing is making pulp. Various processes are used to convert logs to wood pulp. The mechanical process is a commonly used process; here, logs are crushed in big drums to remove bark. Subsequently, they are taken to grinders, that press them hard between big revolving slabs. The filtering process then follows. The chemical process can also be used to make pulp; here, wood chips are cooked from de-barked logs in a chemical solution found in digesters. At the digesters, the chips are boiled at a high-pressure solution of sodium sulfide and sodium hydroxide. It is at this stage that bleach or colorings are added. From this process, the pulp is taken to the paper plant (Ranchhod Marandi, 2012). The process of converting the pulp to paper begins at the beating process; here, the pulp is squeezed with machine beaters. Several filler materials are also added at this process, such as chalks, chemicals, clays or ev en titanium oxide. The final process involves taking the pulp to big automated machines that have moving conveyer belts. Here, water is drained off and the pulp is then taken to the press section, and over steam-heated cylinders for further drying. This paper is then wound on big reels and further processed using metal rollers c calendars that give it the desired finish (Ranchhod Marandi, 2012). Purchase, use, and disposal The newspaper printing process is responsible for the purchase and use of papers from the paper mill, for use by the printing press of newspapers. During newspaper printing, a lot of energy and raw materials are consumed, for example inks and printing plates. The printing press purchases paper from the paper mill. The disposal of newspaper is done through several ways. One is recycling, whereby the newspapers are taken back to the paper mill and, using chemical processes, are transformed anew. Land filling can also be used to dispose of the newspapers (Hesselbach Herrmann, 2011).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Life cycle analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Waste management Waste management in the life cycle analysis of newspapers is done in various phases of the cycle. A thorough analysis of this process reveals that it is during the paper mill stage that the most emissions are produced. It is also in this stage that the most resources are consumed, largely because of its high-energy consumption. The landfilling process is also responsible for high emissions, considering the high methane emissions of the disposal process compared to other stages of the life cycle. Various waste management solutions are developed, and the following conclusions and recommendations can be established. The inclusion of the production stages of the waste management process, this can help in obtaining a realistic picture of the relevance of the individual life cycle phases on the gene ral impacts (Dahlbo et al, 2005). Paper is one of the biggest contributors of solid waste components. It is also a material that originates from a very important natural resource whose maintenance and sustainability is crucial, the forest. It is recommended that during the manufacture process, newspapers can be co-combusted or incinerated. These modern waste management processes have the capability to decrease using de-inked pulp. Otherwise, using virgin fiber-based pulp in the manufacture of newsprint is more effective. During the treatment and waster recovery stage, it is important to remember that landfilling of newspapers in their untreated state is environmentally worse compared to their energy recover (Hesselbach Herrmann, 2011). In its disposal management, the combustion of newspaper using solid recovered fuel, rather than coal can save significant amount of energy. References Cohen, N. (2010). Green Business: an A-Z Guide. New York: SAGE. Dahlbo, H., Koskela, S., Laukka, J. , Myllymaa, T., Jouttijà ¤rvi, T., Melanen, M. Tenhunen, J. (2005) Life cycle inventory analyses for five waste management options for discarded newspaper. Waste Management and Research 23:1-13. Hesselbach, J., Herrmann, C. (2011). Glocalized Solutions for Sustainability in Manufacturing:Proceedings of the 18th CIRP International Conference on Life Cycle Engineering, Technische Università ¤t Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany, May 2nd- 4th, 2011. London: Springer.Advertising Looking for essay on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Ranchhod, A., Marandi, E. (2012). CIM Coursebook 07/08 Strategic Marketing in Practice. London: Routledge. Seliger, G., Khraisheh, M. M., Jawahir, I. (2011). Advances in Sustainable Manufacturing. New York: Springer. This essay on Life cycle analysis was written and submitted by user Darren I. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Power Of The Spoken Word Essays - English Words, Profanity

The Power Of The Spoken Word Essays - English Words, Profanity The Power Of The Spoken Word Allen Huggins The Power of the Spoken Word Words themselves are innocuous; it is the consensus that gives them true power (Naylor, 344). The consensus governs our society because of the power it holds. The understanding of the spoken word, especially derogatory terms, shapes our world because of the power these vile words hold in balancing or tilting race relations. The American Heritage College Dictionary defines power as political, social, or economic control (1072). White America has social control over the consensus, but in Mommy What Does 'Nigger' Mean? Gloria Naylor shows that African-American minorities can reclaim the power of the consensus and give new, equal meanings to words that have plagued African Americans for ages. Gloria Naylor uses a young boy in her third-grade class as an example of white America's social control over the consensus. In her third-grade class she recalls the young white boy getting a lower score on a math test and her rubbing it in. Upon hearing her mockery, he spit out that word (344). He had learned the word nigger as a mode of humiliation, probably from his parents, showing how white America views the meaning of the word nigger. As our country's majority, white America has the most influence on such hateful terms that drastically tilt the racial balance. Such influence over the consensus exemplifies the statement language is power because of the malicious manner in which the word nigger is used. One small word gave a third-grade boy a sense of power over Naylor that she had never experienced. The impact of such words occurs daily because America regards the derogatory use of the word nigger as a singular definition of the word, ceasing to acknowledge a positive meaning. As an example of a more positive meaning of the word nigger, Naylor introduces her southern, black family and its use of such controversial words. Naylor's family is an example of a minority group retaking the power of the consensus. Instead of using nigger as a term of humiliation, her family uses the word as a term of distinction. Naylor vividly recalls one family member saying, I'm telling you, that nigger pulled in $6,000 of overtime last year referring to a man who had distinguished himself in some situation that brought [her family's] approval for his strength, intelligence, or drive (345). These men and women have reduced such a powerful term in white America to a minute expression of praise in their vocabulary. Naylor explains how the people in [her] grandmother's living room took a word that whites used to signify worthlessness or degradation and rendered it impotent (346). This impotency also illustrates the language is power motif. The family has gained a certain power because they have used a word that has slandered African Americans for years and left it powerless in their views. Degrading words can have a profound impact if they are allowed to infect a person, but the true power comes from a person that can withstand such remarks and render them worthless. Although Naylor is able to show a minority retaking the power of the consensus, the fact remains that racial relations in our society are vastly separated because of the majority's consensus and the power it allows the majority to claim. Naylor states, If the word [nigger] was to totally disappear from the mouths of even the most liberal of white society, no one in that room was nave enough to believe it would disappear from white minds (346). White America needs to realize that harmful words can only hurt our country and detract from its potential. Equality would create endless avenues our country could travel, yet without it, our country will only be able to go so far. Bibliography Costello, Robert B. ed. The American Heritage College Dictionary. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997. 1072. Naylor, Gloria. Mommy, What Does 'Nigger' Mean? New Worlds of Literature. Eds. Jerome Beaty and J. Paul Hunter. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1994. 344-47.