As the North American pioneer in construction-sector LCA, Athena has long had a strong role in LCA advocacy and support for LCA infrastructure in the built environment.

ID=105 :: post_name=lca-advocacy-education :: post_title=LCA Advocacy & Education :: post_status=publish :: post_type=page :: post_category=Array

Athena’s advocacy work includes education, codes and standards, policy support and more.

Membership funds and core program grants enable the Athena Institute to play a leadership role in advancing the use of LCA in sustainable design.  Activities include:

Codes, standards and rating programs
Lindita Bushi sits on the following committees:

  • The American Center for Life Cycle Assessment (ACLCA) Product Category Rules Committee which has a mission to support increasing the number, quality and accessibility of PCRs and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) in North America
  • The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) Mirror Committee of ISO/Technical Committee 207/Subcommittee 5 on Life Cycle Assessment
  • Chair, Standards Council of Canada (SCC) Mirror Committee of ISO/Technical Committee 207/Subcommittee 3 on Environmental Labeling
  • Vice Chair, ACLCA ISO 21930 Guidance Working Group (an initiative of the ACLCA PCR Committee)

LCA2 initiative
The Athena Institute is very engaged with the Canadian national initiative Low-Carbon Assets through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)2. Athena staff sit on the Steering Committee and the Technical Committee.

WB-LCA guidelines and benchmarking
The Athena Institute is working to harmonize the practice of whole-building life cycle assessment (WB-LCA) and develop robust WB-LCA benchmarks. We are creating North America’s first set of comprehensive WB-LCA guidelines, and the first WB-LCA benchmarking system. Read more about the initiative on our Publications/Other page.

LCA awareness and education
Athena is the premier source for information on LCA in the built environment, for conferences, journal articles, webinars and training. We provide a clear window into the science-based world of LCA for a general construction audience, addressing the value of LCA, principles and practices of LCA, and interpretation of results. In addition, Athena staff offer fee-for-service customized LCA education for product manufacturers, construction-sector professionals and building owners.

Athena software training
Athena experts can be engaged for hands-on training with the Impact Estimator for Buildings and Pavement LCA. Contact us to learn more.

International LCA Initiatives
Athena staff have been valued contributors to international LCA activities, playing an active role in the Sustainable Building Challenge. Athena staff have also functioned as secretariat for the SETAC/UNEP Life Cycle Initiative, an International Life Cycle Partnership designed to enable users around the world to put life cycle thinking into effective practice. In addition, the Institute has had a long relationship with the International Initiative for Sustainable Built Environment (iiSBE), a non-profit organization whose overall aim is to accelerate the movement towards a global sustainable built environment.

Past work in codes and standards
Athena Past President Wayne Trusty was very influential in bringing LCA to green building programs, standards and regulation. His past work included:

  • Voting member of ASTM E60 sustainability committee
  • Chair of ASTM working group for a whole-building LCA standard
  • Member of IGCC materials working group
  • Member of the USGBC Materials and Resources Technical Advisory Group
  • Member of the core committee for LEED 2.2 development
  • CaGBC Board of Directors
  • CaGBC metrics committee
  • Advisor to CalGreen developers
  • Voting member of original NAHB residential guidelines (now ICC 700)
  • GBI Board of Directors
  • Chair, ANSI committee to develop Green Globes as a standard