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Industrial Ecology

Industrial ecology studies the totality of material relations among different industries, their products, and the environment. Applications of industrial ecology should prevent pollution, reduce waste, and encourage reuse and recycling of materials. By displaying trends, scales, and relations of materials consumed, emitted, dissipated, and discarded, metrics can expose opportunities to improve the performance of industrial ecosystems.  We study the material context and operation of industrial systems, their relation to the natural environment, and the means to improve its performance.

Publications about Industrial Ecology

0107 JH Ausubel, PE Waggoner. Dematerialization: variety, caution, and persistence [external link]. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 105(35): 12774-12779, 2008 10.1073/pnas.0806099105 DDematerialization: variety, caution, and persistence, Dematerialization, Consumption, carbon, cropland, energy, fertilizer, impact

0099 JH Ausubel, IK Wernick, AM Barret, PE Waggoner. Industrial ecology for leverage to let loose less cadmium  (PDF). Prog Ind Ecol 3(6): 522-537, 2006 Industrial ecology for leverage to let loose less cadmium , Industrial ecology, cd, cadmium, zn, zinc, recycling, materials flow analysis, ImPACT identity

0091 PE Waggoner, JH Ausubel. A framework for sustainability science: a renovated IPAT identity [external link]. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 99(12): 7860-7865, 2002 A framework for sustainability science: a renovated IPAT identity, environmental Impact identity, population, affluence, impact identity

0083 CR Frink, PE Waggoner, JH Ausubel. Nitrogen on the land: overcoming the worries - lifting fertilizer efficiency and preserving land for nonfarming uses. Pollution Prevention Review 11(3): 77-82, 2001 Nitrogen on the land: overcoming the worries - lifting fertilizer efficiency and preserving land for nonfarming uses, agriculture, nitrogen fertilizer, land use

0077 IK Wernick, PE Waggoner, JH Ausubel. The forester's lever: Industrial ecology and wood products. J For 98(10): 8-14, 2000 The forester's lever: Industrial ecology and wood products, Forests, land use, agriculture, wood products, forestry

0073 CR Frink, PE Waggoner, JH Ausubel. Nitrogen fertilizer: Retrospect and prospect [external link]. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 96: 1175-1180, 1999 Nitrogen fertilizer: Retrospect and prospect, agriculture, fertilizer, nitrogen, industrial ecology, population

0063 JH Ausubel. Industrial ecology: a coming of age story (PDF) [external link]. Resources 130: 14, 1998 Published by Resources for the Future, Washington, DCIndustrial ecology: a coming of age story, Industrial Ecology, Consumption

0057 IK Wernick, JH Ausubel. Industrial ecology: some directions for research. With the Vishnu Group, The Rockefeller University and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory 1997 Industrial ecology: some directions for research, Industrial ecology, dematerialization, material substitution, economics, zero emission, materials, life cycle, recycling

0055 JH Ausubel. The virtual ecology of industry. J Ind Ecol 1(1): 10-11, 1997 The virtual ecology of industry, Industrial ecology

0054 IK Wernick, R Herman, S Govind, JH Ausubel. Materialization and dematerialization: Measures and trends. Pp 135-156 in Technological Trajectories and the Human Environment, JH Ausubel and HD Langford (eds) 1997 Materialization and dematerialization: Measures and trends, dematerialization, material substitution, materials, life cycle

0056 IK Wernick, PE Waggoner, JH Ausubel. Searching for leverage to conserve forests: The industrial ecology of wood products in the U.S.. J Ind Ecol 1(3): 125-145, 1997 Searching for leverage to conserve forests: The industrial ecology of wood products in the U.S., Forests, land use, agriculture, wood products, forestry

0049 IK Wernick. Consuming materials: the American way (PDF). Technological Forecasting and Social Change 53: 111-122, 1996 Consuming materials: the American way, dematerialization, material substitution, materials, life cycle, recycling

0043 IK Wernick, JH Ausubel. National material metrics for industrial ecology. Resour Policy 21(3): 189-198, 1995 National material metrics for industrial ecology, dematerialization, material substitution, materials, life cycle, metrics

0042 IK Wernick, JH Ausubel. National materials flows and the environment (PDF). Annual Review of Energy and the Environment 20: 463-492, 1995 Republished in Measures of Environmental Performance and Ecosystem Condition, P. Schulze (ed.), National Academy, Washington, D.C., 1999, pp. 157-174. National materials flows and the environment, dematerialization, material substitution, materials, life cycle, metrics, recycling

0036 IK Wernick. Dematerialization and secondary materials recovery in the U.S. [external link]. Journal of the Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society 46(4): 39-42, 1994 Dematerialization and secondary materials recovery in the U.S., dematerialization, material substitution, materials, life cycle, recycling

0024 JH Ausubel. Industrial ecology: Reflections on a colloquium [external link]. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 89(3): 879-884, 1992 Industrial ecology: Reflections on a colloquium, Industrial ecology

0014 R Herman, SA Ardekani, JH Ausubel. Dematerialization (PDF). Pp 50-69 in Technology and Environment, National Academy, Washington DC 1989 Also in Technological Forecasting and Social Change 37(4):333-348, 1990.Dematerialization, dematerialization, material substitution, materials, life cycle, metrics, recycling