Working Partnerships for a Sustainable Environment and Economy

The Green Design Institute is a major interdisciplinary education and research effort to make an impact on environmental quality through green design. The central idea of the institute is to form partnerships with companies, government agencies and foundations to develop pioneering management, manufacturing, and regulatory processes that can improve environmental quality and product quality while enhancing economic development. Students from many different degree programs at Carnegie Mellon can participate in the Green Design Institute activities.

Carnegie Mellon researchers are working to address the regulatory issues that shape the global marketplace. Our research partners will have access to policy and management tools for environmentally conscious manufacturing and product and process design, as well as opportunities to explore comprehensive solutions to problems such as hazardous emissions, use of toxic materials and inefficient energy usage.

Through the Green Design Institute, we are solving problems and building tools that help businesses accomplish more with less. Our focus is on developing practical pollution prevention technologies and lowering costs, by recycling scarce resources, using fewer raw materials and creating better products. For example, our environmental life cycle assessment tool using an input output model is available on the web at www.eiolca.net. Creative engineering and science can produce products and processes that both cost less and pose fewer threats to workers, consumers and the environment. By joining in partnership with Carnegie Mellon, businesses will gain the tools they need to be competitive in the new environmental era.