Goal: Assist Business 186 (Green Purchasing) students in choosing a clothes washer by using mathematics.

How:

• Calculate the life-cycle cost of a clothes washer given certain inputs.

• Calculate the total carbon emissions for a clothes washer given certain inputs.

• Create a spreadsheet which will produce the life-cycle cost & yearly carbon emissions for a clothes washer if you enter the given inputs.

• Create a graphical analysis of the different washing machines – something that is easy for a layman to read.

For this project:

• Turn in one assignment for the whole group.

• Grades will be assessed as follows:

  • Professionalism, quality of work (30%)

  • Content of work (mathematical, reasoning, etc) (60%)

  • Group evaluations (10%)

    • At the end of the project, your group will be asked to rate the participation of your group members.

I. Background Research (by Monday 2/22)

1. Do some background research to understand the ideas in I.2 below. In particular, you’ll want to hit the following websites.

1. www.energystar.gov

   • Learn about the Energy Star program

   • Look at the data they gather for clothes washers by going to “Find Energy Star Products”→Clothes Washers→Find a Product. Leave the form blank, then hit the “Find Clothes Washers” button.

   • Read about Modified Energy Factor (MEF) & Water Factor (WF). This is under FAQs in the Clothes Washers section.

2. www.epa.gov/epp/tools/epp_metrics.pdf

   • These are a bunch of “metrics” relating to green purchasing. Note each has a set of input variables that one might be able to look up, along with a set of output variables which typically give a measure of environmental impact.

3. http://tinyurl.com/yjo79zn

   • This will take you directly to an Excel spreadsheet about TV purchasing where you can plug in certain inputs (number of TVs bought, screen size, etc) and it will spit out some outputs (energy cost, life cycle cost).

2. Be able to answer the following questions:

1. What is a life-cycle cost?

2. What factors do you think should be included in calculating the life-cycle cost for a clothes washer? In other words, what are you really spending money on over the course of the life of a washing machine?

3. What factors do you think should be included in calculating the greenhouse gas emissions for a clothes washer? In other words, what in the production, operation, and disposal of a clothes washer will emit carbon dioxide (or other greenhouse gases) into the atmosphere?

4. What is the Modified Energy Factor (MEF) as defined by Energy Star? Specifically, why did they choose that formula?

5. What is Water Factor (WF) as defined by Energy Star? Specifically, why did they choose that formula?

3. Think of any questions you might want to ask of the business student who you’re working with.

II. Meet with Business students/Create Group Contract (Monday, 2/22)

(IIA) We will meet with the Business students in class on this day. You will work through the worksheet: “GPP WS II – Meeting”

(IIB) You will create a group contract among your group members (without the business students) following the guidelines outlined in the handout “group_contract”. If we don’t have time, we’ll push this part back a few days.

III. Do the Math

1. Work through the worksheet “GPP WS III – The Math” on your own.

2. Meet with your group, discuss the worksheet “GPP WS III – The Math” and create a single copy to hand in for your group.

3. You might realize at this point (Step III.2) that you need more information, such as the cost per gallon of water. Get as far as you can, possibly marking the unknown quantity with a constant. Get that information from your business liaison and put the finishing touches on your project during step III.

IIIB (Optional).

Create a “metric” for judging the life-cycle cost and CO2 emissions of a clothes washer. This should be a spreadsheet which takes in the inputs related to a washing machine (for example purchase price & yearly electricity use) and should spit out certain outputs that people could use to make a decision– at least life-cycle cost & CO2 emissions.

IV. Create the Presentation

Make a presentation for your business liaison. This should include a solid presentation of the data, but should NOT include a decision about which clothes washer to buy. Your presentation should include at least a graph (as defined in WS IV) but can include more.

V. Meet with Your Business Liaison For a Decision

1. Make your presentation to your business liaison.

2. Discuss with them which clothes washer to purchase.

VI. Turn It In

Use the “GPP Checklist” as your guide.

Suggested Timeline

Monday, February 22

• I. Background Research should be finished

• II. Meet with Business students

As Soon As Possible

• Make an appointment to give your presentation to your business liaison. I suggest some time during the week of March 8-March 12.

Monday, March 1

• Group Contract Due – Turn in one copy in class.

Week of Monday, March 1-5

• Work through III. Do the Math together.

• Plan presentation

Week of Monday, March 8-12

• Give presentation to business liaison.

March 15

• All work due in class.