Article:

Which Do You A-Door? Comparing the Energy Needed to Make Wood and Steel Doors

This article is from Issue Bioenergy Edition - Vol. 9 No. 1.

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Meet the scientists that contributed to this article:

"Science Topics" covered in this article:

Life Science
People and Science
Technology and Science

"Environmental Topics" covered in this article:

Forest and Grassland Use (Educators)
Using Forests (Students)

Regions covered in this article:

Alaska
Forest Products Lab
Intermountain
International Institute of Tropical Forestry
Northern
Pacific Northwest
Pacific Southwest
Rocky Mountain
Southern
Southwestern

"Thinking About Science Themes" covered in this article:
When scientists want to compare things, they must use a common language. In this research, the scientists wanted to compare the environmental impact of making two different kinds of doors. The scientists went to the International Organization for Standardization (stan dürd uh za shun) for help. This organization creates standards for a wide variety of products and processes. The organization reported that two products can be compared if they provide the same utility to a consumer. The scientists decided that they could compare two different doors if both of those doors could be used to enter a house. Based on this standard, could you compare the utility of a plastic and metal fork? Why or why not?

Specific "Thinking About Science" Themes:
Characteristics of Scientists
The Scientific Process

"Thinking About Environmental Themes" covered in this article:
Every product you buy was produced using energy. Every process used to create products also creates waste. In this research, the scientists wanted to compare the amount of energy used and amount of waste created in the manufacture of two different types of doors. This kind of comparison is called a lifecycle inventory (figure 1). Most life-cycle inventories include the amount of energy used and waste created from when the raw materials are gathered to make the product to when a consumer no longer wants and disposes of the product. In this research, the scientists were interested only in the energy used and waste created until the time the doors were ready to be shipped to a store.

Specific "Thinking About the Environment" Themes:
Cycles