4. Discuss whether shoe A (leather) or shoe B (synthetic) is better for the envi

Question

4. Discuss whether shoe A (leather) or shoe B (synthetic) is better for the environment based on the data in the table below. Is it possible to weight one aspect (air, water, land pollution or solid waste) as being more important than another? How? Why? Who makes these decisions in our society?


Table 1. Hypothetical Example of Life Cycle Environmental Impacts of Shoes per 100 pairs of shoes produced.


Shoe A (leather)
Energy Use (BTU) -1
Raw Material Consumption - Limited supply, some renewable
Water use (gal) - 2 gal
Air Pollution - 4 lbs
Water pollution - 2 lbs. organic chemicals
Hazardous and Solid Waste - 2 lbs hazardous sludge

Shoe B (synthetic)
Energy Use (BTU) - 2
Raw Material Consumpt.-Large supply, non-renewable
Water use(gal) - 4 gal
Air Pollution - 1 lb.
Water pollution - 8 lbs inert organic chemicals
Hazardous and Solid Waste - 2 lbs hazardous sludge, 3 lbs nonhazardous solid waste

Explanation / Answer

Shoe A is the answer

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