1.49 Environmental Issues

Question 1

What are the six stages of the product life cycle?

Answer 1

Raw material extraction, raw material processing, manufacture, distribution, use, disposal.

Question 2

What are greenhouse gases?

Answer 2

Greenhouse gases are gases that trap and emit infrared radiation emitted from the Earth into the atmosphere.

Question 3

What happens when you burn fossil fuels?

Answer 3

When call oil and gas are burned, they produce greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. These fuels are burned to produce energy, for example, to heat our homes.

Question 4

What is deforestation and why is it bad?

Answer 4

Deforestation is the cutting down of trees or forests for fuel, wood products, or for alternative land use when trees are cut down and burned. This carbon reacts with oxygen in the atmosphere and becomes carbon dioxide.

Question 5

What is green design and what are two examples of it?

Answer 5

Green design is used to reduce the negative impact on the environment of design and manufacture. An example of this is by using recycled materials or by lowering the products use of energy in either its manufacture or use.

Question 6

What is eco design?

Answer 6

Eco design is considering the environmental life cycle through the whole design and manufacturing process of a product.

Question 7

What is sustainable design?

Answer 7

Sustainable design is analysing an existing product and finding new ways of making the product more environmentally friendly.

Question 8

What is sustainable Innovation?

Answer 8

Sustainable Innovation is finding new ways of producing products that reduce the impact on the environment. E.g. the smart car.

Question 9

What are the 6 Rs?

Answer 9

Rethink, reuse, recycle, repair, reduce, refuse.

Question 10

What is renewable energy?

Answer 10

Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind and rain.

Question 11

What is an environmental audit?

Answer 11

It is used to measure the environmental performance of a business to meet government targets/ legal requirements.

Question 12

What is an example of a new technology and environmentally friendly manufacturing processes?

Answer 12

A hybrid car is a vehicle which runs on both a petrol engine and an electric battery motor. Elise the car to work off the electric motor at slow speeds and then when higher speeds are reached the car switches to the petrol engine while at the same time charge in the electric motor. More fuel efficient.

Question 13

What is waste management used for?

Answer 13

Waste management is used to reduce the effect West is having on the environment.

Question 14

What is a landfill?

Answer 14

Landfill is a method of burning west in empty unused sites.

Question 15

What is incineration?

Answer 15

Incineration is when waste is burned to turn the materials from solid to gas.

Question 16

What is recycling?

Answer 16

Is the reusing of waste materials.

Question 17

What is pollution control?

Answer 17

Pollution control is to reduce the negative impact of products on the environment from their car emissions, chemical plants, oil plants and incinerators.

Question 18

What are examples of government influence on product design?

Answer 18

Vehicle duty and fuel duty tax, West electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE), the plastic bag charge.

Question 19

What are examples of ethnic and cultural influences on the design and manufacture of products?

Answer 19

Colour is something that designers on manufacturers selling their goods should be aware of. In China black is the colour of evil whilst red signifies. Good luck.

Question 20

What is embodied energy?

Answer 20

Embodied energy is all of the energy required to reduce any material, product or service.

Question 21

What is responsible sourcing?

Answer 21

Responsible sourcing is materials used in a sustainable way that meet social economic and environmental standards. For example, the government and many major companies that any wood used in their products must be endorsed by the forestry stewardship council (FSC).

Question 22

What is recycled content?

Answer 22

Using materials with recycled content reduces the need for new materials and the environmental impact from extracting materials. Takes less energy and waste generated.

Question 23

What are the properties of plastic?

Answer 23

Resistant to chemicals and water.
Excellent thermal and electrical insulation.

Question 24

What are the issues related to plastic?

Answer 24

1. The manufacturer plastics normally uses a non-sustainable raw material I.e oil.
2. Huge amount of waste.
3. Will not degrade quickly.

Question 25

What are biodegradable Plastics?

Answer 25

Plastics that will break down in natural aerobic (composting) and anaerobic (landfill) environments.

Question 26

How is miniaturisation a form of sustainability?

Answer 26

Miniaturisation means that new versions get progressively smaller and easier to carry. For example, the mobile phone. Smaller devices use up less raw materials.

Question 27

How is performance a form of sustainability?

Answer 27

Improved performance means more efficient use of power supplies. An example is improved Fuel consumption of modern cars.

Question 28

What are the advantages of biodegradable plastics?

Answer 28

1. Takes less time to breakdown.
2. Landfill not used.
3. Reduced pollution.

Question 29

What are the disadvantages of biodegradable plastics?

Answer 29

1. Not widely used.
2. More costly.
3. Low resistance to chemicals.
4. The fermentation process takes a long time.