Here’s How: Embodied Carbon

Here's How, Embodied Carbon: Trailer

Join host Amy Hattan, corporate responsibility officer of Thornton Tomasetti, for a series of quick, informational talks with colleagues about practical ways designers can reduce embodied carbon in the built environment. 
Thornton Tomasetti is an international multidisciplinary engineering and consulting firm that is channeling all its capabilities to tackle climate change. Technical experts from across the firm will share best practices and lessons learned over 12+ years of focusing on embodied carbon and how to lower the greenhouse gas emissions of their projects.

Ep. 01: 7 Minutes on Concrete Improvements

Host Amy Hattan engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Patrick Kenny, a structural engineer and co-leader of the Materials Working Group in Thornton Tomasetti's Embodied Carbon community of practice. They explore effective strategies structural designers can use to reduce the embodied carbon footprint of concrete.

Ep. 02: 7 Minutes on Greener Steel

Host Amy Hattan talks with Michael Cropper, co-lead of Thornton Tomasetti's Embodied Carbon community of practice. Michael sheds light on how structural engineers can reduce embodied carbon in their designs through thoughtful selection of steel for their projects.

Ep. 03: 7 Minutes on Engaging the Supply Chain

Host Amy Hattan and her colleague Duncan Cox explore the importance of supply chain engagement in the process and provide practical advice on how to effectively leverage this aspect for optimal results. Duncan is a trailblazer in the field of embodied carbon assessment and reduction and the leader of Thornton Tomasetti's life cycle assessment team. 

Ep. 04: 7 Minutes on Resilient Thinking on Carbon

Host Amy Hattan sits down with Julie Pietrzak, the leader of Thornton Tomasetti's Resilience practice, to delve into the application of resilient thinking in design. They discuss how this approach can contribute to embodied carbon reductions in the built environment.

Ep. 05: 6 Minutes on Carbon Capture and Storage

Host Amy Hattan talks with Emily Kunkel, an expert in decarbonization strategies, about an innovative approach to tackling industrial carbon emissions. They will explore the impactful role of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) in substantially reducing emissions from cement manufacturing.

Ep. 06: 12 Minutes on the ABCs of EPDs

In this episode, host Amy Hattan talks with Erin Gallagher, a senior sustainability consultant at Thornton Tomasetti. Erin explains the “ABCs” of environmental product declarations, or EPDs, and they discuss ways to access and use EPDs to lower embodied carbon in building designs. 

Ep. 07: 11 Minutes on the LCA Three Ways

In this episode, host Amy Hattan talks with Heather Walters, a vice president in our Sustainability and Resilience practice. Heather, an expert in sustainable design, shares insights from a project using three LCA tools: Beacon, One Click LCA, and EC3. These assessments revealed varying results in embodied-carbon reduction, highlighting the importance of understanding the purpose of each study.

Ep. 08: 6 Minutes on Portland-Limestone Cement

In this episode, host Amy Hattan talks with Patrick Kenny, a structural engineer who co-leads our Embodied Carbon community of practice’s materials working group. Patrick explains how using portland-limestone cement (PLC) as an alternative to traditional portland cement offers a 5-10% reduction in embodied carbon. The conversation highlights the potential for substantial environmental benefits from widespread adoption of PLC.

Ep. 09: 12 Minutes on Technologies for Efficient Steel Production

In this episode, host Amy Hattan talks with Nisha Kakde, a senior consultant in sustainability. Nisha shares her research on reducing the carbon footprint of steel production – including the potential of alternative fuels, like hydrogen, and technologies such as carbon capture, the use of biochar and the reconversion of blast-furnace off-gas – to achieve significant emissions reductions and move closer to net-zero goals.