The University of Oregon chemistry professor, plastics expert
and public speaker isn't really a crusader, though, so much as a
numbers guy who likes to help people make sustainable choices
based on facts rather than trends or clever marketing. Tyler is
well-versed in the technique known as "life cycle assessment," a
way of measuring a product's environmental impact throughout its
entire existence -- from birth to death (or resurrection via
recycling). Tyler's talks can yield counter intuitive ways of
thinking about everyday consumer choices. Here he sounds off
about his way of looking at sustainability and previews his OMSI
Science Pub talk tonight in Hillsboro. What first started you on
the path of studying sustainability? The sustainability thing
got started a number of years ago because I went across the
street to the student union and they were giving, I think it was
50 cents off, if you brought your own ceramic mug instead of
using one of their disposable cups. I remember asking the guy,
what's going on?