Integrated Core · Fall Term A Sustainability Systems & Natural Processes Measurement & Accounting Data Inference & Visualization → Fall Term B Policy & Regulation Process & Technology Transitions ▶ Principles for Sustainable Tech Design
Integrated Core — Fall 2026, Term B  ·  CVEN 5019

Principles for the Design of
Sustainable Technologies

A core course in the MS Sustainability program bridging engineering and business — grounding students in GHG accounting, DMRV, and life cycle assessment as tools for guiding technology decisions.

Carlo Salvinelli  ·  Department of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering

Fall 2026 · Second Half of Term
2.5 Credit Hours
Engineering & Business Graduate Students
Enrollment: 20–30 Students
Course Overview
About This Course
Explore principles and methods for designing technologies that support long-term sustainability goals. This course introduces greenhouse gas accounting with digital measurement, reporting and verification (DMRV), and process-level lifecycle assessment to evaluate impacts across supply chains and technology transitions. Students investigate strategies for sustainable procurement and pathways to net zero with attention to justice and equity. Designed for business and engineering students, this course emphasizes assessing environmental, social, and economic impacts to guide technology decisions.
⚙️

For Engineering Students

Connect technical design decisions to full-lifecycle environmental impacts. Apply GHG accounting and LCA to supply chains and technology transitions with quantitative rigor.

📊

For Business Students

Build fluency in the technical frameworks — DMRV, Scope 1/2/3 accounting, process-level LCA — that underpin credible ESG strategy, procurement decisions, and net-zero commitments.

🌐

Shared Foundation

Both tracks develop the competency to evaluate technology decisions through environmental, social, and economic lenses — with attention to justice and equity throughout.

Course Details, Grading & Required Materials

Carlo Salvinelli
carlo.salvinelli@colorado.edu

CVEN 5019

2.5 credit hours

Lecture · 2×/week, 2 hours per session

Fall 2026 · Second Half of Term (Term B)

Graduate — Engineering & Business

20–30 students

Letter grade (A–F)

No — final project presentation

Graduate student standing

Introductory coursework in sustainability, environmental studies, business, or engineering

85% Engineering · 15% Basic Science/Math

Grading Breakdown
Sustainable Technology Assessment Project35%
GHG Accounting & DMRV Assignment25%
Process-Level LCA Assignment20%
Reading Reflections15%
Participation & Integration Days5%
Integration Days

Three times per term, all sections of the Integrated Core participate in a shared 3.5-hour Integration Day featuring workshops, guest speakers, tournaments, and cross-disciplinary collaboration with faculty from Arts & Sciences, Business, and Engineering.

Required Readings
  • WRI Greenhouse Gas Protocol: Standards and Guidance — World Resources Institute. Core reference for Scope 1, 2 & 3 accounting methodologies.
  • Digitizing MRV for Climate Action — Goldstein, A. et al. (2020). World Bank/UNEP. Foundation for DMRV tools and frameworks.
  • LCA Resources and Guidelines — UNEP Life Cycle Initiative. Methodology and best practice for process-level life cycle assessment.
  • Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency Reports — European Environment Agency (EEA). Sustainable procurement and circular economy strategies.
  • Foundations for Net Zero Target Setting in the Corporate Sector — Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Frameworks for credible net zero pathways.
  • IPCC Assessment Reports: Mitigation of Climate Change — IPCC. Scientific grounding for emission reduction strategies and global targets.
  • Selected Journal Articles, Briefs & Case Studies — Distributed throughout the term via Canvas.
Curriculum
Principal Topics

Ten interconnected topics spanning measurement, design, and decision-making for sustainable technologies.

1
Sustainable Technology Design & Systems ThinkingFoundational principles for evaluating technologies within complex social and environmental systems.
2
GHG Accounting: Sources, Calculation & VerificationGreenhouse gas emission sources, calculation methodologies, third-party verification, and assurance frameworks.
3
Digital MRV (DMRV) Tools & FrameworksIoT sensors, satellite monitoring, and digital platforms for automated measurement, reporting, and verification of emissions.
4
Process-Level LCA for Supply Chains & Technology TransitionsISO 14040/14044 methodology applied at the process level to assess impacts across entire supply chains and transition pathways.
5
Sustainable Procurement & Circular Economy StrategiesProcurement standards, supplier engagement, cradle-to-cradle design, and material flow analysis for circular value chains.
6
Net Zero Pathways & Emission Reduction StrategiesScience-based targets, decarbonization roadmaps, carbon offsetting frameworks, and residual emissions management.
7
Extending Impact Assessment: Water, Food & Social SystemsApplying the assessment toolkit beyond carbon to water footprints, food system impacts, and quantitative social impact methods.
8
Social Justice, Equity & Poverty AlleviationEnvironmental justice frameworks, distributional impacts of technology deployment, and integrating equity criteria into design decisions.
9
Project Management for SustainabilityManaging technology projects across the full lifecycle — conception through decommissioning — with sustainable procurement and LCA integration.
10
Case Studies of Technology Deployment & TransitionsReal-world analysis of energy, mobility, agriculture, and built-environment technology transitions across diverse global contexts.
Learning Outcomes
What You Will Be Able to Do

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

1
Define Key concepts in sustainable technology design, GHG accounting, DMRV, and process-level life cycle assessment — establishing a shared vocabulary for engineering and business students.
2
Apply GHG accounting methodologies and DMRV frameworks to quantitatively evaluate the environmental impacts of supply chains and technology transitions.
3
Analyze Trade-offs across the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of technologies — connecting technical impact data to business and policy decisions.
4
Evaluate Net zero pathways and sustainable procurement strategies with explicit attention to principles of justice, equity, and poverty alleviation.
5
Formulate Evidence-based recommendations to guide sustainable technology design and decision-making, communicated to technical and non-technical audiences alike.
Weekly Schedule
Course Schedule — Fall Term B

Eight weeks in the second half of the fall semester. Each week features two 2-hour sessions. Integration Days (★) are shared with all Integrated Core sections.

Week 1
Sustainable Technology Design & Systems Thinking
Foundations
Course orientation and the sustainability imperative. Planetary boundaries and the SDG framework as context for technology design. Introduction to systems thinking: stocks, flows, feedback loops, and leverage points. Overview of the design evaluation toolkit (GHG accounting, DMRV, LCA).
▶ Slides 📄 Readings ✏ Discussion
Week 2
GHG Accounting — Sources, Calculation & Verification
GHG Accounting
GHG Protocol standards: Scope 1, 2, and 3 emission sources. Activity data, emission factors, and calculation methodologies. Third-party verification and assurance frameworks. Setting reduction targets and strategies. Introduction to offsetting and mitigation.
▶ Slides 📄 WRI GHG Protocol 🔬 GHG Calculation Workshop
Week 3  ★ Integration Day
Digital MRV (DMRV) Tools & Frameworks
DMRV
IoT sensors, satellite remote sensing, and blockchain for automated emissions monitoring. Digital platforms for MRV: architecture, data flows, and validation. Case studies: DMRV in energy, agriculture, and transportation. Integration Day: cross-section workshop with Policy & Technology Transitions courses.
▶ Slides 📄 Goldstein et al. 2020 🔬 DMRV Tool Demo ★ Integration Day
Week 4
Process-Level Life Cycle Assessment
LCA
ISO 14040/14044 framework: goal and scope, functional unit, system boundaries, life cycle inventory (LCI). Process-level LCA for supply chains and technology transitions: hotspot analysis, sensitivity, and uncertainty. Introduction to OpenLCA software and the ecoinvent database. LCA Assignment distributed.
▶ Slides 📄 UNEP LCA Guidelines 🔬 OpenLCA Workshop ✏ LCA Assignment Out
Week 5
Net Zero Pathways & Sustainable Procurement
Net Zero
Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi): corporate net zero target-setting and validation. Decarbonization roadmaps and residual emission management. Sustainable procurement standards and supplier engagement. Circular economy strategies — cradle-to-cradle design and material flow analysis. LCA Assignment due.
▶ Slides 📄 SBTi + EEA Reports ✏ LCA Assignment Due
Week 6  ★ Integration Day
Beyond Carbon: Water, Food & Social Systems
Expanded Impact
Extending the assessment framework: water footprint methodology and scarcity metrics, food system impacts and land use. Social LCA: methodology for quantifying social impacts across value chains. Integration Day: cross-section workshop synthesizing environmental, social, and economic lenses.
▶ Slides 📄 Readings 🔬 Social LCA Exercise ★ Integration Day
Week 7
Justice, Equity & Project Management
Equity
Environmental justice frameworks: history, distributional impacts, and design implications. Integrating equity and poverty alleviation criteria into technology assessment. Project management for sustainability: conception through decommissioning, sustainable procurement integration, full-lifecycle planning. Sustainable Technology Assessment Project due.
🔒 Slides — Coming Soon 📄 Readings ✏ Assessment Project Due
Week 8  ★ Integration Day
Case Studies & Final Presentations
Synthesis
Real-world case studies of technology deployment and transitions: energy, mobility, built environment, and agriculture. Student final project presentations to faculty and industry guests. Synthesis: applying the full toolkit — GHG accounting, DMRV, LCA, net zero, and equity — to guide future technology design decisions. Integration Day closing session.
🔒 Slides — Coming Soon ✏ Final Presentations ★ Integration Day