?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Fd-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu%2F16615%2F&rft.title=EVALUATING+THE+ENVIRONMENTAL+PERFORMANCE+OF+SERVICE+SECTOR+INDUSTRIES&rft.creator=Shrake%2C+Scott&rft.description=The+overall+goal+of+this+research+is+to+evaluate+and+quantify+the+environmental+impacts+of+service+industries+through+the+application+of+life+cycle+assessment+(LCA).+Service+industries+represent+the+majority+of+the+United+States+economy%2C+accounting+for+nearly+75%25+of+the+Gross+Domestic+Product+(GDP)%2C+however%2C+their+environmental+implications+have+often+been+overlooked+as+they+are+deemed+cleaner+by+comparison+to+their+manufacturing+counterparts.+%0D%0AIn+order+to+identify+which+aspects+of+services+are+responsible+for+significant+environmental+loadings%2C+and+determine+which+areas+have+the+most+room+for+improvement+the+impacts+need+to+be+assessed+using+methods+such+as+life+cycle+assessment.+This+research+uses+hybrid+life+cycle+assessment+to+establish+a+framework+for+evaluating+the+impact+of+service+industries.++The+evaluated+service+industries%2C+professional+services+(consulting)+and+healthcare%2C+combined+account+for+more+than+20%25+of+the+US+GDP.%0D%0A+The+results+of+the+professional+service+assessment+demonstrated+the+environmental+significance+of+travel+and+transportation+as+well+as+building+premise+impacts+on+the+overall+impacts+of+the+service.++Of+the+total+annual+greenhouse+gas+(GHG)+emissions+from+the+professional+services+firm+evaluated%2C+40%25+were+a+result+of+transportation+while+24%25+were+attributable+to+the+impacts+of+the+building+premises%2C+both+primarily+driven+through+the+combustion+of+fossil+fuels.+Business+travel+and+employee+commuting+were+both+about+20%25+of+the+annual+GHG+emissions+for+the+firm%2C+numbers+that+could+be+reduced+greatly+by+purchasing+more+fuel+efficient+vehicles+and+instituting+telecommuting+programs.++Improving+fleet+fuel+economy+through+purchasing+more+fuel+efficient+vehicles+and+allowing+50%25+of+the+work+force+to+telecommute+one+time+per+week+resulted+in+a+5%25+decrease+in+the+firms+overall+annual+GHG+emissions.%0D%0AThis+research+also+evaluated+the+impacts+of+healthcare+services%2C+focusing+on+determining+the+life+cycle+impacts+of+single-use+disposable+products+in+a+hospital+operating+room+setting.++The+research+evaluated+the+impacts+of+the+production+and+disposal+of+the+single+use+disposable+products+used+in+multiple+hysterectomy+procedures.+The+research+found+that+the+major+impacts+of+the+products+were+a+result+of+material+production%2C+which+accounted+for+between+88-97%25+of+the+environmental+impacts+of+products.%0D%0A&rft.date=2013-01-31&rft.type=University+of+Pittsburgh+ETD&rft.type=PeerReviewed&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.language=en&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Fd-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu%2F16615%2F13%2FSO_Shrake_ETD2012.pdf&rft.identifier=++Shrake%2C+Scott++(2013)+EVALUATING+THE+ENVIRONMENTAL+PERFORMANCE+OF+SERVICE+SECTOR+INDUSTRIES.++Doctoral+Dissertation%2C+University+of+Pittsburgh.++++(Unpublished)++