Synopses & Reviews
A manifesto for a radically different philosophy and practice of manufacture and environmentalism"Reduce, reuse, recycle" urge environmentalists; in other words, do more with less in order to minimize damage. As William McDonough and Michael Braungart argue in their provocative, visionary book, however, this approach perpetuates a one-way, "cradle to grave" manufacturing model that dates to the Industrial Revolution and casts off as much as 90 percent of the materials it uses as waste, much of it toxic. Why not challenge the notion that human industry must inevitably damage the natural world, they ask.
In fact, why not take nature itself as our model? A tree produces thousands of blossoms in order to create another tree, yet we do not consider its abundance wasteful but safe, beautiful, and highly effective; hence, "waste equals food" is the first principle the book sets forth. Products might be designed so that, after their useful life, they provide nourishment for something new-either as "biological nutrients" that safely re-enter the environment or as "technical nutrients" that circulate within closed-loop industrial cycles, without being "downcycled" into low-grade uses (as most "recyclables" now are).
Elaborating their principles from experience (re)designing everything from carpeting to corporate campuses, the authors make an exciting and viable case for change.
Review
"Cradle to Cradle is not only a book of hope based on the power of will and imagination, it is a book of practical actions and solutions. Creativity unites with desire in the minds of William McDonough and Michael Braungart. We see how innovative design can restore not only the planet's integrity, but our own. We can begin to live differently. The goal of sustainability is replaced with organic rejuvenation. These revolutionaries, an architect and a chemist, have drawn us a map for our future using the tools of ecological intelligence and joy. No room for gloom and doom, hereinstead, insert delight, celebration, and respect, when rethinking our relationship to a new world that 'honors the children of all species for all time.' This is a brilliant embrace of life." Terry Tempest Williams, author of Leap and Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert
Review
"Cradle to Cradle challenges society to redesign the materials we use and to revolutionize the manner in which we make them. McDonough and Braungart believe that by respecting diversity, mimicking nature, and implementing eco-effective practices, we can design a 'world of prosperity and health in the future.' Such considerations are key to the development of a sustainable society, and this book articulates a vision for redesigning the materials, systems, and services society depends upon every day." Mary Kirchhoff, assistant director of the American Chemical Society's Green Chemistry Institute, Chemical and Engineering News
Review
"Achieving the great economic transition to more equitable, ecologically sustainable societies requires nothing less than a design revolutionbeyond today's fossilized industrialism. This enlightened and enlightening book shows us howand indeed, that'God is in the details.' A must for every library and every concerned citizen." Hazel Henderson, author of Building a Win-Win World and Beyond Globalization: Shaping a Sustainable Global Economy
Review
"[McDonough and Braungart's] ideas are bold, imaginative, and deserving of serious attention." Ben Ehrenreich, Mother Jones
Review
"[A] clear, accessible manifesto . . . the authors' original concepts are an inspiring reminder that humans are capable of much more elegant environmental solutions than the ones we've settled for in the last half-century." Publishers Weekly
Review
"A readable provocative treatise that 'gets outside the box' in a huge way. Timely and inspiring." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
A manifesto for a radically different philosophy and practice of manufacture and environmentalism"Reduce, reuse, recycle" urge environmentalists; in other words, do more with less in order to minimize damage. As William McDonough and Michael Braungart argue in their provocative, visionary book, however, this approach perpetuates a one-way, "cradle to grave" manufacturing model that dates to the Industrial Revolution and casts off as much as 90 percent of the materials it uses as waste, much of it toxic. Why not challenge the notion that human industry must inevitably damage the natural world, they ask.
In fact, why not take nature itself as our model? A tree produces thousands of blossoms in order to create another tree, yet we do not consider its abundance wasteful but safe, beautiful, and highly effective; hence, "waste equals food" is the first principle the book sets forth. Products might be designed so that, after their useful life, they provide nourishment for something new-either as "biological nutrients" that safely re-enter the environment or as "technical nutrients" that circulate within closed-loop industrial cycles, without being "downcycled" into low-grade uses (as most "recyclables" now are).
Elaborating their principles from experience (re)designing everything from carpeting to corporate campuses, the authors make an exciting and viable case for change.
Synopsis
How to turn the problem of scarce resources into an opportunity to vastly improve your companyand#8217;s performance, by two top McKinsey consultants.
Synopsis
What do shale gas, Elon Muskand#8217;s Tesla, and the global apparel chain Zara share in common? In
Resource Revolution, management experts Stefan Heck and Matt Rogers describe how each in its own way exemplifies a resource revolutionand#8212;a use of natural resources so effective it defies conventional wisdom and enables breakthrough performance where others see only limits and shortcomings.
Resource Revolutionand#160;shows how to take what is being seen as a worldwide crisis and turn it into the biggest business opportunity of the past one hundred years. The rapid urbanization of a new 2.5-billion-person middle class in Asia will create an unprecedented demand for oil, steel, land, food, water, cement, and other commodities over the next two decades. Heck and Rogers explore the ways in which innovators, including startups and global leaders from Cree to GE, have answered the challenge with practical steps to guide managers everywhere.
About the Author
William McDonough is an architect and the founding principal of William McDonough + Partners, Architecture and Community Design, based in Charlottesville, Virginia. From 1994 to 1999 he served as dean of the school of architecture at the University of Virginia. In 1999
Time magazine recognized him as a "Hero for the Planet," stating that "his utopianism is grounded in a unified philosophy that—in demonstrable and practical ways—is changing the design of the world." In 1996, he received the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development, the highest environmental honor given by United States.
Michael Braungart is a chemist and the founder of the Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA) in Hamburg, Germany. Prior to starting EPEA, he was the director of the chemistry section for Greenpeace. Since 1984 he has been lecturing at universities, businesses, and institutions around the world on critical new concepts for ecological chemistry and materials flow management. Dr. Braungart is the recipient of numerous honors, awards, and fellowships from the Heinz Endowment, the W. Alton Jones Foundation, and other organizations.
In 1995 the authors created McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, a product and systems development firm assisting client companies in implementing their unique sustaining design protocol. Their clients include Ford Motor Company, Nike, Herman Miller, BASF, DesignTex, Pendleton, Volvo, and the city of Chicago. The company's Web site can be found at www.mbdc.com.