"William McDonough's book, written with his colleague, the German chemist Michael Braungart, is a manifesto calling for the transformation of human industry through ecologically intelligent design. Through historical sketches on the roots of the industrial revolution; commentary on science, nature and society; descriptions of key design principles; and compelling examples of innovative products and business strategies already reshaping the marketplace, McDonough and Braungart make the case that an industrial system that "takes, makes and wastes" can become a creator of goods and services that generate ecological, social and economic value.
In Cradle to Cradle, McDonough and Braungart argue that the conflict between industry and the environment is not an indictment of commerce but an outgrowth of purely opportunistic design. The design of products and manufacturing systems growing out of the Industrial Revolution reflected the spirit of the day-and yielded a host of unintended yet tragic consequences.
Today, with our growing knowledge of the living earth, design can reflect a new spirit. In fact, the authors write, when designers employ the intelligence of natural systems—the effectiveness of nutrient cycling, the abundance of the sun's energy—they can create products, industrial systems, buildings, even regional plans that allow nature and commerce to fruitfully co-exist."
http://www.mcdonough.com/cradle_to_cradle.htm
"This positive agenda can redefine design education. Rather than teaching student architects and designers how to do reduce the impact of their work or meet today's environmental standards, we might inspire them with an altogether different design assignment: Design industrial and architectural systems for the 21st century that
-introduce no hazardous materials into the air, water and soil
-measure prosperity by how much we enhance the positive effects of the human footprint
-measure productivity by how many people are gainfully and meaningfully employed
-measure progress by how many buildings have no smokestacks or dangerous effluents
-do not require regulations whose purpose is to stop us from killing ourselves too quickly
-produce nothing that will require future generations to maintain constant vigilance
-generate more energy than they consume
-make every building a life-support system
-celebrate the abundance of biological and cultural diversity and renewable energy
Students engaging this revolutionary design assignment need to be supported in the classroom. In the 1970s, when green architecture began to emerge in response to the energy crisis, most design students interested in creating solar powered buildings found themselves working with faculty who didn't understand-and didn't want to understand-the principles of ecologically intelligent design. In fact, one of my professors at Yale, an architect well known for his sophisticated modernist designs, went as far as to say that "solar energy had nothing to do with architecture."
http://www.mcdonough.com/writings/21st.htm
"Waste=Food
The new theory of ecologically intelligent design argues that manufacturers' products, when discarded, should either be completely recyclable in the Technosphere or become biodegradable food for the Biosphere. Waste=Food explores this revolutionary "cradle to cradle" (as opposed to "cradle to grave") concept through interviews with its leading proponents, American architect William McDonough and German ecological chemist Michael Braungart. Their ideas are increasingly being embraced by major corporations and governments worldwide, unleashing a new, ecologically-inspired industrial revolution. The film shows how their "intelligent product system," utilizing completely non-toxic and sustainable-production methods, has been adapted by major corporations, visiting a Swiss textile factory, a German clothing manufacturer, the Nike shoe headquarters, a U.S. furniture manufacturer, the Ford Motor Company and a government-housing project in China. The manufacturers discuss the concept of "eco-effectiveness," designing for eco-safety as well as cost efficiency, in their respective industries. Waste=Food also illustrates McDonough's environmentally sound architectural designs, where buildings function like trees, and become part of nature rather than conflict with it, including his designs for Ford's new River Rouge plant, a GreenHouse factory for the Herman Miller company, and a model village in rural China."
http://events.stanford.edu/events/311/31147/
