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.
Paper or plastic? Neither, say William McDonough and Michael Braungart. Why settle for the least harmful alternative when we could have something that is better--say, edible grocery bags! In Cradle to Cradle, the authors present a manifesto calling for a new industrial revolution, one that would render both traditional manufacturing and traditional environmentalism obsolete. Recycling, for instance, is actually "downcycling," creating hybrids of biological and technical "nutrients" which are then unrecoverable and unusable. The authors, an architect and a chemist, want to eliminate the concept of waste altogether, while preserving commerce and allowing for human nature. They offer several compelling examples of corporations that are not just doing less harm--they're actually doing some good for the environment and their neighborhoods, and making more money in the process. Cradle to Cradle is a refreshing change from the intractable environmental conflicts that dominate headlines. It's a handbook for 21st-century innovation and should be required reading for business hotshots and environmental activists. --Therese Littleton
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Environmentalism book made of plastic??!!:
The only pleasant thing I found about this book: I didn't pay for it. As a concerned but casual environmentalist, I borrowed this one from the library and am very glad I did. I was expecting a landmark book about upcycling and the methodology by which industry might design products that can be fully (and endlessly) recycled into other things. In truth, this IS the premise of the book. But I found the authors completely unconvincing. I could never get past their hollow argument that this book -- which is... more info
Visionaries!:
McDonough & Baumgarten have re-envisioned how companies might redesign their manufacturing processes to actually leave the environment better than they found it. And create better products in the end, products that people will want to buy because they are well-designed. What I love about this book is that their vision is mostly a PRIVATE sector solution. They believe that business is the solution, not the problem. They say entrepreneurs are the ones best suited to develop creative solutions to... more info
excellent, even oustanding:
Great book, in perfect condition and as I saw on screen that s how i received at home.
Seeing ourselves as all being part of the great cradle to cradle cycle is an important step forward.:
For those to are ecologically minded, a key part of creating any new product is to produce a life cycle assessment (LCA), which is also known as a cradle-to-grave analysis, working from manufacture (`cradle') to use and disposal (`grave'). The LCA investigates all of the environmental impacts of that product and attempts to minimise that damage. One of the key premises of McDonough & Brangart's book, is that minimising damage just isn't good enough. Instead, the authors propose that we change our entire... more info
