Environmentally sensitive manufacturing | Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things

Reuse, reuse, reuse | Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things | William McDonough, Michael Braungart

books:


	• Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things William McDonough, Michael Braungart North Point Press, 2002 - 208 pages average customer review:based on 166 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

A surprising new paradigm

This book came as a surprise to me: the authors paint a very different picture of environmentalism. It is so radical that I think I would have thought it a bit loopy if it weren't for the examples they give where they have put the principles into practice.

Wasting less, polluting less, using up resources more slowly -- that's not the answer, they say. The answer is to find a way to become part of a cycle in which the "waste" products are no longer wastes at all, but rather inputs to the process. This is of course what nature has done all along, and everything was roses until humans came along and started creating their own processes that are not cyclic.

It's a bold vision made tantalizingly real by stories of how the authors have collaborated with various companies to to do just this sort of thing, or at least to take significant steps in that direction. It's quite impressive, really.

The book is well written and requires no special background in environmental issues, manufacturing technique, or the like. It could be read by an average high school student. Interestingly, the book itself is an actual example of the kind of paradigm shift they advocate: it is, at least in principle, reusable. The ink, which is non-toxic, can easily be removed and the pages printed on again.

I do have some skepticism, though. First, on principle, I do still think that unchecked population growth is a problem, and no amount of trying to make manufacturing processes cyclic can change that. These techniques would certainly allow the planet to support a greater population than it could otherwise, but the growth is still a key problem.

Second, in spite of their successes I wonder to what extent we could actually do what they are suggesting. Nature does it, yes, but that is because all of the myriad life forms on the planet evolved together, constantly influencing and being influenced by each other. Is trying to fit some new process, something that must support manufacturing on a huge scale (think cars) into that, possible in general? I'm sure it can be done sometimes -- and I'm all for doing that! -- but is it really a scalable solution?

And is it really, in general, economically feasible? Yes, some forward-thinking companies have found ways to fit in better with nature and save money at the same time. That's wonderful! That doesn't mean, though, that it can always be done. If it costs 20% more to fit in better with nature, then what? Who pays that cost?

And the book itself -- it's very cool, really. The print is beautiful on the nice cream-colored pages, and I love the rounded corners (I wish all books had rounded corners!). But it's awfully heavy, and quite thick for the number of pages in it. I think if all of my books were like this, I'd need another bookshelf -- a sturdy one! And I can't imagine my son taking a backpack full of such textbooks to college. It's an interesting example -- really! -- but not a flawless one.

The book is definitely worth a read. It's a beautiful vision, and I am quite impressed with the authors. I hope my skepticism is misplaced. I especially hope that young people with an awareness of environmental issues will read this book; it may inspire them, as they go out in the world and help create new processes, to do something better.

for more information click here

Environmentally sensitive manufacturing

Cradle to Cradle describes the harmful environmental impact caused by the manufacture and packaging of goods. While we may calculate the cost of raw materials to make a product, we do not include the "cost"/harm to the environment. We do not choose environmentally friendly materials to make products. We do not factor in the permanent loss of those materials when the products are down cycled and end up in landfills. We ignore the wasteful and impactful packaging of products as well. Cradle to Cradle challenges us to consider all costs and impacts involved when designing, manufacturing and packaging products.

The authors walk the talk by using a non-paper substance for the book's pages that outlast the pages of paper books and can be recycled into other books (not down cycled or discarded). Take this book to the beach; it's waterproof!

The authors make for a powerful partnership William McDonough brings his chemistry background to the subject. Of the tens of thousands of chemicals available, which ones are environmentally friendly? Which ones can be reclaimed and used over and over with minimum down cycling? Michael Braungart is an architect. In The Answer to How is Yes author Peter Block suggests that leaders should pattern themselves after architects (not engineers or economists) who must balance artistic beauty and real world constraints (engineering and financial) in their work. The artistic element keeps the engineer and bean counter from dominating the process, causing unbridled harm. Following the advice of their book, we could begin to use products that were truly elegant - products that would evade birth to death cycles by being suitable for birth to rebirth cycles.

Cradle to Cradle is an important book which condemns current practices while stimulating one's imagination and hope for the future.

--Jack Bender, author of Disregarded: Transforming the School and Workplace Through Deep Respect and Courage
[ASIN:0977827275]

for more information click here

Reuse, reuse, reuse

Reuse, reduce, recycle, has been societies' motto for dealing with environmental problems. However, as it is well known, it has not helped. Authors McDonough and Braungart present a new theory behind this. They tell us to reconsider the radle to cradle motif in life, where products turn to trash as soon as they are manufactured, to a cradle to cradle life. This means that when a product is created it will not end up in a landfill, or incinerator, but rather they will return to the cradle from which they were once made, only to be reused again, and again.

According to McDonough and Brungart , about 90% of the materials created in the USA will become obsolete right after they are manufactured. These products, such as plastic bottles, or styrofoam, will not degrade and will only keep adding to the already overwhelmingly large toxic landscape created by consumer goods. Because the earth is not able to safely absorb the toxic wastes, the authors encourage us to create products that are not only biodegradable but also work as nutrients that benefit the earth's different systems. For example, hydrogen powered cars will be extremely beneficial relative to our current transportation system. Their emissions will go from being CO2, to H2O.

The book itself puts their theories to use. It is created with a special synthetic paper that is waterproof and can be recycled indefinitely for the creation of other books, thus reducing deforestation, along with other factors associated with the recycling of paper.

Also, the authors refer to two main ways of life: downcyling, which presents what would happen if the problem is not fixed, and upcycling, which would reuse every single material, therefore not allowing it to turned into another toxic waste pile. They want to revolutionize the entire design of products, so that from the very beginning each material used will be utilized in ca clean manner and be able to be reused continuously. They pose the problem that many industries do not want to go back to the drawing board because of the massive amount of expense that would cause.

The book itself is a very easy read, one that is informative to all educational levels. The only negative aspect that I can think of is its weight, because it is made from the synthetic material, it is quite a heavy book for its size.

All in all this book presents the idea of intelligent design, where the world should not see valuable raw materials sent to their graves through the use of ill design and manufacturing, but rather have them be intelligently created for an everlasting product thus making waste virtually nonexistent.

for more information click here

Very informative, attempts a capitalistic/environmental balance

The physical attributes of the book are very intriguing, along with the idea behind it, which is explained in the chapters. As for the contents: Thought provoking. The beginning is a bit grime (all the better to grab attention with) but improves upon further reading.

There is not a lot of 'fluff' to this book. It is very straight forward and easy to read, despite it's material makeup. It appears to have sound theories with a reasonable collection of examples. Although, it does leave the reader in want of further explanations and case studies. It's also best read with an open mind.

for more information click here

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.

for more information click here