cradle to cradle to cradle

William McDonough and Michael Braungart have written a wonderful and inspiring book which I feel makes a lot of realistic suggestions about how to reframe the thought process behind the environmental movement. It is refreshing to read a book about solutions rather than problems. I think that it’s clear that cradle to cradle design is not enough to save the world, but it does reflect the necessary change in thinking that can provide the innovative solutions that will aggregately tip the world into sustainability.

One of the main points in the book was about reprioritizing the system so that economics was no longer the primary goal with environmental standards as extra credit points. They called it the triple top line. They postulate that taking equity, ecology and economy into consideration in equal parts can produce profits in ways that designers never imagined. These designs even come with careful consideration about how aesthetically pleasing something is or how much fun it is to use. By this model, products are no longer designed with a single practical purpose but with a variety of objectives in mind. So many factors are overlooked when the only point of a product is to generate a profit.

The most meaningful section of this book for me is the section about the elegant design of the cherry tree. I think that the reflection on natural design is appropriate and acknowledges that technology isn’t the answer, the answer has always been a part of this world. This part of the book examines how barren the idea of efficiency is and how a product engineered to give back extra can be so rewarding. The concept of making things specifically so that they contribute to, or at least don’t detract from, environmental standards is brilliant and simple, yet also easily overlooked.

I don’t believe that the solutions offered in this book are enough to stop environmental damage or make up for what has already been done, but I do think that the points offered are incredibly valuable. Though depressing at first, I think I will ultimately remember this book in a positive light.