This morning, I went to have a coffee with one of my friends who is a documentary filmmaker. She spoke to me about a book that was made into a documentary called Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way we Make Things . I had heard of the book, but as she was talking about her own fascination with the ideas portrayed in it, I became more and more interested myself.
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way we Make things was written by an architect by the name of William McDonough with the help of a chemist named Michael Braungart. The book suggests ways of creating products and services based on patterns found in nature, eliminating the concept of waste entirely and prioritizing health and sustainability.
It takes inspiration from nature, in which there is never any waste. The rotten apple feeds the earth which in turn will help produce more apples. For the two authors, our long-term prosperity depends on the ability of our industries to find ways to maintain materials in "closed loops" as is found in nature, maximizing material value without damaging ecosystems. They draw up real ways of doing it, by giving practical advice.
We all know that we need to take care of the environment. What I find interesting with McDonough's approach is that he doesn't bash the industries that pollute, he suggests constructive ways of implementing positive change without losing sight of the bottom line, which is always money.
McDonough has been involved and active in trying to better the environment since the nineties. He has been named "Hero of the Planet" in 1999 and "Hero of the Environment" in 2007 by Time magazine. He's won a great amount of prizes underlining his innovative approach to sustainability. In that sense, he definitely serves as an inspiration and reminds us that to take care of our world, we all need to start thinking outside of the box and use our creativity.
Here is a link to a TED talk given by WIlliam McDonough:
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