Cradle to Cradle

The Authors of Cradle to Cradle make a number of fascinating arguments in their book. Their premise that the way in which industrialized society manufactures and consumes products is out of balance with nature and harmful to humans is well supported. More interestingly than their diagnosis of the problem however is their prescription to solve it. Instead of a traditional environmental approach that advocates for people to use less and by extension enjoy the things they like less, the authors argue that simply being less bad is not enough to solve our environmental problems.

They say that human beings can be a force for good and ecological renewal on our planet if we change the way we design and use things. I found their example of ants having a larger total biomass than humans and being a net benefit for ecosystems by enriching soil quality to be very interesting. If humans could help enhance biodiversity instead of harming it, our world would be fundamentally different. I think this fresh perspective for advocating things to be better instead of just ‘less bad’ is at the very least a far superior message from a PR standpoint for the environmental movement. While putting these ideas into action seems difficult, it seems more hopeful to see the new SIS building as a real life example of McDonough’s work to construct a building that is sustainable, functional, and beautiful. While only time will tell what the best approach to solve our environmental crisis is, the author’s insights into getting rid of the harmful chemicals in everyday materials and building things with common sense and eco effectiveness in mind is a step in the right direction.