A while back I blogged about the book Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough and Michael Braungart. At the time I was of course singing the praises of this book and I still am. The difference is that I have actually finished the book now. I had been procrastinating over the last 2 chapters for a while, and just got to them recently. This book truly is a must read and is why I am writing about it yet again!
 I must say that while I had found the book interesting for the first couple of chapters, I hadn’t found it inspiring. It seemed to me that it was simply another novel harping on all that we were doing wrong. Even the recycling or environmental programs that people have produced were simply failures, only prolonging the inevitable decline of our world . A decline that we are responsible for. It is rather depressing to read this, especially as a designer. It strengthens my guilt in designing a beautiful room - even if they are sustainable materials - knowing that I am actually contributing to the horrible ominous conclusion….Who wants to read that?
 

But as you continue, the next couple of chapters stops the berating and helps bring in the possible solutions. As I stated before, the authors hold us responsible for the products that we consume from the purchase to its destruction. Thinking green begins with the creation of the product in question. Right from the beginning, we need to think of its final destination. Why create to infiltrate nature or the environment, why not design to include it and use its resources?

The last few chapters presented yet another different light. Through examples and parallels with nature I can see a connection to design and the environment that I hadn’t seen before. While the first few chapters were a bright and scorching truth, the last few have been a natural salve to the problem. Keep biological waste and technical waste separate so that they might actually be of use in their next step of cycle was one of the suggestions….seems rather simple don’t you think?
There is an analogy of a cherry tree. It creates millions of blossoms, knowing only a few will seed and yet we don’t associate any of the extra blossoms as waste. We know them to be beautiful and the excess will simply provide nutrients for the soil. Why cant we design in this ecco- efficient manner? Why do we associate abundance of unused product as waste? Most likely because it does not give back to the world if unused. Imagine if everything made had an alternate destiny, won that was fruitful to the environment or nutrients. Would we see waste the same way?

I have all of these ideas buzzing in my head now about what designs can be beautiful, functional, and have another special use to the environment. Through these last few chapters I feel that the authors are not berating us for only recycling, they are challenging the world to create things that don’t need to be recycled at all! Create and design so that every detail of the construction was planed to not only be beautiful in its function, but to have a part in the world that created it. A continuous cycle - life - design - rebirth.
Is it a huge plan? Yes. But it has to start somewhere. How about with you?