Cradle to Cradle - Remaking the Way We Make Things
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| Audience/Grade: | College Freshman-Continuing Education |
| Discipline(s): |
Architectural Engineering Chemical, Biochemical, Biomolecular Engineering Design Engineering Management Environmental Engineering Green Design and Sustainable Engineering Industrial Design Mechanical Engineering |
| Special Topic(s): |
Associate Editor's Choice |
| Learning Resource Type: |
Reference - Article/Document |
| Media Type: |
Unknown |
| Author(s): |
Michael Braungart William McDonough |
| Description: | Book with rich online readings and references. "William McDonough's book, written with his colleague, the German chemist Michael Braungart, is a manifesto calling for the transformation of human industry through ecologically intelligent design. Through historical sketches on the roots of the industrial revolution; commentary on science, nature and society; descriptions of key design principles; and compelling examples of innovative products and business strategies already reshaping the marketplace, McDonough and Braungart make the case that an industrial system that "takes, makes and wastes" can become a creator of goods and services that generate ecological, social and economic value. In Cradle to Cradle, McDonough and Braungart argue that the conflict between industry and the environment is not an indictment of commerce but an outgrowth of purely opportunistic design. The design of products and manufacturing systems growing out of the Industrial Revolution reflected the spirit of the day-and yielded a host of unintended yet tragic consequences. Today, with our growing knowledge of the living earth, design can reflect a new spirit. In fact, the authors write, when designers employ the intelligence of natural systems—the effectiveness of nutrient cycling, the abundance of the sun's energy—they can create products, industrial systems, buildings, even regional plans that allow nature and commerce to fruitfully co-exist." |
| Rating: |
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| Related Resources | |
| Keywords: | green design sustainable design sustainable engineering |
| Referenced By: |
Bringing Green Design to the Mainstream |
| Usage Tip | |
| Related ABET Criteria: |
(c) Design a system, component, or process (h) Understand global, economic, environmental, and societal context |
| Use of Resource: |
The book is a bit repetitive, but the message is important. The website contains readings that might be used in a design or green manufacturing class. "Cradle to Cradle maps the lineaments of McDonough and Braungart's new design paradigm, offering practical steps on how to innovate within today's economic environment. Part social history, part green business primer, part design manual, the book makes plain that the re-invention of human industry is not only within our grasp, it is our best hope for a future of sustaining prosperity. In addition to describing the hopeful, nature-inspired design principles that are making industry both prosperous and sustainable, the book itself is a physical symbol of the changes to come. It is printed on a synthetic 'paper,' made from plastic resins and inorganic fillers, designed to look and feel like top quality paper while also being waterproof and rugged. And the book can be easily recycled in localities with systems to collect polypropylene, like that in yogurt containers. This 'treeless' book points the way toward the day when synthetic books, like many other products, can be used, recycled, and used again without losing any material quality?in cradle to cradle cycles." |
| Difficulty: |
Medium |
| Interactivity Level: |
Medium |
| Version Info | |
| Publication Date: | August 2007 |
| Platform/Format: |
WWW |
| Cost: |
Free |
| Download URL: | http://www.mcdonough.com/cradle_to_cradle.htm |
| Metadata: |
IEEE LOM Record |
| Collection: |
CARES
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