let's start designing things with the idea that they will never become waste but will always be reused in some form or another.....................................
......................... shop .................. competitions .............. education ................ interviews ................... snapshots ................... history .......... contemporary
cradle to cradle design trashing the idea of waste ! --- 'cradle to grave' social and economic success are sustainable only if they are compatible with the natural environment. human progress since the industrial revolution has been one big design error. current human technology is a product of 'cradle to grave' design. waste is a product of bad design. this 'cradle to grave' flow relies on brute force (including fossil fuels and large amounts of powerful chemicals). it seeks universal design solutions (one size fits all), overwhelming and ignoring natural and cultural diversity. we pull resources from the earth, shape them into a product, use it, and throw it away. --- the mantra of - reuse, reduce, and recycle - these are measures that only aim to slow the destructive cycle. recycling is often outrageously expensive and so environmentally deleterious that it would be better to put the stuff in a landfill in the first place. recycling is downcycling (reusing a product at a lower quality level, usually because of degradation or contamination by other materials. office paper becomes toilet paper, for instance - an aluminum can has different alloys of aluminum in the can's tops, bottom and inside. recycled, the alloys are melted together, producing a single inferior product...) sometimes the recycling process itself produces additional toxic waste. for example, recycling plastic bottles into that groovy fleece jacket means bringing toxic antimony into contact with your skin. activists see industry as inherently evil and destructive, while industry sees environmentalism as oblivious to the economic and social costs of its demands; but one thing they have in common is the belief that any real change will come at the price of a reduced standard of living (and that is also the opinion of the designboom team). a book proposes a fundamental shift, it's all about how saving the planet can bring economic benefits as well : --- the next industrial revolution in the book 'cradle to cradle,' architect william mc donough and chemist michael braungart have crafted a compelling explanation for why humans need a completely new framework for how we interact with the world around us. the whole point of this book is to show why the usual responses we've developed are useless, and what to do instead. the next industrial revolution is the emerging transformation of human industry from a system that takes, makes, and wastes to one that celebrates natural, economic, and cultural abundance. although their version on the industrial revolution is a kind of propaganda ( they see a world of abundance - 'the glorious industrial revolution produced new wealth and material well being'... but 60 percent of the word's population isn't. the developed world's industrialization was bought at a price, ...the de-industrialization of india, egypt and coastal africa... ) the book offers a good idea: it revolves around the idea that in nature, waste equals food. all products are seen as nutrients within biological (natural) or industrial (technical) metabolisms. the authors envision a world where, when a material item gets worn out, you simply throw it on the ground to decompose. --- 'cradle to cradle' design protocol the 'cradle to cradle' design protocol is founded on the 'intelligent products system' developed by dr. michael braungart and his colleagues at EPEA. in applying the protocol, materials in products are first inventoried and then evaluated according to their characteristics within the desired application, and placed into one of four categories based on human health and environmental relevance criteria. after all chemicals are assessed, the materials in a product application are optimized by positively selecting replacements for chemicals characterized as 'red' - also referred to as 'X-list' chemicals- should be phased out as soon as possible. 'red' chemicals include all known or suspected carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, mutagens, reproductive toxins, and teratogens) and using 'green' chemicals as they are available. climatex® lifecycle(tm) in 1993, William McDonough and Michael Braungart undertook a design assignment to create an attractive and functional fabric that could safely return to the environment at the end of its useful life. MBDC's first project was to develop a collection of compostable fabrics for designtex, a division of steelcase. designtex manufactures commercial seating upholstery, wallcoverings, office panel systems, and window treatments. MBDC analyzed 8000 prospective dyes and chemicals and disqualified all but 38 for use. working with a small swiss fabric mill, they analyzed and reinvented the entire production process. they devised a toxin-free blend of wool and organically grown ramie, a linen-like fiber, in a process so clean that it generates potable wastewater, and the mill turns scrap trimmings into felt which swiss farmers use for mulch in strawberry fields. --- optimists we live in a complex world, and it is absurd to think that every product and production process could be converted to produce similar results overnight. environmentalists' fall into two groups: those who think we are hopelessly enmeshed in an utter catastrophe of our own making and those who think we have the technical know-how to cope with anything we create. mc donough and braungart are definitely among the optimists, at least as far as solid waste is concerned. and their message is appreciated. unlike many environmental advocates, they both acknowledge the difficulties and provide a clear path for reform. they include a framework for eco-effective planning and decision-making so their ideas can be implemented as much as is practically possible at any given time, always with an eye for continued improvement down the road. --- P.S. the book is not made out of paper or printed using a conventional process. the pages of 'cradle to cradle' are made of a plastic from which the ink can be easily washed and captured for reuse. ... an early step towards what the authors hope will be infinitely recyclable synthetic book-making materials. the plastic itself can be reused at the same or a higher level, rather than 'downcycled', which is what a lot of recycling really is. --- prof. dr. michael braungart is professor for process engineering atsenior technical college of northeast lower saxony, germany. braungart developed and, for a number of years, lead the chemistry section of greenpeace germany. dr. braungart works on issues of materials assessment, waste and energy balances, life-cycle design, and designing for dissasembly. dr. braungart's work has been published in numerous journals on science, public affairs, design and environment in europe and the us. http://www.braungart.com --- EPEA braungart founded EPEA in 1987. it is an independent design office and scientific consultancy based in hamburg, germany. EPEA develops for her clients ecologically optimized product concepts. http://www.epea.com --- the hamburger umweltinstitut e.v. dr. braungart also serves as scientific manager of the hamburg environmental institute, which was founded in 1989 for scientific research on environmental solutions. it is a registered, independent, non-profit organization. their goal is to supply the public with a broader disclosure of information so that the public can make choices in terms of better environmental quality of products, services, and corporate performance. the center undertakes most of its scientific work through the volunteer work efforts of scientists. financial donations and support come mostly from individuals, but also from foundations, governments and corporations. http://www.hamburger-umweltinst.org --- MBDC in 1995, together with william mcdonough braungart founded the sustainable product design office MBDC (mc donough braungart design chemistry L.L.C. ) in charlottesville, virginia. they work with major companies that produce shoes, cars, furniture, and fabrics (nike, ford motor, herman miller furniture, design tex respectively). http://www.mbdc.com --- william mcdonough designer, he practices a positive, principled design approach that draws inspiration from living systems and processes to support the creation of community. http://www.mcdonough.com see also http://www.greenmac.com/bioneers/ McDonough --- ------- monthly designboom newsletter ------- ------- ? comments and contact us ? -------	ecology, economy, equity: all equal parts courtesy mcdonoughbraungart design chemistry 'cradle to cradle' sketch courtesy mcdonough braungart design chemistry CRADLE TO CRADLE: REMAKING THE WAY WE MAKE THINGS by william mc donough and michael braungart north point press, 2002 climatex® lifecycle(tm) courtesy mcdonough braungart design chemistry prof. dr. michael braungart william mc donough