william mcdonough - green guru gone wrong

 

for those who passionately wanted to see william mcdonough's
waste-free philosophy take root ... the truth is far more complicated.
mcdonough's design revolution is paralyzed and he is the paralyzing
agent, unable to capitalize on his brilliant, crucial idea, but unwilling to set it free.

among the only 160 certifications his materials firm MBDC
was able to issue, virtually the only consumer brands are the U.S. postal service
and Kiehl's (the latter of which brad pitt helped push through as a charity
product for his foundation). critics argue that mcdonough's work is not transparent
or consensus based, and that because he sometimes consults for companies
whose products he's also certifying, the whole endeavor is conflicted,
if not unethical.
read the 9-pages-article 'the mortal messiah' on fast company
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/130/the-mortal-messiah.html

designboom featured a review on the 'cradle to cradle' book in february 2003
http://www.designboom.com/eng/funclub/cradle.html
the essay is written with his colleague, the german chemist michael braungart,
and is a manifesto calling for the transformation of human industry
through 'ecologically intelligent design'.