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Cradle to Cradle

For years, conventional wisdom has told us that environmentally friendly work practices are more expensive, less efficient, and just not good business—so much so that large companies are famous for trying to find loopholes in environmental regulations. Many believe that waste and pollution are a necessary part of the productivity of an industrialized nation. This does not have to be true, says William McDonough. McDonough is the co-author of the book Cradle to Cradle, founder of the Institute for Sustainable Design, recipient of the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development, and co-founder (with Dr. Michael Braungart) of McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, LLC (MBDC). MBDC was founded in 1995 and is a product and design firm that is leading the way for what McDonough and Braungart call the "Next Industrial Revolution." They do this primarily through the design philosophy called Cradle to Cradle Design™--the philosophy discussed in his book of the same title.

The Cradle to Cradle philosophy rejects the practices of the industrial revolution, such as producing huge amounts of dangerous waste and toxic material, burying waste in landfills, using up natural resources, and hurting the planet and its ecosystems. Instead, McDonough and his colleagues seek to design things that are based on nature. These products and practices are self-sustaining, and totally eliminate "waste" as we know it. In McDonough's perfect world, a factory would behave like a tree: it would produce more energy than it consumed and produce purer water than it took in. Additionally, products would fall into two categories. The first type of product would be made only of natural substances and would be as biodegradable as a banana peel or a tree branch. Imagine a T-shirt that when you're done with it, can be tossed on the ground to become food for plants and animals. The second type of product would be made of synthetic materials (plastics, polymers, glass, silicon) that could be reused over and over again as raw materials for something else. Instead of trying to reduce waste, waste would be used to fuel a new design or product.

In an interview with the Environmental News Network, McDonough talks about this theory he calls "eco-effectiveness." He disagrees with the current accepted practices of reducing waste (if the waste is bad, who cares if there's a lot or a little?), but instead tries to increase the value of byproducts (a byproduct is something that is produced when something else is made) so that they can be constantly reused. For instance, he says:
"The current system, 'eco-efficiency,' says have a shower head that spits out the minimum amount of water, and go ahead and feel good about yourself even though you're not comfortable and you're not happy and you're not celebrating in the abundance of solar energy and clean water."
"Our system, 'eco-effectiveness,' says, let's celebrate in the abundance of the world. Go ahead and have a long, hot shower as long as it's solar-powered and you're putting the water back cleaner than you found it." "We design buildings every day that make more energy than they use. So, we say, celebrate that abundance!"

Why not use water, he says, if the water that we use comes out cleaner than when we started? Does it sound like a fantasy? Well McDonough is already turning his ideas into reality. His architectural design business, McDonough + Partners, has already implemented his strategy at Ford's River Rouge Factory. The project, which will be completed over the next 20 years, will include the world's largest living roof (a roof covered with 500,000 square feet of a plant called sedum) which will lower energy costs by keeping the roof cool. The factory will also include skylights and giant windows to provide natural light, thereby reducing electricity costs. Acres of wetlands and swales will surround the factory in order to naturally filter rainwater. Finally, the factory will use renewable energy sources such as solar cells and fuel cells. What McDonough and his colleagues have conceived is a design that will please both environmentalists and capitalists alike.

Cynics may grumble that that such eco-friendliness can't be economically sound. Yet MBDC assures that Cradle to Cradle design helps companies save money. In addition to increasing a company's competitive edge by differentiating their products (making them stand out against the competitors products), companies also reduce the risk of environmental lawsuits and accidents by making the working environment friendlier for employees and neighbors (including humans, plants, and animals). By increasing efficiency and eliminating the management of dangerous materials and toxins which are the product of many manufacturing cycles, companies cut costs. In the words of Bill Ford Jr., Ford Motor Company Chairman of the Board, "This is not environmental philanthropy; it is sound business, which, for the first time, balances the business needs of…manufacturing with ecological and social concerns…We view this as an important reinvestment in our employees, our hometown, and an American icon of the twentieth century."

Make way for the new industrial revolution.

Scanning to Complete Common Phrases

Learn some common phrases that will expand your vocabulary and help you to read the article. Scan for the words to complete the following phrases and fill in the blanks. (The phrases are given in the same order as they appear in the article.)


1		starting out as one of the first to act: leading the


2		in a form with which we are familiar: as we (2 words)


3		substances which are not processed or treated and can be made into something else: materials


4		energy that comes from the sun: energy


5		to continue doing: go


6		to bring a thought into existence: turning an into


7		the amount of money spent on electricity, heating, etc.: energy


8		an advantage over other companies and products: competitive


9		to reduce the amount of money spent: costs


10		to give room for; to move aside: way

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