Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough & Michael Braungart

Cradle to Cradle
by William McDonough & Michael Braungart

Cradle to Cradle is a book that will fascinate you even before you open it up. Written by William McDonough & Michael Braungart and published by Melcher Media in 2002 , this is no ordinary book. Cradle to Cradle is a demonstrable example of its core message, promoting a renaissance of design science that is changing the way we live toward the farther reaches of sustainability and living in kinship with nature. The authors and publisher want you to know that "this book is not a tree." Instead of using "wood pulp and cotton fiber," which taxes natural systems, the pages are "made from plastic resins and inorganic fillers." The result is a book that is waterproof, durable and "a prototype for the book as a technical nutrient, that is, a product that can be broken down and circulated infinitely in industrial cycles --made and remade as paper or other products." This design experiment with one of humankind's most treasured objects, is among many that McDonough and Braungart celebrate as harbingers of the "Next Industrial Revolution."
For McDonough, this revolution is guided by the question, "How can we humans, live in a way that protects all the children of all species for all time?" This uberaltruistic ideal is grounded by his work with corporate giants such as Nike, Herman Miller, Gap, Designtex and Ford Motor Company. His work with Braungart is grounded in the notion that "design is a signal of intention" and asks the question, "what is the very best that designers can intend?" McDonough and Braungart also coauthored the The Hannover Principles in 1991. These principles celebrate the concept of designing "products and systems that celebrate an abundance of human creativity, culture and productivity," and attempts to show how "nature doesn't have a design problem-people do. "
I believe this book to be an inspiring and refreshing answer to the dynamic tension that exists between proponents of commerce and the environment, conservatives and liberals, government and business among today's opponents of progress toward the idea of better living through recognition and alignment with nature's laws. It belongs in the library of any interdisciplinary thinker.

"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."