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MAKEOVER
Can one be pro business and manufacturing and still be an
environmentalist? That is one of the questions answered in Cradle
to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things (North Point Press,
2002), by chemist William McOonough and architect Michael
Braungart. The authors argue that environmentalists can embrace
industry. They also debunk the idea that all manufacturing is in
herently damaging to the Earth.
McDonough and Braungart main
tain that science and technology
can be a friend to industry and the
environment. Cradle to Cradle of
fers a new approach to everything
from factory design to littering.
The surprise is that not only does
the environment profit from this
approach, so do the manufacturing
companies.
McDonough is suggesting we
redefine consumerism. You can't
consume a TV or any electronic
appliance. He wants us to look at
these as “service" items. These
items use huge amounts of expen
sive heavy metals and chemicals
to manufacture. When we are done wi;h them, they are placed in
a landfill and all the expensive materials are wasted. McDonough
argues for placing these "service" items in a closed system, where
the components would be viewed as technical nutrients. These
nutrients would be reused (not recycled). They would be harvested
from reclaimed hardware. Rather than purchasing a television, you
would lease it, and when it came time to upgrade, you would return
the old one for a new modeL The old item would have its "techni
cal nutrients" harvested and the new appliance could be enjoyed
guilt free. In this way, one could consume without creating waste.
The only byproduct would be an improved economy. Factory workers
would benefit by continued employment; companies would benefit
through increased profit margins. Guilt-free consumers would stimu
late the economy while protecting the environment.
Cradle to Cradle does not attempt to re-train the human race;
rather it outlines ways we can benefit from human nature, by look
ing to nature. A tree creates more energy than it uses; it filters
water and provides for other organisms. Why can't our homes and
offices do the same thing? This book offers ideas on how to rede
sign our most polluting factories using nature's factories—trees—
as a model.
This book characterizes textile production as one of the most
polluting industries. McDonough and Braungart designed a textile
factory where the effluent from the factory is cleaner than the
water entering the factory from the municipal source. This factory
is actually acting as a filter and purifying the water it uses, thus
enabling the factory to reuse the water again and again.
Cradle to Cradle examines not only our industry, but our actiDio
as well. In China, littering is a major problem. There is not a reli
able infrastructure for the removal of paper waste. The countryside
is littered with cups, bowls and other non-degradable litter: mak
ing the land a constantly shifting sea of trash. China also has a
problem with soil erosion. Cradle to Cradle argues for using one
weakness as a solution for another. McDonough suggests, rather
than retraining littering humans, use them to amend soil erosion.
He proposes using rice straw, currently a waste product of farm- .
ing, to manufacture disposable cups, plates, etc. He also suggests
embedding nutrients and seeds in these products. When humans
litter they will be enriching the soil as the titter quickly decom
poses, encouraging the growth of native plants. The environment
thus benefits from a human flaw, rather than being damaged by
the same flaw.
Cradle to Cradle even offers a redesign on books. McDonough's
and Braungart's book is printed on a special material that is water
proof, does not tear and could be reused easily. If the book were
boiled, the ink wouid come off, and a new book could be printed
in its place. Now, for bibliophiles this may not sound very appeal
ing, but think of school text books being printed on this material
or other texts that have similar ephemeral value. We could cut
down on waste and on the need for pulp-based materials.
McDonough is asking the reader to look at the Earth as a closed
system, comparing us to a fish in a small bowl. What we release in
the form of stored energy (oil) remains in the system. This energy
can cause climate change and other disasters. Our current direc
tion has motivated us to invade rather than innovate. Cradle to
Cradle offers suggestions on how to replace our reliance on oil and
coal with new technologies. If the United States were to spend
a portion of the over $400 billion spent on weapons annually on
innovation, we could be leading a new industrial revolution; one
where the environment does not lose.
Christian Orobello
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