About this title: A manifesto for a radically different philosophy and practice of manufacture and environmentalism "Reduce, reuse, recycle" urge environmentalists; in other words, do more with less in order to minimize damage. As William McDonough and Michael Braungart argue in their provocative, visionary book, however, this approach perpetuates a one-way, ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: VINTAGE
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780099535478ISBN:0099535475
Description: New. Challenges the way environmentalists want us to 'reduce, recyle and reuse', arguing that it is the production of products that needs to change, not the products themselves. read more
Description: New. Please note that deliveries to addresses in the UK and Europe will be in 4-14 business days. Other countries should refer to Alibris standard times. ISBN10: 0099535475. read more
Binding: MP3 CD
Publisher: Tantor Media
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9781400157617ISBN:1400157617
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Jonathan Cape Ltd
Date Published: 06/11/2008
ISBN-13:9780224087865ISBN:022408786X
Description: Used-Good. Book in good or better condition. Dispatched same day from warehouse. Please email with any questions for quick response. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: North Point Press
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780865475878ISBN:0865475873
Description: Good. All books are carefully looked over before shipping to ensure you receive the promised condition of your book. Standard orders will be shipped via USPS media mail. Expedited orders will be shipped via USPS priority mail. Please email us with questions. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Jonathan Cape Ltd
Date Published: 06/11/2008
ISBN-13:9780224087865ISBN:022408786X
Description: Used-Good. Book in good or better condition. Dispatched same day from warehouse. Please email with any questions for quick response. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: North Point Press
Date Published: 2002-04-22
ISBN-13:9780865475878ISBN:0865475873
Description: Very Good. Cover shows some shelf wear or creases. No highlighting or underlining. Remainder mark on top and bottom page edges. Go Green! read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: North Point Press
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780865475878ISBN:0865475873
Description: New. No dust jacket as issued. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 208 p. Audience: General/trade. Brand New! No Marks! Fast Shipping! Satisfaction Guaranteed! read more
"Amazing book. Here are some key points that I found interesting:
- Before the Industrial Revolution, there was no such thing as waste. - Universal design solutions are not as good as diverse, place-specific ones. - Everyday products are often toxic. - Instead of trying to be "less bad," environmentalists should try to be only good. - Growth doesn't have to have negative consequences. - The majority of products are designed with only one life cycle in mind; they should be designed for all of their life cycles. - Recycling often results in inferior or weaker material, particularly when more than one material is in what's being recycled. - Waste should be food, either for industrial or biological cycles. - Economy, ecology and equity should all be considerations. - The product you end up with after this may not be the same as the one you were initially working with.
The authors are not hippies or crazies; they have worked with the mayor of Chicago and Ford, among many others."
"Pie-in-the sky book on sustainability- good read and presents important concepts, but the authors are completely uncritical of their case studies and present a flimsy roadmap of how to make their vision a reality.
To concept of cradle-to-cradle certainly is appealing, but the author's own attempt to implement this concept through the very unique construction of the book is unconvincing. Sure, this book can be probably be truly recycled or even "up-cycled", but if I were to throw this book away, how can I be sure my waste management company would dispose of it properly? There are no instructions on this book on how to dispose of it properly. The right systems are not in place.
Of course, the authors intent in writing/creating this book is to help us get to that world- but I'd like to see some more practical writing on this. Write a follow-up book and give us a roadmap. Acknowledge the failures and shortcomings of their own examples, for Pete's sake. They devote pages lauding Ford's efforts in making their Dearborn factory more sustainable while ignoring the fact that the company should have focused their efforts on re-designing their cars.
To get a better comprehensive approach towards sustainability, one should read this book in conjunction with Getting Green Done and Green To Gold (among others)."
"This book constitutes an entirely new vision of how to conceive of design so that it encompasses the afterlife or "upcycling" of a product. Braungart divides industry into two categories, technical nutrients and biological nutrients. Technical nutrients are materials that can be returned to the technical cycle, and safely reused. Biological nutrients are materials that can be returned to the biological cycle, and naturally broken down.
So much of our industrial design is under the premise of "cradle to grave" inventions, that is, items that are made to fulfill their purpose for a period of time and then they become burdens of waste, i.e. we have to pay to have it dumped, burned, or "put out" in any other conceivable way. The problem with this is that our landfills are full of a large amount of technical and biological nutrients, that when mixed together, aren't valuable on either end of the scale. This book holds a vision for a modern world that "upcycles" such that "waste equals food" on all accounts.
Beyond this primary issue this text also, by citing personal examples, seeks to showcase new business environments, workplaces, and methods for achieving financial goals that begin with the questions of biological prudence and end with a stronger life span for the companies themselves. This is included but not limited to, making "buildings" more like organisms that respond, adapt with, and contribute to the ecological make-up of its surroundings. The idea of making a building like a tree that nourishes the soil, provides habitat for local species, and integrates the fauna of its surroundings seems largely unconventional, but Braungart found that after having designed a company that way, with large naturally lit indoor spaces, grass roofs that cool in the summer and retain heat in the winter, are not only economically sound investments, but statements for the true symbiosis of industry with ecology. The largely positive upswing of such an approach is that "industrial buildings" need no longer be equated with "cultural eye sores." On top of this the guilt which usually accompanies working for or purchasing from a company that doesn't heed the ecological red flags of today are replaced with a genuine sense of purpose both within one's natural environment/local community and throughout the materially globalized world.
As well as being a theoretical weigh-station for the innovative design of tomorrow, Cradle to Cradle is also a prototype, "This book is not a tree. It is printed on synthetic "paper" and bound into a book format developed by innovative book packager Charles Melcher of Melcher Media. Unlike the paper with which we are familiar, it does not use any wood pulp or cotton fiber but is made from plastic resins and inorganic fillers. This material is not only waterproof, extremely durable, and (in many localities) recyclable by conventional means; it is also a prototype for the book as a "technical nutrient," that is, as a product that can be broken down and circulated infinitely in industrial cycles - made and remade as "paper" or other products." (pg.5 - Chapter 1 - This Book is not a Tree).
Although a hefty price, I wholehearted recommend this informative piece of literature that reads more like a manifesto than a lab report. Anyone interested in furthering their wisdom on the chemical products around us and in our daily lives that effect our health and ultimately will effect the health of many generations to come, and want to see the 'telescoping of tomorrow' for how we can cope with this as a species should take this opportunity to buy this book, read it, and tell a friend about it, especially if their friend has connections in Architecture, Design, Industry, and Business or Economics.
A fun read! Not dry at all. Plus you can take in the bathtub!"
"Yeah...so concern for the environment and industrial progress don't have to be mutually exclusive. Who knew? And this book provides concrete examples of how both can be accomplished.
I am particularly interested in the idea of living buildings and "rented" technology that can be owned by the manufacturer (and thus returned and reused in a new incarnation) with the end user paying for the use of the good rather than the physical product.
Their fascination with being able to simply toss packaging and goods to the ground when they've outlived their current use (even going so far as fantasizing about planting "please litter" signs around the landscape) is just weird. I can appreciate the ultimate goal of biodegradable EVERYTHING but can we please contain the "waste" in a designated spot to make it easier to capture the re-usefulness?
Parts of the book got bogged down by the science but the real life examples of some of their work (Herman Miller and Ford as examples) were really interesting."
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