“Design something that makes oxygen, sequesters carbon, fixes nitrogen, distills water, accrues solar energy as fuel, makes complex sugars and food, creates microclimates, changes colors with the seasons and self-replicates. Well, why don’t we knock that down and write on it?”
These are the words of William McDonough author of “Cradle to Cradle“, taken from his Ted talk below on the elegance of a tree and the Cradle to Cradle design concepts. I have had a chance to pick up the book over last summer and I can tell you that it has made a profound impact on me.
Cradle to Cradle as opposed to Cradle to Grave outlines the difference in design between the products and service that we as humans have decided to develop over the past fifty or so years, versus the products and services that nature designs. It has a powerful call to action for us to revise our designs to be more harmonious with nature. It advocates checking in with our intention as a species and our plans for the future generations before developing our next products and services.
Here’s the Ted Talk by William McDonough. Enjoy!
ticsnow 