Bett Edwin

William McDonough and Michael Braungart’s book “Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things” presents an alternate view to the industrial design of cradle to grave where materials are extracted, manufactured, used, and disposed of. Rather, the book introduces a new design model termed “cradle to cradle” whereby upon the end of the products’ useful life, they are disposed of but are rather used as input for new products (McDonough and Braungart 93). I believe that the book is a visionary one that seeks industrial re-revolution as the authors have proposed using history, stories, and examples. After reading this book, I hold the same opinion as the authors that there is a possibility for humans to design products and systems which celebrate the surplus creativity, culture, and productivity of human beings in a manner that demonstrates intelligence. The authors offer a historical perspective of design and insights of ills of cradle to grave. I like the position of the authors where they challenge the common idea that reducing, reusing, and recycling is a good practice. The author’s argument that being less bad is not equivalent to doing good presents an opportunity to rethink their practices. All designers should be guided by the idea of this book that there is a need to re-imagine product, how they are made, and what they will be in future and go above eco-friendly practices to eco-efficiency. Architects and designers should challenge the concept of waste just as the authors say “waste equals food”. In product design, it is a must to put into practice the “triple bottom line” that considers ecological, economical, and equity elements to demonstrate respect for diversity. What I like about the book is that the authors offer a practical example in Ford Motor Company to demonstrate how eco-effectiveness can be put into practice. This means that all designers and architects should move from just talking to taking action. After reading this book, my question is, how can less affluent societies create eco-effective systems? How can we make designs that addresses social inequality? Is there a possibility of a future where buildings will generate oxygen?