Relevance: Cradle to Cradle
by William McDonough and Michael Braungart
I was reading over the Cradle to Cradle quotes and the one about human
creativity really struck a chord with me because I was just thinking
about this concept the other day- "We see a world of abundance, not
limits. In the midst of a great deal of talk about reducing the human
ecological footprint, we offer a different vision. What if humans
designed products and systems that celebrate an abundance of human
creativity, culture, and productivity?" In an earlier email I mentioned
the greenhouse gas inventory that we're working on here, and part of the
project entails listing the categories in which we need to set long-term
goals for sustainability. So this past Thursday, we were racking our
brains trying to think of ways to close the waste loop on campus, and it
struck me that human ingenuity has got to be one of the most crucial
components of this project. How many times do we just throw something
with potential importance into the trashcan because we don't have any
use for it in its current state? That has got to be one of the most
uncreative acts that we perform on a daily basis. I think that we often
underestimate our own resourcefulness. Anyway, I think the Cradle to
Cradle book might be able to help generate ideas for our campus
sustainability project in addition to preparing me for the internship.
I like the idea of preparation, preparing for the transition that is to
come- that is from consumption to sustainability. I was talking to a
friend the other day who told me that he believes all this talk about
climate change is just a government scheme, and their true motive is to
enact a carbon tax. I don't always know how to react to the deniers,
especially now that the cold, hard facts are no longer being disputed by
scientists. So I use the argument that cannot be negated, which is that
even if you don't believe in climate change, you can't deny that the
natural resources that are single-handedly fueling our society are
finite. This is where the argument for preparation can be so handy in
convincing the skeptics that it is time to change our ways. The day will
come when our resources are exhausted and we need to have well-developed
infrastructure so that our systems do not collapse. I think we need to
convey that message better to the ones who are thinking unidimensionally
about a carbon tax.
Notes From Windward - Index - Vol. 67
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