Cradle to Cradle

The theme of Cradle to Cradle is the rethinking of the way our entire industrial economy functions. The authors imagine a future in which every product, from packaging to cities full of buildings, operate in a way that is in harmony with natural processes and significantly reduces degrading anthropogenic effects on the environment. While this revolution would require many changes in the way our economy is organized, they authors do present a world that allows for sustainable industrialization and overall maintenance of modern living standards. Along these lines, the authors take great care to highlight the side effects of every step in an industrial product's lifespan, from manufacturing to use and eventually waste. These are consequences that engineers rarely consider though they are imperative when considering human and ecological health.

I greatly respect the authors' point of view laid out in Cradle to Cradle. I feel that critiques of the contemporary state of human civilization with respect to the economy and the environment are excessively antagonistic and fail to advance realistic alternatives. Instead, the authors carefully criticize the modern economy and proceed to show how the system could be reformed to adequately provide for humans while simultaneously protecting and even enhancing natural environments. While drastic action is certainly needed, the new modes of design put forth in the book are viable suggestions that could have a positive impact on the human condition.

The manner in which the authors propose their changes is also admirable. Instead of seeking to shutout entrenched corporations and go about wrecking the industrialized economy we all have come to know, the authors propose working with a diversity of actors. Such an inclusive approach is more likely to succeed and though it may not stir the passion of activists, it is the only way anything actually gets accomplished. The experiences detailed in the book offer ample support for this assertion.

On a more personal level, I feel the authors provided a very rational point of view based on sound research and thought. Too often, I have heard critiques of modern society and its environmental degradation by people who need to have the latest Apple product or other industrial product. The authors avoid this hypocrisy successfully. Finally,their approach is based on robust scientific inquiry and expertise, something I feel is often missing on both sides in political and environmental debates.