Cradle to Cradle

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, "cradle to grave" manufacturing model that dates to the Industrial Revolution and casts off as much as 90 percent of the materials it uses as waste, much of it toxic. Why not challenge the notion that human industry must inevitably damage the natural world, they ask. In fact, why not take nature itself as our model? A tree produces thousands of blossoms in order to create another tree, yet we do not consider its abundance wasteful but safe, beautiful, and highly effective; hence, "waste equals food" is the first principle the book sets forth. Products might be designed so that, after their useful life, they provide nourishment for something new-either as "biological nutrients" that safely re-enter the environment or as "technical nutrients" that circulate within closed-loop industrial cycles, without being "downcycled" into low-grade uses (as most "recyclables" now are). Elaborating their principles from experience (re)designing everything from carpeting to corporate campuses, the authors make an exciting and viable case for change.

威廉·麦克唐纳（William McDonough）是建筑师，弗吉尼亚州夏洛茨维尔（Carlottesville）市建筑社团设计院奠基人之一。1994年至199年，他任弗吉尼亚大学建筑学院院长。1999年《时代》杂志尊称他为“世界英雄”，指出“他的乌托邦理想方案以一种统一的哲学体系为基础，无论是在论证还是在实践中都正改变着世界”。1996年，他因对可持续发展的贡献而获得总统奖，这是美国颁发的环境方面的最高荣誉。

迈克尔·布朗嘉特（Michael Braungart）是化学家，德国汉堡环境保护鼓励组织（Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency ,EPEA）的创始人，绿色和平组织化学部门的主管。从1984年起他在世界各地的大学、公司、协会等作报告，阐释生态化学和物流管理方面的全新观念。Braungart博...

(展开全部)