I read “Cradle to Cradle” over spring break (a friend recommended it to me) and really enjoyed this book. You should all READ IT. I’m not really the reading type (nor do I like books that just tell me to do less, recycle more, the world is ending, etc.) but this is a fast read, has great examples, isn’t too technical, and has come up innumerable times since I finished it. Plus, the book itself is a really cool object (check out the title of the intro, it isn’t made of paper!).
I went back and re-read the first two chapters, and truthfully, they make a whole lot more sense the second time around. You really need to read the entire book in order to understand McDonough and Braungart‘s full argument and even then, there are still a few holes. But even within the first two chapters (the ones assigned for class), the authors frame the environmental issue in a way that really makes sense to me. Though the first few pages use what sounded like “scare tactics,” they essentially argue that the conditions that we live in, surrounded by toxins and carcinogens being off-gased by nearly everything (even by the computer that I’m typing this on) are completely unnecessary. Industry and the environment don’t have to be at odds with each other, we just need to be smarter about our designs.
While I would have really like a few more in-depth examples of work that the author’s have done at their firm, this is a great book and is key to becoming more fluent in environmental design. I recommend that you read beyond the first two chapters; I definitely think you’ll find it’ll be worth your time.
Posted by mattblum 
