Final question

On of the statements that really stuck in my mind was actually from a recent book, "Cradle to Cradle" by William McDonough and Michael Braungart:
“Most recycling is actually downcycling; it reduces the quality of material over time.” Although we have discussed this concept in class, this concept has really had an effect on me. The authors’ really put to rest the idea that recycling (in its current form) can really make much of a difference in the environment. Seemingly everything we recycle such as aluminum and plastics have either no use or very little use after being put in the recycling bin. Although I had thought about the idea before, I had never considered how inefficient our current system of production is before reading about downcycling. The biggest thing that the criticisms of “downcycling” did was explain it would be possible to make recycling an effective way to deal with waste if those who produced the products had these ideas in mind. I felt that we could really fix this problem if we were to actually recycle.
The second quote that stuck with me came from Michael Maniates in his piece, “Plant a tree, Buy a Bike, Save the World?”
He states:When responsibility for individual problems is individualized, there is little room to ponder institutions, the nature and nature and exercise of political power, or ways of collectively changing the distribution of power and influence… This statement is very powerful and really attacks the problem at its core. Without collectively solving environment problems, we will continue exacerbate the environmental predicament we have gotten into. That is not to say that the individual is powerless in doing his or her part, because individual decisions on a large scale can make significant changes possible. But turning off the water to shave will not be the solution to our problems. We all want to do our part

Favorite Quotes

One quote that surprised me was from the Watson and Caldwell reading, "Cultural Politics of Food and Eating":

"Some of the best tuna from New England may make it to New York or Los Angeles, but by way of Tokyo -- validated as top quality (and top price) by the decision to ship it to Japan by air..."

You would think it would be kind of silly to air freight a huge fish from New England to Japan just to sell it in New York a few days later. This quote kind of epitomizes the excesses of our times.

I was also really struck by William McDonough said about how the use and disposal of our products have unintended consequences that are bad for the environment. As we discussed throughout the class, the most obvious environmentalist actions revolve around our role as consumers. How much can I recycle? Which disposable cutlery is better for the environment? Paper or plastic?

Less obvious, but perhaps more effective actions relate to our role in society. Organize and petition for change. Open up new and better choices for consumers and make them enticing to everyone.

To me, Cradle to Cradle struck at the core of that, and even went a step further. Bill McDonough and Michael Braungart are using design to create new and appealing choices with the goal that they be completely harmless to the environment.

I am concerned that some problems we will not be able to design our way out of, but that design could be such a powerful agent of change was very new and exciting to me.

Final Question

One of the important quotes/ideas of the semester was when Michael Maniatas exclaimed that, environmentalists don't ask people to do enough because they don't want to offend. What we need are bigger actions and for these people to stop selling us short. I think that this is a very fair point that Maniatas makes because I believe that a huge reason why people are not doing enough is the simple fact that they already think they are. TV commercials tell us that if we buy a certain brand of bottled water or shirts made of recycled Coca-Cola bottles then are are caring for the environment when really we are continuously doing much harm. Environmentalists need to understand that people want to be educated as long as it is done in a respectful way.

I believe that the underlying idea behind Cradle to Cradle is also important. McDonough and Braungart are basically saying that, it is important to change the approach to design, not just to change technology with regulations, etc. They claim that the change need to occur in the brains of the designers. We approach, (or at least should approach,) life's problems by looking at the source of them. The problems facing the environment are no different in the sense that the best way to help lessen our adverse effects on the environment is to get at the sources of these impacts and fix them there rather than trying to clean up our never-ending messes.

Final Post: Favorite Quotes

Cradle to Cradle: "The Earth belongs...to the living...No man can by natural right oblige the lands he occupied, or the persons who succeeded him in that occupation, to the payment of debs contracted to him." (Thomas Jefferson)

I choose this quote because it integrates the concepts of sustainability and personal responsibility. It shows that every human being has a personal responsibility to not burden the future generations with his/her own debts. In the cause of environmentalism, these debts consist of waste, land destruction, pollution, and others. Through the collective action of personal choices, a lot of progress could be made, though in the end this may not be enough.

Lifeboat Ethics: "If we satisfy a growing population's need for food, we necessarily decrease its per capita supply of the other sources needed by men."

I choose this quote because it shows the flawed system that currently exists. A new sytem needs to be created so that satisfying the needs of one person do not inherently take away from someone else. There should be away to grow and consume food so that this process will end up benefitting more than just those who consume the food. Without this type design, several limits on resources, space, and population could be realized.

Second to Last

When thinking about ways to solve the environmental crisis many have come up with various answers. But any kind of practical solutions have been somewhat lacking I think. The authors of Cradle to Cradle have done their research on this topic though and have developed a viable solution for people to consider when pondering methods to curb and eventually halt the effects of climate change. I find that two elements they mention are rather noteworthy. The first is the constant rhetoric to make industry "less bad" instead of just all good. They hit upon the fact that reducing and trying to minimize production is not the answer because that only continues to add to the cycle that results in waste. The other point that I found to be relevant to the entire problem is the notion that economic growth equals prosperity and therefore more growth or GDP equals progress. This is not true though when seen in context of the negative aspects that economic activity can also spawn. To help the economy consumers are encouraged to buy which is illustrative of the core problem that the authors highlight: the mindset that says, "I am the first and last to own this product." This type of thinking leads to more industrial growth and consequentially more waste over time.

The concept "cradle to cradle" is innovative and logical. It makes sense to not only reuse things but to send them back to their origins to maintain a natural cycle. What it really comes down to is the current design of products--their durability and overall sustainability. The authors introduce new processes by which products can be reused; the biological and technical metabolisms are solutions to such problems as downcycling and landfilling and instead keeping the "nutrients" in a closed-loop cycle. This mimics the type of cycle that things in nature do all the time. It's about not wasting any part of anything and instead fully appreciating it by using all of it.

Cradle to Cradle

The ideas of William McDonough and Michael Braungart are extremely innovative and pragmatic, but I believe the picture is a bit too rosy. However, while I do believe that their visions are not realistic in the near future, in 25 years these ideas may become more and more of a reality. Originally, I was a bit surprised by the studies used in the book that pointed to everyday household items which were suspected to carry chemicals and toxins that were not only harmful to animals and other living organisms, but were suspected to toxins that were suspected to cause cancer in humans. It made me wonder exactly what the effects of sitting by a computer for hours every day could have on my health in the future.
Setting these ideas up in the beginning and explaining how they can be practically erased (example with the 3 books, gardens on the roof buildings) had me convinced from the beginning. The books methods for reforming companies to transform them from the "cradle to grave" approach to the "cradle to cradle" way of business. The five steps companies could take in order to achieve eco- effectiveness were very interesting proposals and seem like achievable goals in the future.
Although I was impressed with the ideas in the book, I wish the author's would have gone a bit more in depth regarding obstacles to achieving this seemingly ideal society. How exactly would we get by the impediments of those who are content with the current status quo? It seems that many different companies and government officials see no need for change and will hold onto the system that makes them rich. Overall, the proposals seem like realistic goals as long as we can get past those who are committed to the current ways of doing business.

Cradle to Cradle

Much of the readings that we have done for this class have been well-researched and well-argued therefore I find myself being easily convinced by the authors' proposed theories and possible solutions/new lifestyles to take-on. This book, so far, has been no exception to the previous statement. I am inspired by their underlying theme of the importance of how and why you make things rather than how you dispose of these things. I am especially intrigued by the architect's view on how things built by humans should "flow" with the nature around them. Last year I saw a movie about another advanced-thinking architect who did projects in poorer areas such as one area in Mexico. The government had paid for poorly built housing to be constructed for a group of indigenous peoples who resided in the desert but had been internally displaced for centuries. They constructed neighborhoods of identical cement blocks where these people were supposed to live. The buildings were not only ugly but more importantly they were hot and inefficient. After only a few years in these houses the indigenous peoples could not afford them because they were either too cold or too hot and they could not afford for the electricity to keep them healthy enough environments to live in. The architect of the documentary instead came up with another design for their neighborhoods and houses that were specific to the people and their culture and surrounding environment. The buildings used material from the area that could go back into the earth many years from now when the houses were no longer in use. The buildings were not only much more attractive but they were much more energy efficient and suitable to the lifestyles of this indigenous group of peoples, including social outdoor courtyards that caught the breeze and created a situation cuitable for community.

Another interesting topic of the book Cradle to Cradle is the scary idea of how much dangerous and unecessary junk goes into what we use. We are so concerned about what goes into our bodies yet we do not have the important regulations and monitoring of the everyday products we use such as hand-mixers and swim wings. This book clearly explains that like in most problems, in order to find a solution you must get to the source. Whether it be; the necessity of focusing on the poverty of a 3rd world country to get to the bottom of immigration in a more developed country or the environmental degradation caused by the construction, transportation and use of the products in our everyday lives; it is so important for us to re-think the way we do things and how we tackle problems. Because of this I really like the idea behind the book and I hope that as a people we can start to really rethink how the system should be run and to understand how the things we are using are made and therefore change how we are making and using everyday products and resources.