William McDonough je vizionářský designér a poradce, který zásadně mění světový design. Je spoluzakladatelem konceptu „Cradle to Cradle“ a autorem řady vlivných publikací. Jeho práce se zaměřuje na vytváření udržitelných a regenerativních systémů. Dlouhodobě se věnuje principům, které vedou k pozitivnímu dopadu na planetu.
From the authors "Cradle to Cradle," the next step, in how society must change the way it uses resources. Drawing on the lessons gained from 10 years of using the cradle-to-cradle concept, McDonough and Braungart envision the next step in the solution to our ecological crisis.
Military reports indicate that looming energy crises threaten Western society, potentially undermining democracy and the rule of law while escalating aggressive geopolitics and damaging essential ecosystem services. The dual challenges of climate change and oil decline pose significant risks, as explored in this insightful work by attorney Roger Cox. He argues that current market mechanisms and political models are inadequate to catalyze an energy revolution necessary to address these crises. This impasse could lead to severe domestic human rights violations reminiscent of post-World War II concerns. Cox suggests that the judiciary must intervene to guide Western governments out of this perilous situation. By examining cases from the US, UK, Netherlands, and the EU, he illustrates that existing legal frameworks can facilitate a more effective energy transition. He advocates for judicial action to combat climate change, asserting that government inaction on greenhouse gas regulation endangers societal well-being. Cox's landmark case against the Dutch government, resulting in a court order to reduce CO2 emissions by 25% by 2020, exemplifies this approach. He is also instrumental in establishing a network for climate litigation globally and leads initiatives in sustainable development through his law practice and the Planet Prosperity Foundation, earning recognition as a key figure in sustainable real estate.
"Autos aus Autos? Schuhe als Düngemittel für unsere Balkonblumen? Zukünftig gibt es nur noch zwei Arten von Produkten: Verbrauchsgüter, die vollständig biologisch abgebaut werden können, und Gebrauchsgüter, die sich endlos recyclen lassen. Die Devise lautet: Nicht weniger müssen wir produzieren, sondern verschwenderisch und in technischen und biologischen Kreisläufen. Eine ökologisch-industrielle Revolution steht uns bevor, mit der Natur als Vorbild. Und was die beiden Fachleute in anschaulicher Weise darbieten, ist keineswegs nur graue Theorie, sondern das Ergebnis eigener praktischer Erfahrungen: Michael Braungart und William McDonough erproben seit Jahren mit Firmen wie Ford, Nike, Unilever und BP erfolgreich die Realisierbarkeit ihrer Ideen." -- Herausgeber.
'Reduce, reuse, recycle' urge environmentalists; in other words, do more with less in order to minimize damage. But as architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart point out in this provocative, visionary book, this approach only perpetuates the one-way, 'cradle to grave' manufacturing model, dating to the Industrial Revolution, that creates such fantastic amounts of waste and pollution in the first place. Why not challenge the belief that human industry must damage the natural world? In fact, why not take nature itself as our model for making things? A tree produces thousands of blossoms in order to create another tree, yet we consider its abundance not wasteful but safe, beautiful and highly effective. Waste equals food. Guided by this principle, McDonough and Braungart explain how products can be designed from the outset so that, after their useful lives, they will provide nourishment for something new - continually circulating as pure and viable materials within a 'cradle to cradle' model. Drawing on their experience in redesigning everything from carpeting to corporate campuses, McDonough and Braungart make an exciting and viable case for putting eco-effectiveness into practice, and show how anyone involved in making anything can begin to do so as well.