Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things

This book is a must-read because of how many thoughtful ideas the authors present. It's a real eye-opener in terms of the direction industry and technology are going. This isn't a book only for tree-huggers, so to speak, but for everyone who is a consumer. The book at times made me feel depressed and guilty over the over-consumption we've become accustomed to. Everything we consume comes in a package that we throw away, and eventually we even throw away the product it came in. Why read a book that makes one feel this way? Well, out of the frustrating realization of the facts (such as that there are 22 ingredients in shower gel but many of them are to counteract the other ingredients!) are glimmers of hope for the future (such as the fact that the shower gel was reconfigured with only 9 ingredients that appeared at first to cost the producer more money but in the long run saved them 15%).

The authors have taken some of their case studies and expanded them to fill a good portion of this book. The brief versions of those are available on their website at http://www.mcdonoughpartners.com/projects.shtm. There's great insight in this book, along with fascinating challenges. For example, there's the idea that recycling may cause more harm than good because of the amount of energy involved coupled with the fact that original product is actually "downcycled" into something less durable. For example, recycled paper needs chlorine added to it, so you end up with chemically-soaked paper to use. It's a trade-off, therefore: your original nearly-chlorine-free paper or the recycled version?

Challenges such as these abound throughout the book. For example, there's excessive littering in China with the wrappers from fast-food products. The authors challenge those fast-food makers to use biodegradable food wrappers from rice husks which are abundant (and therefore cheap) as well as biodegradable. Those food wrappers could then me laced with a tiny bit of nitrogen and have seeds embedded in them. At that point, you might see signs in China that actually say "Please Litter". It's stories like these that litter (ha!) this book and make it a quick but worthwhile read. Oh, and the book itself is not printer on paper, but instead on waterproof recycled materials.

I consider this one of the best books around. Saving the planet, you betcha! It's very well written and clear on concepts. Full of sensible and practical information. I keep it out on the coffee table so friends who visit will catch on.

Some books in this genre can be a bit too full of themselves - this one offers a lot of intelligent thinking, examples of the authors' experience, and not too much else.

This book should be required reading by all CEOs, and all engineering, architecture and design students. (I read it as a class assignment in Sustainable Interior Design). The author dismisses the idea that "ecological" has to equal "sacrifice" and points out that our problems will require more than band-aid type fixes. He proposes a radical rethinking of the way we approach design and manufacturing and backs it up with rational thought and real world examples. Despite its heft (literally, it weighs a ton because of the unusual paper stock), it's not a "heavy" read. It's very engaging and thought provoking. Highly recommended.

Additional recommendations: watch the movie "Who Killed the Electric Car"

I'm a student so it's really hard for me to find time to read books that aren't required for a class. No time! Anyway, great book, easy to read and compelling ideas. Definitely recommended.