On the first day of the Urban Green Expo the key note speaker was no other then William McDonough. He is one of the founders of the concept of Cradle to Cradle. If you ever had the pleasure of hearing him speak, you would find it both educational and inspirational.
You should pick up the book "The Hannover Principles" by William McDonough and Michael Braungart. They are 9 principles or guidelines that one should live by, design by and work towards. The Cradle to Cradle philosophy was developed from the 6th principle. The book has a lot of information and insight about Eco design. It is pocket size and only about 100 pages so an easy read and guide book. The book states 9 principles the design community should consider plus much more info. The 9 principles are as follows:
1. Insist on the right of humanity and nature to co-exist
2. Recognize interdependence: understanding that nature and design development are intermingled and that we need to understand those implications as we design.
3. Respect relationships between spirit and matter.
4. Accept responsibility for the consequences of design: We all need to recognize that no matter how small a project is it has an impact on our environment and as designers / builders / etc. we need to understand that we are responsible for that impact.
5. Create safe objects of long-term value.
6. Eliminate the concept of wast: From this theory the concept of "Cradle to Cradle" was developed.
7. Rely on natural energy flows.
8. Understand the limitations of design: understanding that nothing lasts forever and use nature as a model and guide for design inspiration.
9. Seek constant improvement by the sharing of knowledge.
Pick up the book, its an easy read and very informative.
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