D11

After reading “Cradle to Cradle” I think McDonough and Braungart have made excellent points. In our 2^nd to last class, Professor Nicholson asked us to think of a way to combat environmental issues. My group came up with an idea similar to McDonough and Braungart’s-fixating on an industry and finding new green methods to improve production and reduce cost.

The “Cradle to grave” method is ineffective and severely hurting our environment. We should be producing things that are biological and technical nutrients. I really like their ideas. I especially like the product to service idea. A product to service is Instead of assuming that all products are to be bought, owned, and disposed of by “consumer,” product containing valuable and technical nutrients---cars, TV’s, carpeting, computers and refrigerators, for example---would be reconceived as services people want to enjoy. IN this scenario customers would effectively purchase the service of such a product for a defined user period---say ten thousand hours of TV viewing, rather than a tv itself. When they finish with the product, or are simply ready to upgrade to a newer version, the manufacturer replaces it, taking the old model back, breaking it down, and using its complex materials as food for new products.

I don’t see the product to service idea being implemented in the near future, but I think it is a very smart plan. It makes economical sense to reuse old products. Reusing old products will only save money, but research has to be implemented to figure out how to do that.

I really liked McDonough and Braungart’s point about the chemicals being used in every product we interact with. It is scary to think about how whatever we touch, wear, or eat have chemicals on it. I thought McDonough and Braungart’s research in finding healthy textile chemicals for a nursery was a smart plan. It makes me worried to think about the potential harms these untested chemicals will have on my family and me.

MCdonough and Braungart are on the right track and their optimism is not misplaced. However that does not mean their ideas are ever going to be implemented into mainstream production and consumption techniques. I think for their ideas to work, more chemist need to start doing research on the science behind consumption. Their needs to be dozens of McDonough and Braungart’s, who can help pave the way for new technologies and ideas of consumption. There will have to be more cooperation between companies on sharing technology and ideas. Governments will also have to get involved and provide economic incentive to implement their ideas. Tax breaks are always effective. McDonough and Braungart optimism is not misplaced, change can happened, it just isn’t going to be easy.

-Tracey Swan