Hands down, one of the most inspiring and influential duo in my life have been architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart.
Creaters of the Cradle to Cradle design philosophy, they blew me away with their vision of seeing a “world ofabundance, not limits”. I am completely drawn to their maverick idea that “design is a signal of intention” and theirs is to shift the current endlessly destructive model to one that “loves all children, of all species, for all time”.
Rather than making humans feel guilty, the C2C concept celebrates human creativity, culture and productivity, integrating nature’s effective design principles and integrating business and the environment.
Scoffing at the traditional “reduce, reuse, recycle” mantra as just a “downcycling” spiral, C2C design focuses on making products such that they enter either the “technical” or “biological” nutrient cycle once their life is over. This way they can be completely used in another avatar rather than ending up in landfills.
In other words, the goal is to eliminate waste completely and turn it into food. This is “eco-effectiveness” as opposed to the herd mentality of “eco-efficiency”.
The new breed of eco-effective designers are constructing:
Buildings that, like trees, produce more energy than they consume and purify their own waster water
Factories that produce effluents that are drinking water
And – a personal favorite – ice cream wrappers (biodegradable and embedded with seeds of endangered species) that can be freely littered into the earth where they dissolve and sprout new life!
Whoa!
In one of his interviews, Michael joked that given a choice, would you strive for your relationship with your significant other to be merely “sustainable” or something greater? Similarly, in a world running amok chanting “sustainability”, he challenges us to shift our notion of what is possible.
Like the industrious ant or the generous cherry tree, could humans use their ingenuity to become integrated natives of the planet rather than isolated consumers?
Did you know that nearly 2.4 million lbs of plastic enter our oceans every minute?
In honor of Earth Day, I’m posting some videos from two of my favorite websites to help you take a moment and reflect on the state of the planet.
Inspired by oceanographer Charles Moore’s discovery of the Pacific Garbage Patch, artist Chris Jordan’s talk at Poptech! 2009 brings the horrific reality of this statistic to light in his characteristically poignant and devastatingly brilliant photographs.
MAKE AN INSPIRED CHANGE!
Wish you had some practical information that went beyond mundane generalities on saving the earth?
Watch as scientist extraordinaire Catherine Mohr does some astounding calculations on our behalf, to highlight what really matters when building a house that is green.
Slowly – and hopefully surely – the industrialized world is waking up to the aftermath of what Pollan describes as the “collapse of cooking”.
To wit:
Supermarkets lined with low-cost “edible food-like substances” i.e. artificial products designed to simulate real food that are high on dubious “nutrient” claims, but lacking in substance. e.g. 99% fat free yogurt that has more sugar per ounce than Coca Cola.
Agricultural policies that heavily subsidize corn and soy, the source of most junk food
A food system that runs counter to human health needs promoting heart disease, obesity, diabetes and cancer
A complete disconnect between humans and the food they eat
And now for the good news: the reformation of food has begun!
More and more, consumers are embracing Pollan’s easy-to-remember credo of “Eat food. Mostly plants. Not toomuch.” From farmers markets to the Slow Food Movement and 100 mile diets, we are finally beginning to take back control of our food and health.
MAKE AN INSPIRED CHANGE!
While food policy change at a “systems” level is crucial, there is plenty we can do as individuals and communities:
1. Educate yourself! Check out:
Food, Inc.- the documentary that helps you find out what’s on your plate
2. Stop outsourcing your food! Cook your own meals.
While this might seem like an enormous drain on your already overwhelmed lifestyle, Pollan makes a great point that we always manage to find time and energy for the things we value (e.g. despite your hectic schedule, you always find time to surf the internet).
3. Whet your appetite for cooking.
Nobody does this better than Jamie Oliver! I’ve been a huge fan of his for years, cause he can even make using a pestle and mortar fun! Watch one of his numerous tv shows and get your juices flowing!
4. Then cook! Savor the dish. And Pass It On!
Jamie Oliver annouced his TED Prize wish today: to teach every child about food.
Join his Food Revolution by taking a simple pledge: To learn how to make one recipe from this book, enjoy it, and then teach it to 2 other friends, who will continue to pass it on!
Going “green” has become as nebulous an idea as “happiness”.
Twenty first century living has made it fashionable to be “green”, but what does is it really mean?
Does driving a Prius or switching to energy efficient light bulbs make you an environmentalist? Or do you have to be a granola-eating-vegan protesting at an international climate change conference to be one? With so much information and mis-information out there, has all this “green” activity really made a difference to the environment?
As it turns out, not all green is created equal.
Pioneering environmental journalist and founder of WorldChanging.com,Alex Steffen coined the term “bright green” and what follows is a summary of his brilliant explanation around the evolution of the environmental spectrum. (Some of his choice quotes are included.)
1. BRIGHT GREEN
“For the future to be green, it must also be bright”.
Think change at a “systems” level: transforming our urban landscape, and using emerging technologies, innovation, design and entrepreneurism to create infrastructure that brings prosperity & wellbeing while being in sync with nature. The focus is on “tools, models and ideas” that will dramatically transform existing material design templates from the industrial era into closed loop manufacturing.
Some examples of bright green thinking include:
Leapfrogging - developing nations skipping old & expensive first world infrastructures in favor of new sustainable technologies e.g., cell phones rather than land lines, solar panels rather than power poles
Urban density that allows for sustainable redesign of cities while preserving healthy natural habitats
Open-source models of design, copyright and licensing that nurture collaboration worldwide
Closed-loop manufacturing exemplified by Cradle to Cradle design
2. LIGHT GREEN
“You can’t shop your way to a bright green future”.
Change at an individual/lifestyle/consumer level.
Think energy efficient bulbs & cars, solar panels for your house, buying organic foods, recycling.
Though taking responsibility for individual consumption is important, light green environmentalism can only go so far. It has been successful in making “green” hip; however, it has also resulted in “green fatigue” with big business jumping on the environmental bandwagon.
Even millions of eco-consumers do not have the ability to retard the depletion of the earth’s natural resources within the current production paradigm.
Instead, the discussion needs to shift towards an in-depth public debate, political change and realigning of our value system that is resonant with a big picture view of where we stand ecologically, including investment in big ticket innovation & sustainability.
3. DARK GREEN
“Can tend to be doomers, warning of impending collapse”.
Change at the community level.
Descendents of the early environmentalists, dark green proponents nurture their connection with the land, reject consumerism and support all things local. Extremist tendencies in this group are represented by angry activism, doomsday scenarios and turning a blind eye to what new technologies and innovation have to offer.
4. GRAY
“The epicenter of gray thinking is the nest of lobbyists and industry-funded think tanks on K Street in Washington D.C.”.
These are of course, the folks in denial – either voluntarily or out of ignorance. In their view, there is no cause for concern for the planet or our civilization.
MAKE AN INSPIRED CHANGE!
What shade of green are you?
If you’re reading this blog, you’re probably a blend of greens. As Steffen points out, the goal of creating this environmental spectrum is not to segment society, but rather to foster a better understanding of our ecological intentions and actions.
Reflect on the ways you can incorporate Bright Green into your life.
Forget about everything you associate with a “movement” or an “-ism” you might know: well defined ideology, central aggregation of power, and (usually) male dominated leadership.
The movement I’m talking about is what author, enviromentalist, entrepreneur and the best spokesperson Mother Nature ever hired Paul Hawken brilliantly describes as “humanity’s immune response” to our current ecological and social crises.
The scientist in me loves this analogy. The changemaker in me heaves a sigh of relief (just as Hawken predicts) – the sense of finally dropping the orphaned feeling of having to be out in the trenches with a tiny army; marching with the grand burden of saving the world on my shoulders.
I’m sure you have a basic idea of the human body’s immune system. The good guy antibodies recognizing, attacking and killing the bad guy antigens (viruses, bacteria etc) to keep you healthy.
Hawken replaces this simplistic caricature and reminds us of the jaw dropping reality.
“In each of you are one quadrillion cells, 90 percent of which are not human cells. Your body is a community, and without those other microorganisms you would perish in hours. Each human cell has 400 billion molecules conducting millions of processes between trillions of atoms. The total cellular activity in one human body is staggering: one septillion actions at any one moment, a one with twenty-four zeros after it. In a millisecond, our body has undergone ten times more processes than there are stars in the universe…..
….So I have two questions for you all: First, can you feel your body? Stop for a moment. Feel your body. One septillion activities going on simultaneously, and your body does this so well you are free to ignore it……You can feel it. It is called life. This is who you are.
Second question: who is in charge of your body? Who is managing those molecules? Hopefully not a political party. Life is creating the conditions that are conducive to life inside you, just as in all of nature. Our innate nature is to create the conditions that are conducive to life.
What I want you to imagine is that collectively humanity is evincing a deep innate wisdom in coming together to heal the wounds and insults of the past.”
Just as the immune system is a complex, highly networked movement, so to is the fastest, largest and most complex movement in the world.
It consists of all the non-governmental organizations and people worldwide:
Working from the bottom up for ecological sustainability and social justice
Focused on ideas, not idealogy; the ideas are test-driven and constantly revised
Solutions-based
Without a central leader
Diverse, eclectic, varied in their make-up but never contradicting each other in the grand scheme of things
When Hawken’s researchers first catalouged them on Wiser Earth, the numbers were just over a 100,000. At last count, the researchers anticipate the numbers to be closer to 1-2 million!!
It is important to keep in mind that Hawken doesn’t predict the outcome of this movement. Who knows if it will succeed or come to an auto-immune demise?
That shouldn’t stop any inspired changemaker. As Hawken points out:
“When asked if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same:
If you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren’t pessimistic, you don’t understand the data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren’t optimistic, you haven’t got a pulse.
What I see everywhere in the world are ordinary people willing to confront despair, power, and incalculable odds in order to restore some semblance of grace, justice, and beauty to this world.”
MAKE AN INSPIRED CHANGE!
Join the movement already! There’s tons to choose from:
Go to WiserEarth and connect with the folks in your neighborhood or start a local group
In case you’ve been living in seclusion, or just haven’t gotten around to it yet, here’s a treat for you!
Grab a cup of tea and watch The Story of Stuff – an incredibly articulate, funny, and creative description of – well – stuff! You know, everything around us. How does it get to us? What goes into making it? What is all that production and consumption doing to our planet?
Sometimes its all too much! All that talk about climate change and fossil fuels; the heaps of statistics and the dismal picture of our combined shaky futures.
Imagine having a “nutrition” label on all the products you use and activities you engage in daily - from reading the New York Times to using your laptop to drinking a glass of wine.
Except instead of “fat” and “carbohydrate” percentages, it would breakdown the power being used each step of the way.
Though “energy labels” are still a few years away, genius and prolific inventor Saul Griffithhas created a method to calculate your current daily energy consumption!
Though that bizarre world seems remote, its mind boggling to consider the effects of climate change on polar ice – and how intricately our futures are tied to theirs.
A few years ago I stumbled upon The Earth From Above [Vu Du Ciel], a collection of aerial photographs by Yann Arthus Bertrand. My jaw dropped to the floor. I was in awe. Not just of Yann’s genius – which is exemplary – but the mind boggling view of the earth I had taken for granted.
More than pretty pictures, these images tell a compelling story of the state of our planet.
To wit: The Eye of Maldives, an atoll [coral reef surrounding a sunken volcanic island] that is at risk from changing tides and temperatures, as well as the ravages of tourism. As a reference point, atoll formation may take up to 30,000,000 years.
