William McDonough: The wisdom of designing Cradle to Cradle

[b5i6ll7y]

But once again it will boil down to the giants of industry and the giants of anything that makes billions every year off the poor and the down trodden to change their minds and go in a different direction and actually help and save these people from their sad and crap existence.

[b5i6ll7y]

A great video I thoroughly enjoyed it he is very witty to, but not one word about the cost it would be to live in one of these great cities or the cost of buying the carpets, the toys,meterials, cars, or any other thing that is manufactured. Lets face it unless they are practically giving them away, then once again the poor will be screwed.

[MrPEDOCTOR]

it so inspiring... 

[IDWFine]

This is awesome! wish I could get on board with these guys and help make this happen world wide!

[hedonism13]

What is the music from 0:00 to 0:18 called?

[AZipp161]

At 14:28 he mentions that he is rolling out a public database of all the safe chemicals for material design. Does anyone know where this database is?

[reivenlocke]

McDonough, from what I've heard from him on New Dimensions and TED, comes off with his ideas of cradle to cradle design as a guy that wants to bemoan every other ecological design schema in favor of his own. His sanctimonious attitude is going to step on the toes of the people that will pay the money to get his ideas off the ground. That's why for all his talk, none of his lofty ideas will see the light of day.

[AZipp161]

@reivenlocke There was an article writtne in 2008 called Green Guru Gone Wrong: William McDonough. It really threw the book at McDonough in terms of being egotistical and greedy to just push his certifications for big bucks. I'm not sure if the author behind the article is of high validity, but its worth a read though...

I tend to aggree with your thoughts after reading and seeing a few of his speeches on youtube.

[TheSuperwhuffo]

This guy is really great at putting across these great ideas...but who will there be that will put these ideas into action. If we understand something then thought is not separate from action...please read The Dawn of Intelligence...simply search Wildman Walker's blog and click on the link 'book'. Peace and blue skies...

[reivenlocke]

5:10

The term he's looking for is "Rearraging the deck chairs on the Titanic"

[lukerides666]

This guy need to meet up with Jaque Fresco

[TheSuperwhuffo]

@lukerides666 Amen to that!! Jaque Fresco and him are two birds on the same tree...

[EastStandManc]

A hope-inspiring talk, no doubt about it. Such a shame it has so few views.

As a (nitpicky) aside, how did BMW get away with the blatant rip-off of Massive Attack's "Angel" in the advert at the end?

[Dan1loBr]

I heard somewhere his China city wasn't really well built...

But I really do like his concept, I wonder what'll happen in the next 10 years ;o

[SpykerF2]

That will be my future job!

William inspired me! :)

[AndresUribe1990]

pest control? 

[TextureAndLight]

What do you call a guy from Yale seemingly denigrating "350 pound auto workers." Why is it remarkable that someone 350 pounds or an auto worker would want to learn bird calls?

[IntuitiveLeap]

@TextureAndLight I'd call it not worth discussing here.

[carsanookdotcom]

TAD incidental music in brain frying. I thought BBC was bad - this is worse.

But the content is good!

Dr John Carsanook

Kingdom of Thailand

[dwilt4rville]

Imagine this design assignment: Design something that makes oxygen, sequesters carbon, fixes nitrogen, distills water, accrues solar energy as fuel, makes complex sugars and food, creates microclimates, changes colors with the season, and self replicates. Why don’t we knock that down and write on it?

[granmastervoic]

@dwilt4rville why DO we?! thats the whole point.. we're turning complex life into mostly useless stupid things .. paper could be made without sacrificing trees.. and thats only one example..

[projectstarboard26]

waste is not equal to food. try checking the analogy, although the lecture is good. Perhaps waste is used to generate/produce food--waste as a material aid for growing food.

[DarkKnight00073]

My idea is to plant corn on top of factories that make plastic and use the corn to make plastic. Plastic made with corn might be biodegradable. This would free up demand for corn from main stream farmers while saving money for the factory by not having to buy as much corn.

[m3na9]

i discovered this talk (and Mr. McDonough) about 3 years ago, and since then, i've played this at least 15 times. I admire this man so much, and as mtnpoet says, he "gives me hope." I love this so much that I am now involved in doing a "remix" homage to this talk, which will be set to my music, composed specifically for the remix/homage. (This is a personal labor of love, and no money will be made from it, nor will i attempt to sell it.) I'd love to get it to William somehow.

[rukia44cat]

"what dont you like about this?" Wow ....

[DarkKnight00073]

What if you decide to build a city in a jungle where big cats like lions and jaguars live. Are you going to raise all the trees up on the roofs withe with the large cats roming above.

[CaptPhoenix]

These "manufactured cities" always look great...until someone wants to be different. The rich guy wants to build a house shaped like a Pagoda, and (being rich) can bribe a politician. Now half the workers apartments are perpetually shaded. Or maybe someone would rather have a telescope on his roof rather than sod. Suddenly he discovers he doesn't really own his house after all.

Utopias always work in theory and always fail to human individuality.

[0pinion8ted]

Learn how to build your own cob house then. Its incredibly easy, is 10x cheaper than modern building materials, is more inssulative and lasts for years

[CaptPhoenix]

I helped my brother build an Earthship. It requires no active heat source even in the mountains of northern colorado. Very nice design. I'm also familiar with many other "alternative" house designs and building materials. Most are very cool and have exciting properties...if that is your choice. However, if it isn't your choice to live in an Earthship, it could be hell on earth if I force you to. All these engineered eco-cities do force you to live one way. That's why they fail.

[scrapeape]

You can't say "always" when we haven't seen something like this actually attempted, but you have a point.

[PUArtista]

his nose sounds like a bird

[waronez]

i didnt noses made a sound.

[PUArtista]

Say it with me -- BLOWHARD

[AndyOFF2]

i hate him... he is such arrogant person... he doesn't understand sustainable architecture... most of his projects failed... he just talk nicely and convey ppl that he is "GREAT"...

[tecknixia]

Most of what he says makes sense to me. Do you have any evidence of what you claim about him?

[clipside2]

@AndyOFF2 also interested in hearing the basis for this comment

[mashaishaaaa]

i'm glad that there are people like him!!

[ETERNALinstants]

America isn;t doing anything like that.

[X3r4ph]

His nose is whistling....

[deliveryguybiv]

You are an idiot jrobrien.  DDT causes fetal deformities and is a poison to all life. It is not a miracle cure for malaria. Go have fun spraying DDT all over your home garden. Make sure to feed yourself and family all your delicious food.

[reivenlocke]

McDonough has a wonderful mind...it's just too bad he's so damn arrogant.

[learntoswim187]

If his ideas are solid, is it really such a problem that he's arrogant? It's his arrogance that helps him ensure his voice is heard, and I'm quite happy that his voice is heard. Arrogance is a quality you don't want to see in diplomats and roommates.

[reivenlocke]

Well, it's hard to get the right people to want to invest in your vision if you have a personality that rubs them the wrong way.

[jrobrien]

Rachel Carson's book led to ban on DDT which consigned millions in the third world to a miserable and painful death from Malaria. What kind of a culture, in the name on environmentalism, could ban a product that would have saved the lives of millions?

[tmcotty]

DDT is still used to fight malaria. It is not used where mosquitos have developed resistance to it.

[NWforager]

isn't DDT just a short term 'fix' ? Doesn't it cause Long term effects(harm)?

[StrongArmZZ]

The mosquito problem in the third world has nothing to do with a lack of DDT. It has to do with the fact that they poor their waste water out their front door. The way do deal with this problem is to built basins, fill them with plants, then poor the water in the basin to sink in. Another way to deal with the problem is provide shelter, and water for bats. A single brown bat can eat 1000 mosquitoes an hour, and a small bat house 18x18x2 can shelter more than a hundred bats. 1000x100 = 100,000/h

[because88]

Rational tree reverence. I love this man.

[yaronimus1]

this is amazing. i wish cities in israel would be built like that!

[whymustwe712]

Outstanding. We need more green spaces like that... its crazy how people are JUST NOW thinking these things up.

[kasaisza]

what an inspiring presentation, it gives me hope

[northernsummergirl]

I like the manner in which this information is delivered here. The professor makes complicated stuff seem easy for everyone to understand... even with a touch of humor.

I also like the BMW commercial at the end where the car comes out of the waterfall... cool. Thanks for the share ronmamita. :)

[northernsummergirl]

This is absolutely amazing.

Very different material than most naturalist type talks... as its not just about the negatives of the situation of this planet and some ways to assist in slowing down the destruction of it, but the posibilties and positive creations that are being made today to address these issues... addressing population, polution, animal life, plant life, etc... in designs for the future of this planet and all in it.

[Gandree2]

I like his point that not everything can be made biodegradable but it can be recyclable if we are willing to pursue that goal.

[Beenie1984]

Great ideas so far. Finally it is realised that recycling isn't an endless solution for (re)production. I hope other industrial companies worldwide take an example out of this.

[trozzer1]

this is wondrful thinking

[citizenkahn1]

Seems like the credo is Make money, save the planet through using resources wisely. Makes sense to me.

Similar message as Amory Lovins and the Rocky Mountain institute.

[straightsixstyle]

"To use something as elegant as a tree. Imagine this design assignment: design something that makes oxygen, sequesters carbon, fixes nitrogen, distills water, accrues solar energy as fuel, makes complex sugars and food, creates microclimates, changes colors with the seasons, and self-replicates why dont we knock that down and write on it. " yes!

[w7nter]

Great. Part of me thinks it's insane that these are "new" ideas

[forelelyon]

we need for architecture like this

[drizzlemein]

Now how amazing is that? Simply remarkable

[tillo2008]

does anyone have a good resource for the different works he has talked about and/or is involved in?

I'd really like to hear the progress on everything he has just talked about since the recording of this video. Any help would be appreciated! send an email if you want pls pls

[phroto13]

his website is pretty extensive on the works of his firm

[thefrostflyer]

I Love this man!

[giorgio789]

Genius. Why are these plans for new self-sustainable Chinese cities not used as a master-model for new cities in the US and around the world?? (other than politics of course)

[jacobdjanze]

I think this guy and his colleagues speak to whoever is listening. It's clear that he wishes a synergy of economical and ecological common sense would flourish everywhere

I am surprised the Chinese government is working with an agenda remotely like this in mind though

[pwrmacjedi]

Wow... DAMN. Kudos! Nice slams on the small minds of the last decade, and nice ideas. This is a breath of fresh air.

[whearn0624]

This guy is thinking and acting on some of the best ideals of his generation. Props to him considering nothing will happen overnight, it takes steps of time and learning. Could anyone tell me how to find the video that starts at 1:40?

[clearitup2]

So much here is prolific. I love the Ford roof. I will have to hear this repeatedly to catch all of his great snotty zings!! Wonder if that list is out yet? Brilliant concept.

[Hithard177]

Sustainable industrial economy based on never-ending growth to achieve profits is an OXYMORON - the two are mutually exclusive, and the sooner we accept that and begin dismantling the system itself, the better.

Selling false hope in the form of "greeninfication" of growth and abundance is absurd and counterproductive. Shame on people like Bill McDonough - a perfect example of "the road to hell is paved with good intentions."

[JuggleGut]

did he mention achieving profits?

this man clearly understands what materials and resources it takes to have sustainable life on earth. sustainable liing for the entire world is the first step.

we are not all enimies. the ememy is the consciousness that is takes away from everything and doesnt give back.

Bill is an exceptionally giving person. when you design a sustainable city for millions of people, then you may criticise

[Hithard177]

This is a forum for exchanging ideas. My comments need not be legitimized only after I've designed and built a sustainable city for millions. In fact, that's my point exactly - that an effort to achieve sustainability via industrial free-trade systems is ludicrous. My criticism is not for Bill's ideas, but his omission of this inconvenient truth - designing a building here and a product there just won't cut it in the end. Need drastic changes...

[JuggleGut]

good points, i like your style. Drastic changes are exactly whast are needed. unfortunately this wont happen until the majority is informed of the level of choice they have. Bill is only one man at the end of the day. He's creating a solution, doing something that isnt counterproductive to growth. anything that isnt counterproductive, surely deserves more respect.i notice i neglected to mention im referencing his city design. as far as for perpetuating profit goes, it guess thats just his method

[JuggleGut]

along with his work he brings a message. a message of opportunity for other people to use his ideas on sustainability in other areas, not neccesarily confined to business. Aside: the monetary system and all its dependants will inevitably cease to exist, the system itself is unsustainable, so its only a matter of time before it fails. there's no need to worry about it. and bill... Maybe he would have mentioned that inconvienient truth if some things were different...

[LusoCMD]

This is one of the best TED so far, without a doubt. For me at least and believe me I´ve seen them all from the end(or older if you wish)through to the last.

great job Sir, your book is in my "Have to get " list.

[papasitoman]

I gotta get this guy's book! That was one of the better TED presentations.

[Psqwall]

Yar

[rpm297]

Designers and architects inherently seem to be great leaders. Just look at the dad from the Brady Bunch.

[darrenmmurtha]

I guess you've never heard of albert speer

[mtnpoet]

I couldn't name many heros off hand, for there are many in this world of ours. William McDonough is one of my ecological heros.

The book Cradle To Cradle was so good I bought a few extra copies for friends. The texture of the book pages itself as a recycled polymar is worth experiencing.

William McDonough gives me hope.

[Go0mbah]

Bill brought a huge stack of books to Cape Cod when we went on vacation, he had about 20 of them. He showed me that... Even though there are cars available that are "Less Bad" by saying they get approximately 35 MPG, it's still not good. So it's like this,  -- Even though we're slowing down our consumption of fossil fuels, it's like instead of heading 50 MPH in the wrong direction, we're heading 20 MPH in the wrong direction. We need to start heading in the right direction.

[Go0mbah]

Sorry if I didn't describe that very well, I lost track of what I was typing and didn't bother to give up or fix it.

[iTitus]

You didn't bother to give up.

[hisnameisfrankie]

@Go0mbah More like we're going 75 mph instead of 50 mph when we were expected to be going 80 mph by now.

[nebai2000]

C2C should be integrated into all curricula in all engineering schools.

[mcraw112]

i have to read this book for a design class in college... it made me think in a different way and i thought that this guy is a genus

[professordoom08]

Just another Californian reassurance that it will be all right, don't worry, capitalism will get us out of this. Reality has a habit of interfering in the fantasies of men, and the planetary immune system is about to make us extinct. We are non viable, yet another failed species.

The world will heal once we've gone and perhaps one day a truly intelligent species will evolve; free of the hangups, violence, self interest, greed, brutality, and religious fantasising homo sapiens suffers from.

[zstowasser]

you must be the change you wish to see in the world.

[walker030]

the idea of perpetually digging stuff out of a single Earth repository and then returning it as unuseable garbage is insanity. mcdonough's opposition to the 'cradle-to-grave' mainstream processes is not.

[chinamillennium]

Bill McDonough executes with eloquent mastery and candor his knowledge and spirit of the ancient Chinese concept of Fengshui or Geomancy for our modern civilization and global sustainability. Awesome! ;*

[chinamillennium]

Bill McDonald executes with eloquent mastery and candor his knowledge and spirit of the ancient Chinese concept of Fengshui or Geomancy for our modern civilization and global sustainability. Awesome! ;*

[notarobot]

The book is well worth the read, even after seeing the video. I get to show off to friends that I have a book that is waterproof, and then when they get it as a birthday present, they read it. So the message gets around, as it should, as it must.

[tiesthijsthejs]

very important

[tiowey]

no bother buying and reading the book, he summed it all up here

[deadpassive]

Truly inspiring, not just for designers but for everyone. I wish him all the success in the world because we need somebody to take the lead.

[kevinbradleymaddox]

Great vid, but he should really update his presentations skills. More pauses for instance.

[YawadrahWred]

He has a set amount of time. If he pauses, he loses more of his points. I'd rather just keep up than lose some of the conversation due to pauses and timelimits.

[kevinbradleymaddox]

I understand that, but I'm not talking about pauses of minutes. Just one or two seconds more. I think that will really get the message over much better.

[morizongreen]

I've read his book Cradle to Cradle...but, I especially love listening to him speak. He has brilliant solutions that are 'spot on' and off the grid!

[smittzl]

nobel price?

I vote for this concept!

[one80Digital]

Fantastic premise.

[djlookwood]

At last, and intelligent and life affirming shift in how we apply what we know through science to be true about nature as technology that nurtures life.

These concepts must be made clear, so that they can be understood, by all in our society, especially those who lives are the basis for the funding of government - THE 'AVERAGE' TAXPAYER!

[mad05963]

I'd pay to sit down and have a conversation with this guy. Great talk.

[DigitalAssassin]

At 11 minutes -- hilarious and wonderful at the same time.

[freshflapjax]

i loved cradle to cradle!!! i looove william d!!!

[Kuixotic]

damn you can tell this foo's a life time member of mensa

[sharielf]

This video is from the 2005 TED Conference (Technology, Entertainment and Design)an amazing conference held every February in Monterey, CA. He is talking fast because he only has 20 minutes to get his amazing ideas across. I recommend his book "Cradle to Cradle" and especially recommend the video "The Next Industrial Revolution" it is for sale on his web site mcdonough (dot) com.

[Big3ars4]

Bill is my first cousin once removed is what my dad said, I'm looking into architecture right now because my dad works with a lot of architects. Talks about Bill a lot even though I haven't really met him.

[thunderbow]

"WHY DON'T WE KNOCK THAT DOWN AND WRITE ON IT..." funny, brilliant, simple wisdom. Thank you, Bill McDonough!

[RoadrunnerStevo]

Be inspired people, BE INSPIRED ! ! !

[tehkoalainsurgency]

Sundance Channel premiered the Waste Equals Food documentary, can't find it anywhere on the net tho, it's really good, they show a lot of the McDonough/Braungart actual designs, the houses and buildings are amazing.

[kariknapp]

Wow. I have a new hero! He is amazing. I would have loved to be in that room when he held a speech like this for the US president...

[052leise]

The beauty is there's no need to promote this through the government or hope people will finally choose to do the right thing out of inspiration. If something like a green roof can actually save companies money, and people in China simply don't have the option not to consider something like this, it may just develop naturally really soon.

[BishopBash]

Top notch! Governments should be funding uni/vocational courses on this type of approach.

[celshader]

Forget Hillary. William McDonough for president 2008.

[1plato1]

WOW! This is it. The question is not will this work, but do we understand the message. If so, start acting to it and spread the message.

[PolliFaxToaster]

seeing this makes me think that just maybe we might turn things around.

[WiserEarth]

This video was embedded on the Green Roofs page of WiserEarth [dot] org

[abe3443]

When was this shot? He's our modern Benjamin Franklin.

[Legris80]

To all you designers of the future:

Read Cradle 2 Cradle, the book he co-wrote, it's a very inspiring, eye-opening and hope-giving must read

[benjis007]

really great. i never thought of putting greenery and farming on rooftop and it looks amazing. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I would love to help.

[jamesbreedthelove]

jesus this guy is smart

[SteveWrathall]

Who's volunteering to scrape the shit and dead bodies out of the building that is an "asset" to birds?

[sacapiloa]

whoever is currently doing it right now in the field the city is going to be in... oh wait, thats the point, you wont have to.

[martyyyyyyyyyy]

Great idea. But will it work?

[garethblake450]

exceptional. Inspiring. Almost brought me to tears. Green roofs are truly, truly incredible.

Thankyou

[reivilo]

fast but good!