For Cradle to Cradle book group: enter your reading homework for the first three questions here (and enter the last response on your topic page).
| 3/2 | 3/9 | 3/16 | 3/23 | 3/30 |
| Intro, Ch 1 (p. 44) | Ch 2 & 3 (p. 91) | Ch 4 (p. 117) | Ch 5 (p. 156) | Ch 6 (p. 186) |
- Explain how one idea in the reading relates to other topics already covered in class or something you learned elsewhere (another class or life experience).
- List what you think are the three to five most important points made in the reading.
- Write a question to provoke discussion among others who read the same passage.
March 28, 2009 at 11:52 am
Homework for March 30, 2009
1. The second step to eco-effectiveness is “Follow informed personal preferences.”
Life experiences have taught me it’s the little decisions and changes each of us implement every day make a huge difference. Your preferences and choices may not be mine, but each of us doing something is the impetus for sweeping change and global impact.
2. Main Points
2.1 The Five Steps To Eco-Effectiveness
2.2 The Five Guiding Principles (Signal Your Intention, Restore, Be Ready To Innovate Further, Understand and prepare for the learning curve, Exert Intergenerational Responsibility.)
2.3 “Transformation to an eco-effective vision doesn’t happen all at once, and it requires plenty of trial-and-error — and time, effort, money and creativity expended in many directions.”
3. Using The Five Steps To Eco-Effectiveness and The Five Guiding Principles, how can I educate my closest family and friends on the easiest actions to more sustainable living?
March 27, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Biomimicry was mentioned in this weeks reading. McDonough & Braungart quote Biologist Stephen Jay Gould to bring up the point that biological structures maintain “extra” materials in their genomes, and this is what becomes available for the evolution of new form and functions. The authors insist this capacity must exist within companies as well–they must allow room for innovation and experimentation.
Main Points:
There are five steps to Eco-Effectiveness:
1. Get “free of” known culprits (stop using substances with known harmful effects, especially if alternatives exist).
2. Follow informed personal preferences (make the best with what we have, and pick the one you feel best about).
- Prefer ecological intelligence (be as sure as you can that products you use do not harm the environment).
- Prefer respect (respect for those who make the product, for the communities near where it is made, for those who handle and transport it, and ultimately for the customer).
3. Create a “passive positive” list (go beyond existing readily availbe information as to the contents of a given product and find out what products lead in positive environmental consequences–tell your friends).
4. Activate the positive list (stop trying to be less bad and start trying to be more good).
5. Reinvent.
Question:
What can we do to help all creatures of the world fare well in the future of the world?
March 23, 2009 at 6:07 pm
intro and chapter one…. sorry these are all coming late i just purchased internet and cable
times are rough.
Intro and chapter 1
a. Explain how one idea in the reading relates to other topics already covered in class or something you learned. Elsewhere (another class or life experience).
b. List what you think are the three to five most important points made in the reading.
c. Write a question to provoke discussion among others who read the same passage.
The introduction and first chapter on the book briefs us on how we got to the economic and environmental situation we are in present day. The first chapter and intro also talk about redesigning the way things are made today. This chapter resonates with me because I want to study perm culture and I want to redesign the way people live they’re lives and build they’re homes.
Main point 1: scientific community is usually paid to study problems not solutions so when a solution is found funding stop and scientist don’t get paid. This scares me because these scientist need to make a living and they might possibly omit answers to bid problems for fear of not being able to support their family.
Main point 2: more than 90% of materials extracted to make durable goods become waste almost immediately (packaging, paper towels, etc).
Main point 3: one size does not fit all. You cannot have a universal design system because every environment and location is different and what works best for one does not work best for all.
i do not have a question but more something to think about and check out the reprap is a machine someone told me about that you can create parts or w.e you want from recycled bottles and plastics for your home and recreate the pieced required for a printer, or spoon, or for your bicycle don’t know too much about it but imagine a world where we all had access to that. do you think people would over produce and it would’nt be a savior at all or could this be a soluton to creating things with multiple lives? dont knwo if how i wrote that made sense. http://reprap.org/bin/view/Main/WebHome check it out
March 23, 2009 at 5:58 pm
the title of this chapter is respect diversity. this not only means biodiversity but also diversity of people and places. i was thinking what the words respect diversity mean to me and it reminded me of where i grew miami florida, although not the greatest place in the world it it truly diverse! people from all over the world with completely totally different cultures living out their lives together in unison. if those people would gather indiginouse ideas and adopt some of they’re classic ways of living they would have some wonderful secrets to offer and benefit the american people because really united states is so young compared to the rest of the countries in the world it has no ancient of wisdom of the natural world.
main points.
1. fitest survive, fitting-est thrive.
2. we begin to make human systems and industries fitting when we recognize that all sustainability is local.
3. we can design systems that regulate themselves, instead of using nature as a tool for human purpose we can strive to become tools of nature to serve its agenda.
how can we convince people or motivate people to understand and make the neccesary changes required to live a more diverse functioning system?
March 23, 2009 at 5:32 pm
In class we talked briefly about waste management. The present chapter discusses what it calls “living machines” that can be used to purify water. They are made up plants, algae, fish, shrimp, microbes and so on. Living machines can replace mechanical models of sewage treatment and water purification without the use of toxins like chlorine.
Main Points:
1. Living machines are a better alternative to the use of toxins for water purification.
2. Connecting to natural energy flows is a matter of reestablishing our fundamental connecting ot the source of all good growth on the planet.
3. Ecology, Economy and Equity are three fundamental things that need to be considered up front as a “triple top line” rather than turning to them after the fact.
Question:
Would you support the replacement of the Bay street water treatment plant with a living machine?
March 23, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Homework for March 23, 2009
The title of the assigned chapter is “Respect Diversity.” Succinctly, this chapter explains the importance of diversity and I see an excellent model of this in our class. Each person is confident that s/he can express opinions, make their unique contribution and the whole is enriched by it.
Main points:
1. “The vitality of eco systems depends on relationships: what goes on between species, their uses and exchanges of materials and energy in a given place. A tapestry is the metaphor often invoked to describe diversity, a richly textured web of individual species woven together with interlocking tasks. In such a setting, diversity means strength, and monoculture means weakness.” Page 121
2. “… bioinvasion, when transfer of materials from one region to another inadvertently introduces invasive nonnative species to fragile ecosystems.” Page 125
3. “With new technologies and brute force energy supplies, the Industrial Revolution gave humans unprecedented power over nature.” Page 128
Question:
How can we shift our thinking from the perceived threat of diversity to benefiting from — and incorporating — diversity just as nature does?
March 16, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Post Number 3.
In this part of the reading they mentioned how Egypt no longer has thriving agriculture because they dammed the waterway that was bringing all the nutritious silt to the valley. They then built houses where the silt normally collected. This is what many developers are doing in California today because it is easier to build on agricultural nutrient rich land. We are losing our best soil to the bottoms of houses.
Main Points:
1. We have overworked our soils by forcing them to produce more crops than they naturally would.
2. There needs to be complete separation between biological and technical products. If we don’t keep them pure then they become modified and weaker.
3. We need our waste to be good so we can use it as “food” for future products.
Question:
How can we transition from a throwaway cycle to a closed loop cycle??
March 15, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Post Number Two.
In this section of reading Michael tells the story of the forbidden cherry tree in Hannover, Germany. A group of neighbors wanted to brighten up their neighborhood by planting a cherry tree. There were denied permission to do so though. The city was more concerned about the liability of children getting injured while climbing the tree or slipping on a fallen cherry than what it would do for the neighborhood. I find it sad that the city would deny the neighbors a tree that would provide fruit and a home for birds. I feel our society can be too focused on liability instead of doing what’s right.
Main Points:
1. Planting native grasses on rooftops is a great way to utilize rain water, produce O2 and insulate a home. It is also visually appealing to the community.
2. Recycled products have good intentions but can often be worse than the “virgin” product. It is combining many products that weren’t meant to be mixed creating a weaker product that often has added toxins.
3. Eco-efficiency vs Eco-effectiveness. Eco-efficiency can be dangerous because you are trying to use less when maybe you shouldn’t. Trying to save energy by circulating air throughout a building less is an example of this because the air in the building is full of toxins from the crude products used in the building. The toxins need to be filtered out. Eco-efficiency is asking why are these products even being used?? We should be creating products that are safe for humans and the environment; efficient products.
Question:
How can we use nature as a model for designing more efficient products that are less detrimental to humans and the biosphere??
March 15, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Post Number One.
In class we discussed how terrible factory conditions can be. In Cradle to Cradle they gave an example of a chromium extraction factory in Europe. Anyone employed at this factory is over 50 because it takes around 20 years for cancer to develop from chromium exposure. Maybe we should look for a different solution??
Main Points:
1. Manufacturers want to create a product as quickly and cheaply as possible so that the consumer will keep coming back for more. Once their five dollar radio breaks they’re gonna need a new one!
2. We should be treating fossil fuels like a savings account. We should be using other forms of energy for our basic needs and saving fossil fuels for a rainy day.
3. Products that are designed to simply meet regulations and not human and ecological health are inelegant and unintelligent.
Question:
What changes can industry make so that products are designed for the health of both humans and the planet??