Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things

Chapter 5 examines the value of “diversity,” defined broadly, and its impact on eco-effectiveness. The authors write that when life began on the planet, biological life arose from the smallest possible organism in an otherwise “blank” universe: “When faced with blankness, nature rises to fill in the space” (118). The authors see this as an indicator that, per the laws of nature, diversity—or “a flowering of abundance” (118)—is key to nature’s design strategy.

Yet, despite the fact that diversity has played a critical role in the successes of human evolution, modern man takes a uniform “one-size-fits-all” approach to many issues of design and modern manufacturing, forcing conformity to one particular vision. As the authors put it: “The current design response of humans to this framework might be called ‘attack of the one-size-fits-all.’ Layers of concrete and asphalt obliterate forests, deserts, coastal marshes, jungles—everything in their path” (119). In this culture, the authors see “monotony” and a number of other negative consequences: “The monotony spreads and spreads, overwhelming the details of place in its path. What it seems to seek is simply more of itself” (119). This strategy has had disastrous effects on the environment and industry alike.

The authors find that, in the natural world, adaptability is key to a species’ survival. This is the very essence of evolutionary biology. The authors add to this concept by saying that, it is not just the “fittest” who survive, but the “fitting-est” (120), as well. They define “fitting-est” as having an “energetic and material engagement with place, and an interdependent relationship to it” (120). In other words, beings who adapt and match their environment are best suited to thrive.

Bringing it back to diversity, the authors see that embracing “fitting-est” helps humanity be more diverse: “The more diversity there is, the more productive functions—for the ecosystem, for the planet—are performed” (122).

It follows then that “all sustainability is local” (123). Connecting to local material and energy flows necessitates that we are connected to our environment and see ourselves as part of an interdependent whole. To make this point, the authors discuss an example from McDonough’s travels to the country of Jordan, in which he helped construct sustainable buildings in one community there. The structures were built around the temperature, resources, and needs of that particular community. McDonough describes the logic behind his thinking: “The question that helped to guide the team’s work at every level was: What is the right thing for this place? Or prefabricated elements, or mastery of the landscape with a universal modern style, they concluded” (124).

Using local materials and connecting to natural energy flows are cornerstones of McDonough and Braungart’s industrial and design philosophy. They discuss examples from around the world where “creative approaches to capturing local energy flows are still very much alive” (129). For example, the authors discuss an aboriginal tribe on the coast of Australia that has learned to harness their very windy locale so that wind is their primary source of energy. From a universal perspective, all of humanity is connected to the sun for energy: “In the long run, connecting to natural energy flows is a matter of reestablishing our fundamental connection to the source of all good growth on the planet: the sun, that tremendous nuclear power plant 93 million miles away (exactly where we want it)” (131).

The authors offer their thoughts on and provide examples of ways to optimize energy production and use, in which diversity plays a key role. They recommend “diverse energy flows” (132), based on the locale. A factory in India may not have the same access to solar energy as one in Scotland. A diverse range of eco-effective sources of energy must be considered, and they must be tied to the location. Fossil fuels are dwindling, so humans do need to consider other sources of energy: “Just imagine the robust benefits of having a new wind-turbine industry that produces home-grown hydrogen for our pipelines and vehicles instead of being forced to rely on politically and physically fragile oil shipped in supertankers from halfway around the world” (138).

Further promoting diversity, the authors recommend looking outside the “on-size-fits-all” approach to industry and design in favor of a “mass customization” option: “Instead of promoting a one-size fits-all aesthetic, industries can design in the potential for ‘mass’ customization, allowing packaging and products to be adapted to local tastes and traditions without compromising the integrity of the product” (141).

The authors also examine the human element of pleasure that comes from embracing diversity: “When diversity in nature’s design framework, human design solutions that do not respect it degrade the ecological and cultural fabric of our lives, and greatly diminish enjoyment and delight” (143). Diversity of information is also important to the authors: “Respecting diversity means widening the scope of input too, to embrace a broader range of ecological and social contexts and a longer temporal framework as well” (145). They talk about the struggle of working with both environmentalists and industrialists in their firm. They embrace both perspectives, which confounds some of their colleagues who ask:“How can you work with them?” (149). However, the authors see both perspectives as equally important to enriching their beliefs.

The chapter concludes with the authors providing a vision of the future in which, if diversity is embraced, humanity is abundant and prosperous: “And there can be many of us and the things we make, because we have the right systems—a creative, prosperous, intelligent, and fertile system—and, like the ants, we will be ‘effective’” (156).