• • 06 November 2016
  • 
  •  Kubai Koigi
• Architecture , Articles Books & Magazines , Opinion , Shelfie ,

Africa is known to be the cradle of mankind as evidenced from the archeological findings in Koobi Fora and Meroe. This goes to state that the continent itself is to serve as a point of reference going forward, the book cradle to cradle, takes a multi-disciplinary approach to sustainability where the origin and life of a product is well thought through. The Authors, William McDonough is a trained and practicing architect and designer and other half is Michael Braungart a Chemical engineer by profession.

The book questions the very process of coming up with common day products, the book argues that the process is a key determinant in coming up with sustainable products and processes. The authors pose that the process, is a key determinant in coming up with sustainable product.

This way of thinking is not only noble in its cause but also quite intentional in eliminating the concept of planned obsolescence where products have limited useful lives thus promoting product sales. The authors are keen on bringing the pint home through the physical book as a prototype. The book is not printed on paper. It has been printed on plastic resins and inorganic fillers and bound into a book. This product solves long aged questions which wood based books have failed to, such as making a book waterproof, extremely durable without losing ink weight over time and recyclable.

The main reason that drove them into doing this is that they took into consideration that trees play a crucial and multi-faceted role in our interdependent eco-system, as such it is not a fitting resource to use in producing so simple and transient substance as paper for print.
In summary, in the book they describe how waste is generated from most industrial processes, in a cradle to grave system where the ‘reduce, re-use recycle’ mantra is only lessening the damage to the environment.

The system is designed to have waste at the end. It is a fixed philosophy that for man to develop they must damage the environment. The system they are rooting for is cradle to cradle where from the outset, a product is designed that their useful life will produce nourishment for something new, and be it a technical or a biological ingredient. This creates a tight loop cycle, where eco effectiveness is saves time and resources.
Through this book, a challenge has been thrown to us, should we continue trotting on the wasteful path that the industrial revolution has put the west in? Or should we borrow from these insights and take a vector to industrialization without the waste?

Tags: Shelfie Cradle to Cradle William McDonough Books on Africa Architecture in Africa

• • • 

    © Cradle_to cradle_Cover

  • • 

    © Cradle_to cradle_Introduction__2

  • • 

    © Cradle_to cradle_Height

• • • 

    © Cradle_to cradle_Introduction

  • • 

    © Cradle_to cradle_spine