Dozens of advancements in areas from biomimcry, to
cradle-to-cradle design, green building, nanotechnology, 3D printing, energy harvesting, and sustainable development are emerging and the instances of companies investing in new methods of dealing with water and materials shortages are becoming more common.
If you know anything about
cradle-to-cradle design, you will understand that we shouldn't have to give up our fancy materials and heavy wall packaging to be sustainable.
E Magazine: What is Cradle-to-Cradle design, and how does it differ from recycling?
Braungart: Cradle-to-Cradle design means that, instead of minimizing damage, we create positively.
Ultimately, however, our
cradle-to-cradle design strategy is focused not simply on being "less bad" but on creating completely healthful materials that can be either safely returned to the soil or reused by industry again and again.
Last fall, the agency's Office of Solid Waste partnered with McDonough, Braungart Design Chemistry to host a
Cradle-to-Cradle Design Challenge, the results of which were presented at the PackExpo Trade Show in Las Vegas.
To test for sustainability, Shaw uses the
Cradle-to-Cradle Design Protocol, a third-party system created by designer William McDonough and German chemist Michael Braungart.
The
cradle-to-cradle design frame work allows the carpet at the end of its life cycle to be remade into carpet.
A recognized leader in environmental stewardship, Shaw has implemented hundreds of sustainability initiatives and
cradle-to-cradle design solutions, collectively termed the Shaw Green Edge.
Cradle-to-cradle design involves learning from nature through "biomimicry," an effort to design "buildings like trees, cities like forests.
The realisation that recycling and
cradle-to-cradle design can enhance the benefits of smart buildings by making them zero waste and zero energy bodes well for a safer and healthier environment devoid of carbon pollution and will help maintain robust market growth.
