Cradle to Cradle

[bagtagley]

As a graduate student, I'm required to attend a certain number of assigned lectures and seminars throughout the semester. The vast majority of these things are boring beyond belief. Typically their only saving grace is free food and beverages.

Well, I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by William McDonough today. He wrote the book Cradle to Cradle w/ a chemist that he works with. The guy is an architect, but his focus is on what he calls eco-effectiveness. He had a funny point about sustainability, saying that it wasn't enough. His analogy was, in a marriage you don't strive for sustainability, it goes beyond that. He's a business man through and through, but therein lies his apparent effectiveness. He's finding ways to make companies money in a way that is profitable, environmentally sound and efficient (a word he was hesitant to use).

One thing I found interesting was his view on growth. His point was that you have to find a middle ground. Growth (in all forms) is inevitable, so you have to find positive, equitable, environmental ways to support that growth. I'll probably get his book just to get the full view. It was a really compelling lecture, so I thought I'd share.

http://www.mcdonough.com/

[Oarhead]

As a grad student I have been conditioned in a manner not unlike pavlov's dogs or budgies. If the lights dim and there is a projector on, I am asleep in no time. It doesn't matter if it is interesting, I am asleep or doing the headbob. This is too bad since I would like to attend interesting talks like this and retain something beyond the first 5 minutes.

[bagtagley]

As a grad student I have been conditioned in a manner not unlike pavlov's dogs or budgies. If the lights dim and there is a projector on, I am asleep in no time. It doesn't matter if it is interesting, I am asleep or doing the headbob. This is too bad since I would like to attend interesting talks like this and retain something beyond the first 5 minutes.

He opened with a joke that must've been enough to catch my attention. Otherwise I'd be the same way.

Our department consists primarily of economists, so that's the type of lectures we are usually assigned. Talk about nodding off. That stuff's better'n sleeping pills.