Our Throw Away Culture

Nearly 90% of the materials used in conventional manufactured goods in up in landfills, turning billions of dollars worth of material assets into costly, potentially harmful liabilities. The industrialized world has become better at manufacturing waste than making products.

In the book, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, William McDonough and Michael Braungart point out two fundamental problems in the way we have designed products.

1. We design products to thrown "away" when, in fact, there is no "away". The Earth is a finite, closed, living system. Our cradle-to-grave designs are affecting the health of our planet.
   
2. We use material and chemicals that are unsafe and harmful to ourselves and our environment.
   

Wouldn't it be great if this would lead to a new sustainable industrial revolution?

Here is a great video of William McDonough speaking at the TED Conference.