Intersect

Purposeful Young Professionals

Cradle to Cradle Design

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This is a place where individuals and groups can be in communication around imagining and designing what a good future would be like, rather than one trying to be a little less bad.

Members: 112
Latest Activity: May 12

Intention and design chemistry for good, not for less harm.

If sustainability is a thin line, with the thinking that humans are 'separate from nature', causing less harm and efficiency on linear processes on one side, and a humans part of nature, a restorative approach, effective healthy cyclical systems on the other...

Can we move ourselves and our systems across the line?

What causes an idea whose time has come?

Design as a way of approaching the world rather than a discipline. This forum is therefore open to all- who want play play a role in growing good.

As some introduction to Cradle to Cradle:

The term has been popularised by Bill McDonough and Michael Braungart through their book of the same name and their work.

Michael Braungart's spoke at the 2008 Better By Design Summit in Auckland to over 300 executives. To watch his talk click here. You can also see media coverage including interview of speakers including Janine Benyus (Biomimicry) at the Summit on this google document.

Bill McDonough has a great 20min TED talk that Nick has already posted up in intersect's videos.

Click below to see the write up of the Better By Design Summit by the 5 young designers/citizens that Intersect helped get there with the support from Better By Design and Interface Carpets.
Better by Design CEO Summit Intersect Writeup.pdf

Some languaging to explore:
Wordle - Cradle to Cradle Terminology.pdf

This is a place to explore these concepts, where we might see them taking hold in NZ.

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Comment by Carl Chenery on February 28, 2013 at 17:04: Hi Cradle to Cradle friends,

For your interest: Bill McDonough & Michael Braungart have a new book coming our in April this year:

'The Upcycle- Beyond Sustainability - Designing for Abundance"

http://www.bookdepository.com/Upcycle-William-McDonough/9780865477483

Comment by margaret malita kwok on September 24, 2012 at 16:37: After a philosophical conversation about Permaculture, packaging design and cradle to cradle with my friend kama, she sent me this link.

Some pretty inspiring solutions...although I don't feel inspired by the coca cola one particularly, but check out the polystyrene alternative that is grown in situ with mycelium!

http://www.conservationmagazine.org/2012/06/repacking-the-future/

Comment by Carl Chenery on May 30, 2012 at 20:42: I have posted a video on the circular economy in the videos section here.

This is from a good UK org doing some 'rethinking of the future', and promoting the notion of a circular economy:

www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org

Comment by Carl Chenery on June 24, 2011 at 15:30: Hi NZ C2Cers,

There is a Green Chemistry Expo in Tauranga next Week Tues-Thurs with an opening night on Tuesday.

On enquiring to Gavin (one of the organisers) in relation to Cradle to Cradle, his response is below.

If you're in town, worth checking out or if you know others who are, do one of the links on.

Cheers,

Carl

- This is a green chemistry expo not a cradle to cradle expo, (perhaps that will be my next project). There are many consistencies between the principles of Green chemistry and the ideas behind c2c. The 12 Green Chemistry principles are a road map or check list for those developing materials and therefore form part of the tool kit we will need to create a c2c world.
- I hope you can come along Carl and see some examples of Green Chemistry making c2c come to life, waste = food, up-cycling and where bio materials are cleaning water ways.
- Come along and you will also have the opportunity to contribute to one of the great restorative projects in the Bay of Plenty. Entry is by gold coin donation benefiting the Otanewainuku Kiwi trust. We have just fledged our first Kokako chick, that alone is worth the price of entry.
Have a great weekend
Gavin

Comment by Sam Rye on February 10, 2011 at 23:07: Hi team,

Just wondering if we have any C2C designers amongst the members?

I really want to talk to you!

Cheers,

S

Comment by Elizabeth Connor on January 25, 2011 at 16:26: Oh and Carl, I think the MacDiarmid Institute's student group MESA would be a really good connection to make. It is full of young scientists looking for opportunities and they are very interested in collaboration and connecting with the community. I'm in touch with them so if you or anyone else would like introducing I'd be very happy to.

Comment by Elizabeth Connor on January 25, 2011 at 16:17: It's very encouraging to see that paper. Thanks for posting it Carl.

I've recently been investigating research in the science community that might be relevant to Cradle to Cradle design. There is such a lot of exciting research being done in the MacDiarmid Institute especially in the area of biomimicry - copying Nature's design techniques at a very very small scale. Bill Williams, for example, is studying the ways that molecules in biological materials like leaves and fruit interact to find ways of making bio-materials that break down after they are used, enrich the environment and take hardly any energy to produce.

What I'm discovering is that the relationships between scientists, designers, ecologists, entrepreneurs etc. just don't exist. So this brilliant research tends to remain in the lab.

In the last couple of weeks a physicist friend Elf and I have been hatching plans for a podcast that lets people like us know what research is happening and what could be useful. We're planning to focus on nanotechnology (small stuff) and biomimicry (learning from Nature) in particular. The target audience is purposeful young professionals (us). We'll explore the significance of new science for our environment, culture and community and tell new stories about how science, design, environment and business can go together. Our mission is to evoke a sense of childlike wonder and curiosity as we take listeners on a journey into the beautiful unknown worlds that lie deep inside every object that surrounds us...

We have a website to start with - although it's very much in draft-phase. We should have the first edition ready in the next month or two. When we do I would love to put it out to you for feedback. Since Intersectors are the target audience and nanotech and biomimicry can be tricky to communicate I would really love your help in getting it right.

And I hope it will help in supporting and connecting those wanting to take further steps on C2C in NZ..

Comment by Carl Chenery on January 23, 2011 at 18:48: Good to see this paper done in NZ on feasibility of Cradle to Cradle Design principles in New Zealand- done at UofA and AUT.

How can we encourage, support and connect up those wanting to take further steps on C2C in NZ?

Comment by Carl Chenery on October 18, 2010 at 16:24: Hi Phil,
Not sure of the pick up here in NZ.
McDonough and Braungart still working with groups quite a bit- there have now been principles drawn up for the built environment, and with the support of Gov Schwarzenegger, a Cradle to Cradle Product Innovation Institute has been launched in Calfornia.
Am yet to see separate biological and technical nutrients as the basis for thinking about design. or are there places here in Aotearoa where this is being advanced?