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It is hard to miss the Green movement that is
growing around us. Jeans, window cleaner, and SUVs are
all bragging about their earth-friendly credentials.
What may not be so obvious is how products compare
when we look at what they come from, where they end
up, and the path they take between.
We could spend weeks researching product life
cycles to see if good environmental stewardship was
used in their design and manufacturing. Or we could
look for the closed-loop logo of Cradle to Cradle
Certification. As caretakers of God's earth, we are
encouraged by this little squiggle and the new
waste-free focus it represents.
Most of us are familiar with the standard trends of
product design, needing replacements just about every
year. Through our spending, we unknowingly supported a
growing dependence on powerful chemicals and fossil
fuels.
Eco-efficiency is a step up; businesses become more
efficient in order to be "less bad". They
use fewer toxins and less energy, minimize resource
waste, and cut pollution.
Yet a major flaw of the system seems to hit us in
the face when products reach the end of their useful
lives and are discarded. We see for ourselves the
short ride products take from cradle to grave. We top
off each landfill and struggle to decide where to open
another one.
Nature's Classroom
Our living earth offers lessons in sustainability.
Natural systems model effective nutrient cycles,
multi-purpose and adapted designs, and the tapping of
the sun's plentiful energy.
Cradle-to-cradle design incorporates these same
ideas. Attention is also given to the packaging, which
is cut back or even cut out, and the design, which is
easy to take apart, if needed, for occasional repairs
or updates.
No product lasts forever, even when (or maybe
"especially" when) it bears an eco-friendly
logo, so it is particularly important that its parts
can be reused or recycled. As in nature, waste becomes
food for another step or branch of the system. Careful
thought is given to ensure that biological nutrients
can safely feed back into nature's cycles. Technical
nutrients are kept in high-quality states and reused
in wellplanned systems through many product life
cycles, theoretically without end.
Step by Step
Industrial leaders are learning the advantage of
sustainable design, creating products that benefit
people without damaging the environment. Workers,
consumers, and other earth residents are happier and
healthier, and the businesses build stronger long-term
relationships with their clientele.
Christian consumers can celebrate the New Year by
finding out more about waste-free cycles and design
and the different levels of Cradle to Cradle
certifications. Check out Cradle to Cradle: Remaking
the Way We Make Things, a book by William McDonough
& Michael Braungart. Their website, MBDC. com, is
another good resource where you can find a listing of
certified products. Step by step our journey continues
for His Creation.
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