“I believe we can accomplish great and profitable things within a new conceptual framework—one that values our legacy, honors diversity, and feeds ecosystems and societies . . . It is time for designs that are creative, abundant, prosperous, and intelligent from the start.”

William McDonough is a world-renowned architect and designer and winner of three U.S. presidential awards: the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development (1996), the National Design Award (2004); and the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award (2003). Time magazine recognized him as a "Hero for the Planet" in 1999, stating that "his utopianism is grounded in a unified philosophy that—in demonstrable and practical ways—is changing the design of the world."

Mr. McDonough is the founding principal of William McDonough + Partners, Architecture and Community Design, an internationally recognized design firm practicing ecologically, socially, and economically intelligent architecture and planning in the U.S. and abroad. He is also the cofounder and principal, with German chemist Michael Braungart, of McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC), which employs a comprehensive Cradle to Cradle design protocol to chemical benchmarking, supply-chain integration, energy and materials assessment, clean-production qualification, and sustainability issue management and optimization.

William McDonough's new book, written with his colleague, the German chemist Michael Braungart, is a manifesto calling for the transformation of human industry through ecologically intelligent design. Through historical sketches on the roots of the industrial revolution; commentary on science, nature and society; descriptions of key design principles; and compelling examples of innovative products and business strategies already reshaping the marketplace, McDonough and Braungart make the case that an industrial system that "takes, makes and wastes" can become a creator of goods and services that generate ecological, social and economic value.

In addition to describing the hopeful, nature-inspired design principles that are making industry both prosperous and sustainable, the book itself is a physical symbol of the changes to come. It is printed on a synthetic 'paper,' made from plastic resins and inorganic fillers, designed to look and feel like top quality paper while also being waterproof and rugged. And the book can be easily recycled in localities with systems to collect polypropylene, like that in yogurt containers. This 'treeless' book points the way toward the day when synthetic books, like many other products, can be used, recycled, and used again without losing any material quality—in cradle-to-cradle cycles.

William McDonough’s photographs showcase the first Cradle to Cradle Certified greeting cards. Certified by MBDC as a “Technical Nutrient,” these cards are designed to flow safely through multiple life cycles.

Each card comes with a unique two-way return postage-paid envelope that allows its constituent materials to be safely reused rather than discarded. Both the cards and the envelopes are made from a Certified Technical Nutrient plastic material. Cards returned using the self-mailing envelope will be used by Shaw Carpet as raw material for new carpet tiles.

Order a set of greeting cards >>

Learn more about Cradle to Cradle Certification >>

The New Dimensions World Broadcasting Network presents "The Monticello Dialogues", a CD set containing six hours of host Michael Toms's interviews with William McDonough. In this extended set of discussions McDonough describes his vision for a cradle-to-cradle future and how it is beginning to come about.

To learn more or to purchase the CD set, visit the New Dimensions website.

"Anyone interested in the future of the planetary ecosystem and how it's possible to create sustainablity and abundance simultaneously need to listen to Bill McDonough. He is visioning outside the box and, indeed, is reinventing the box."

While some environmental observers predict scenarios in which a rapidly increasing human population is forced to compete for ever scarcer natural resources, Bill McDonough and Michael Braungart see an exciting and hopeful future. In their vision, humanity takes nature itself as our guide, reinventing technical enterprises to be as safe and ever-renewing as natural processes. It's part of what architect McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart call The Next Industrial Revolution.

The Next Industrial Revolution is a 55-minute videotape about the movement McDonough and Braungart are leading to bring together commerce and ecology to change the world. Shot in Europe and the United States, the video explores how businesses are transforming themselves to work with nature and enhance profitability.

	“THE NEXT INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION is one of the most informative, brilliant and hopeful films about the transformation of industrial and economic activities . . . By showcasing the visionary philosophy and unprecedented work of Bill McDonough with outstanding colleagues and a variety of society's most influential institutions, the film is a critical educational vehicle for changing our collective mindset to achieve these goals.”
	Anthony Cortese, Sc.D. President, Second Nature, Inc.

William McDonough
700 East Jefferson Street
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902
phone: 434 979 1111
facsimile: 434 979 1112