A long while ago, JT Barnhart recommended that I read this book, Cradle to Cradle, and I finally did. The book takes a different spin on just about everything, making you reprogram the way you think. First off, the book is made of plastic, not trees.
I’ve often heard people talk about "Visionaries," but I’ve never used the term myself. Until now. That’s exactly what these guys are (authors William McDonough & Michael Braungart). Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things is basically a book about manufacturing…but it is really so much more.
The basic message throughout the book: Instead of trying to be less bad, or even get to zero (lower/zero emissions), why not toss out the whole plan & try to actually do good? I didn’t get it until I read through the examples, but it is really a completely different direction of thinking.
DesignTex hired these guys to come up with an "environmentally intelligent" upholstery fabric. In the end, they were able to produce something so right, so clean, so green, that the waste water leaving the plant was actually cleaner than the water going in.
All in all, it’s a pretty quick read that might just change your point of view. Request the book from your local library.
GreenBlue has a great section on C2C, really nice actually. Cradle to Cradle Certification is now available, as well.