Transcript Ethics 3.9 McDonough on Boat for Thoreau

p548 McDonough: “A Boat for Thoreau”
note: Henry Thoreau 1817-62 was an Amercian naturalist and
philosopher. Practiced self-reliance “finding in nature the
basis for life of integrity and spontaneity”. He understood that
we can deeply affect the natural world. He supported only
the ‘right actions’ of governments, he argued for civil
disobedience when government’s actions were wrong.
What does the title mean? An air-conditioned building is just
like an old dirty steamship. Extending that metaphor, we now
need a new “boat” (i.e. new environmental buildings, products
and lifestyles). The 1st industrial revolution did not involve
intentional design for the 7th generation (it was based on
dominion over nature). The “next” industrial revolution is now
here (stewardship and restorative design).
Traditional products were based on: cost, performance,
aesthetics; Now we “must” add: ecology, justice and fun.
We should think in terms of “products-of-consumption,
products-of-service, unmarketable-products”. Don’t think of
consumers, think of customers/people/citizens. “The filters
have to be in our heads.”
Cradle-to-grave environmental assessment is now replaced
by a (Buddhist) cradle-to cradle approach (zero waste,
industrial ecology and especially restorative design)
We thus have a new excellence standard. Fewer regulations
are needed if you have an industrial ecology that profitably
uses its own effluent. Some companies are already doing this.
Some countries have strong laws forcing companies to move
this way. Problem is that globally, customer-citizen’s desires /
tastes/ demands (even needs) and many governments have
not yet forced it.