About episode
William “Bill” McDonough pioneered the green architecture field, creating buildings that create more energy than they use, clean their own air and water, and create habitats for native wildlife. His book and work on the “Cradle to Cradle” approach spread the idea that waste equals food, helping to spark the circular economy movement.
Bill has won two presidential awards and was recognized by Time Magazine as a hero for the planet. Fortune ranked him #24 of the world’s 50 greatest leaders. He brings sage wisdom and poetry to this conversation. Are you ready to push the boundaries of your thinking?
In Today’s Episode, we cover:
- [3:29] A unified philosophy that is changing the design of the world
- [10:48] The balance between humility and ambition in design
- [11:40] How the climate movement has evolved
- [16:05] The tools Bill is using today
- [19:36] Net zero is a good place to start
- [23:56] Tangible steps you can take to make a difference
- [26:07] Design is the first signal of human intention
- [33:34] How do you get new ideas to spread?
A unified philosophy that is changing the design of the world
Bill’s philosophy is discovering the obvious: nature. It has the element of surprise—but it shouldn’t. Bill wanted to design buildings like trees. He states that it’s negative entropy—it is creating order out of chaos, which it’s beautiful. It honors the laws of nature itself. Life is diverse and beautiful.
As a child, if you went to a beach covered in pebbles, you’d get on your knees, collect, and organize the stones. Maybe you put some in your pocket. It’s the same with seashells. But if you enter a gravel quarry, you don’t say “Wow! I like this piece of crushed gravel more than this piece of crushed rock.” It’s not inherently beautiful. Nature has a tough time being ugly. His philosophy is the search for the beautiful. Then he incorporates it into design.
Incorporating the circular economy into design
Has nature’s design always been in play? Bill points out that nature doesn’t have a design problem—humans do. He shares, “The first job of an architect is to change the way we see. Then we rearrange the furniture. Then we build.”
Bill sees the world as a regenerative biosphere. Things go back to the natural world powered by the sun. Then we have the circular technosphere—objects of human utility (i.e. products as a service). You buy a washing machine for the service it provides. You don’t buy it for the aluminum, steel, rubber, or glass. You get it to wash clothes.
What happens when you get to the end of life? We put human projections on inanimate objects and say “The washing machine has reached the end of its life cycle.” If it’s at its end of use—what is its next use? That’s the circular economy and the question everyone must consider.
Net-zero is a good place to start
Bill points out that people that are trying to be “less bad” aren’t necessarily being good. If you’re being less bad, you’re still bad. He questions—Is it our intention to poison rivers? Is it our intention to destroy ecosystems? If you intend to do that, we’re doing great. If it’s not part of your plan, it’s your de facto plan. As a designer, Bill believes it is his job to get up and posit another solution. You set goals based on your values and create value.
He notes that you also have to be aware of the fallacy of offsets. If you’re adding renewable power to the mix, it’s great. But it doesn’t make you net-zero because of what you do release into the environment. Can you imagine doing led emissions offsets for kids in Flint? Climate issues are justice issues.
The hard part is to realize that little things matter. They add up to big things. The real question is, “How can you do more good?” The best thing to do is be generous and say, “How can I help?” We all share the same goal. How do you choose food? How do you choose packaging? How do you choose a car? Bill’s wish is that you’d move from a timeful mindlessness to a timeless mindfulness. It will show up in your work and your lifestyle. It will change the way you think.
Listen to the whole episode to learn more about how Bill is “Waging peace through commerce by design.”
Resources & People Mentioned
Connect with William McDonough
Connect With Jason Rissman
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