Cradle to CradleRemaking the Way We Make Things
In my personal must-reads list. The only book I've read besides Biomimicry that has a bold enough vision of the future of design.
The section “Consider the Cherry Tree” in the chapter “Eco-Effectiveness” is more poignant than it knows. It constructs a straw man that might see waste, inefficiency and mess when it looks at the blossoms and fruit dropped by the tree. New York City, leading what would be the policy of many American cities in the mid-20th Century, made a policy of only planting male street trees. This has had many unforeseen consequences, including the spike of allergies found in cities which is due to over-pollination by the all-male tree stock.
Citation
William McDonough & Michael Braugart. Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things. New York, NY: North Point Press, 2002. Printed Book.