Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things

Paper or plastic? Neither, say William McDonough and Michael Braungart. Why settle for the least harmful alternative when we could have something that is better--say, edible grocery bags! In Cradle to Cradle, the authors present a manifesto calling for a new industrial revolution, one that would render both traditional manufacturing and traditional environmentalism obsolete. Recycling, for instance, is actually "downcycling," creating hybrids of biological and technical "nutrients" which are then unrecoverable and unusable. The authors, an architect and a chemist, want to eliminate the concept of waste altogether, while preserving commerce and allowing for human nature. They offer several compelling examples of corporations that are not just doing less harm--they're actually doing some good for the environment and their neighborhoods, and making more money in the process. Cradle to Cradle is a refreshing change from the intractable environmental conflicts that dominate headlines. It's a handbook for 21st-century innovation and should be required reading for business hotshots and environmental activists. --Therese Littleton

• The Upcycle: Beyond Sustainability--Designing for Abundance
• Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution
• The Global Business Environment: Challenges and Responsibilities
• The Ecology of Commerce Revised Edition: A Declaration of Sustainability (Collins Business Essentials)
• Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things (New Report)
• The Story of Stuff: The Impact of Overconsumption on the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health-And How We Can Make It Better
• Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature
• Towards a New Architecture (Dover Architecture)
• Sustainable Commercial Interiors
• The Philosophy of Sustainable Design