I truly commend William McDonough and Michael Braungart on their optimistic vision. I like to think of myself as an optimist as well when it comes to matters of the environment. I’d like to believe we can get everybody on board this revolution in time to save the planet. Reading Cradle to Cradle has provided me with insight I’ve never thought of before. I don’t normally put my faith in technology, and would rather rely on a “consume-less, waste-less, need-less” mindset when it comes to my environmental views. However in our capitalist, and oftentimes stubborn, society, this is nearly impossible. Working capitalism into greening our country by providing manufacturers with ideas to remake the way we make things is brilliant.

When I told my father I wanted to concentrate in Environmental Policy in college he said “green is very ‘in’ right now” . . . and he’s right. People who never in their life used a recycling can are cooking up ways to make a dollar on green solutions. This is why I think McDonough and Braungart’s theories will absolutely work. For example, a very conservative, very NON-environmentally friendly friend of mine one day proposed the idea of starting a company which assisted companies in going green. A sort of liaison company that did all the green work for other companies, so they can reap the benefits of going green. Needless to say, this was shocking to me. I was, of course, in full support of his decision, but couldn’t understand why he had conjured it up.

My friend is a business major, and business majors are concerned with one thing: money. Offering practical steps on how to innovate in today’s economic environment allows the re-invention of the human industry. The attitude McDonough and Braungart take is “We have created this mess, now we can create a solution.” It is very inspiring to say the least, and offers a sense of hope for a future of sustaining prosperity.