William McDonough on China EcoCities

A TED Talk where William McDonough speaks about flaws in our usage of designs, and goes on to introduce his new design for cities and communities in China.

Just prior in this clip, McDonough uses his incredible way with words to emphasize just how much we can learn from the ‘design’ of trees, especially with respect to architecture and civil planning:

“Imagine this design project:

Design something that makes oxygen, sequesters carbon, fixes nitrogen, distills water, provides habitat for hundred of species, accrues solar energy as fuel, makes complex sugars and food, creates microclimates, changes colors with the seasons, and self replicates.

Yeah…Why don’t we knock that down and write on it…”

Check out the entire Ted Talk here.

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Published:: February 15, 2008 / 3:38 pm

Category:: Uncategorized

Tags:: architecture, China, cradle to cradle, ecocities, TED, William McDonough

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After attending school for Economics & Business, I was fortunate enough to hook up with several mentors willing to take me under their wing and open my eyes to a world of business, collaboration and game-changing innovation.

And while doing business in China, developing products for souks in Abu Dhabi and working on a startup right here in Toronto would be great additions for anybody’s resume, I am most grateful for the couple of CEOs and the one-of-a-kind Consultant who have shown & allowed me to think differently and make a real impact. The fact that I’ll likely never use that resume is my biggest indicator that I’m on the right path to an exciting and rewarding career.

The Kev Blog celebrates those principles: entrepreneurship, innovation, creativity, freedom, collaboration, and youth. A collection of articles for CEOs looking to keep ‘in the loop’, and for young renegades on a mission to show us the next disruptive company or technology that will change the world.

I believe there should be young people contributing and influencing decisions at the top of every organization, that age is a state of mind and that the most successful organizations in a game-changing world will be those which embrace youth and collaboration.

This is The Kev Blog – a collection of game-changing ideas.

-Kevin Morris

Email: kevin.paul.morris[at]gmail.com

Twitter: kmorr

Skype: kevinpaulmorris

Corrina McFarlane 5.8.08 / 2am

Bill McDonough’s “Imagine this design project:” is my favorite quote of all time in relation to trees. It perfectly drives home the reality that using trees for paper is an outmoded practice. It prevails only because we inherited our paper mill infrastructure from a bygone age, and to make the shift requires a hefty capital investment. Nevertheless, the first place the shift has to occur is in the mind; the more people grasp the complex service that trees provide us, the sooner our pulp mill facilities will reflect our broader understanding.

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William McDonough on China EcoCities

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