“Cradle To Cradle” reading summary:

Discusses the industrial revolution and the flaws in the way we thought about the world and resources at the time. New technology and rapid production led to new technologies for transporting, etc creating pollution and using fossil fuels. Changed cities and the world permanently to fit this new way of production. People chased the instant gratification and ignored that these resources are not limitless or replenishing. Our modern industries are still functioning how they did when we had this idea that resources were replenishing, which doesn’t make sense.

“Cradle to grave” is domination manufacturing today. The product itself contains on average 5% of the raw materials involved in production/delivery. Nature’s “industry” has a constantly replenishing energy source (sun), while human manufacturing does not. Products and houses are made without consideration for nature’s beneficial aspects such as the sun, shade, etc. Soon business will have to change their methods, but by then we will have destroyed the earth.

Economic prosperity is measured only by money, not other important factors. Oil spills, car accidents, illnesses and toxic spills raise GDP, etc. Tons of products off-gas poisonous chemicals. Substances are banned in US, but if they come from another country they can be used in US. Bad indoor air quality and chemicals leeching into skin. More than half of household items release seven toxic chemicals knows to cause cancer at a rate that would be alarming at a superfund site. Chemicals are everywhere and there are too many people to go back to completely natural products, so we have a problem.