McDonough: Chapters 4-6

These chapters really got me thinking about how so many things that we buy are meant to be used and thrown away, when really so many of the products could be designed to go back to the earth or reused.  The example used was shampoo and lotion bottles.  These are things that are not meant to last for the rest of our lives, we use the product and once the bottle is empty we throw it away.  But the argument is brought up about why these packages could not be designed with cradle to cradle in mind.  I think that there are so many products out there that could be designed this way.  Also brought up was how people do not always choose eco-friendly packaging because it does not look as desirable.  Another part that I found interesting was how William Clay Ford Jr. took on the challenge to make the environment that the plant was sitting on clean instead of just fencing up the old building and building a new one close by.  He took on the idea that solutions to a problem can be found when you look at the local environment.  Just because a solution works for one area does not mean that it will work for everyone.  I really enjoyed this book and it made me think about the environment a little bit more and different solutions to problems.