New development models based on nature

This post is also available in: Spanish

Almost at the end (1h 10´ 30”) of the Spanish public television documentary “Comprar, tirar, comprar” (“buy, dump, buy”) is explained a new concept based on the rethinking of products engineering and production. This model is named “cradle to cradle” and was released for the first time in 2002 by a chemist -Michael Braungart- and an architect – William McDonough- in a book taking the same name: Cradle to cradle: remaking the way we make thinks.

michael_braungart

The “cradle to cradle” model suggests a development that imitates the nature functioning. Today, more than 10 hearts later, “cradle to cradle” is a serious production standard which vision is presented in its official webpage like this:

Saving energy, living moderately, making production processes more efficient and less harmful – to Prof. Dr. Michael Braungart these principles of sustainability as we understand the word today do not sound attractive. In his opinion they do not go in the right direction. His vision is different, he wants to develop products and production processes, which eliminate waste. The products he develops must be completely safe for both people and the environment. Additionally, people and the products they manufacture and use will be useful for other processes. These products work in close loops, in nutrient circles, so that there won’t be any waste at all, but only useful resources. The practicality of this idea is demonstrated by several hundred products all over the world, which were either developed in accordance to this prinicple or are at least optimized in the right direction”

To eliminar waste, reuse products working in close loops, nutrient circles, waste transformed into recourses,… maybe the name “cradle to cradle” is new and it resulted in a renowned production standard, but the original idea exists for a long time ago and as said in the presentation “the practicality of this idea is demonstrated by several hundred products all over the world”

That is, indeed, in this blog we knew in detail a productive process design by nature, which is successfully working for more than 22 years, el modelo GüssingAustria (article in Spanish) where, they achieved the energy self-sufficiency meeting carbon dioxide neutral emissions, while at the same time the region went from a deep depression to a brilliant development. Nature to nature, that is “cradle to cradle” about. An example.

One of their latests projects, an energy power plant in Serbia, explains again the Güssing model:

Renewable_Energy_Center_Bor_Serbia

Concepts like “cradle to cradle” or the Güssing model or the thousands of initiatives all over the world look back on nature: our grandfathers and grandmothers were visionary. And with no any university degree.