There's an old saying in the environmental movement: Think globally, act locally. That is, keep the planet's needs and processes in mind, and take action in your own community to help those processes continue and thrive. But what if we thought galactically and acted molecularly?

On the road ahead, we can go beyond simply maintaining minimal resources or recycling a few materials. We can focus on fecundity and joy and a celebration of the biology of life, on tying the place of our planet in space--its beneficial relation to the sun--with the chemistry of the places we inhabit and the design of the products we use.

The part of this movement that draws my firms' attention is the design of cities, buildings and products. When we designed America's first so-called "green" office building in New York two decades ago, we felt very alone. But today, thousands of people come to green building conferences, and the idea that buildings can be good for people and the environment will be increasingly influential in years to come.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Advertisement

Back in 1984 we discovered that most manufactured products weren't designed for indoor use. The "energy-efficient" sealed commercial buildings constructed after the 1970s energy crists revealed indoor air quality problems caused by materials such as paint, insulation, wall covering and carpet. So for 20 years, we've been focusing on these materials down to the molecules, looking for ways to make them safe for people and the planet.

Home builders can now use materials--such as paints that release significantly reduced amounts of volatile organic compounds--that don't destroy the quality of the air, water, or soil. Ultimately, however, our cradle-to-cradle design strategy is focused not simply on being "less bad" but on creating completely healthful materials that can be either safely returned to the soil or reused by industry again and again. In fact, Shaw Industries, the world's largest carpet manufacturer, has already developed a carpet that is fully and safely recyclable.

Look at it this way: No one starts out to create a building that destroys the planet. But our current industrial systems are inherently causing these conditions, whether we like it or not. So instead of simply trying to reduce the damage, we are taking a positive approach. We're giving people high-quality, healthful products and an opportunity to make choices that have a beneficial effect on the world.

It's not just the building industry, either. Entire cities are adopting these environmentally positive approaches to design, planning and building. Portland, Seattle and Boston have said they want to be green cities. Chicago wants to be the greenest city in the world.

In China, we're working with the government--which must create housing for 400 million people in the next 15 years--on innovative ways of designing cities, as well as on new cradle-to-cradle materials that can make buildings that are inexpensive, but also quiet, healthy and wonderfully insulated.

Renewable energy is an increasingly important tool. Solar collecting for hot water is already cost effective. In Japan, China and Israel it's commonplace. Solar electricity is also coming into wider use and is expected to be ubiquitous within a decade.

What might this mean for you? If you're building a house, tell your contractor, "We know solar energy is becoming cost effective. Please have my house ready to receive it when that time comes. That might be five years from now, but don't tell me it doesn't matter."

The green agenda is heading toward the mainstream. To help advance it, we have formed a nonprofit organization called GreenBlue, which has already initiated projects and coalitions in key industries such as packaging and electronics. Through GreenBlue, major companies are working together to develop practical, profitable solutions to environmental problems, and they're incorporating these changes into the way they do business.

It's exciting to be part of a movement with such tremendous positive momentum. By sharing our blue sky goals for an ecologically intelligent, prosperous and healthy future we are laying the foundation for a delightful road ahead. What a ride!