The Next Industrial Revolution - Essay Example

Realizing the current state of the environment, he has one consistent theme, ‘we need a new design’. He likens it to a building which was built in the past with no regard for its structural design, but in the present, buildings cannot be built without taking into consideration a lot of factors, one of which is the environment, because things have changed, and in most cases, for the worst. Sustainable design The challenge that William sought to meet was designing an economy that would be pedagogical in its design and maintenance.

The Adam Joseph Lewis Centre For Environmental Studies is an example of such as it borrows its design concept from a tree which is self sustaining in its nature. The Adam Lewis Centre stands as the first of its kind because it sustains itself in every single activity; waste management to its own energy supply. The Herman Miller brand is another of its kind which relies on solar income to sustain the factory. It is called ‘The Green House Facility. It got the first ever ‘Good Design is Good Business’ Award from Business Week magazine.

Even though it cost 15% more than a comparable building, energy cost decreased by 30% and performance rose dramatically. They produced twice as much with the same number of people. Over half of the employees maintained a 100% attendance record, which showed that it was a good working environment. Regulation-System Failure The majority of the companies despite heavily polluting the environment with their products and their waste, all hide behind the phrase, ‘it’s proprietary, it’s legal’.

The current environmental laws do not stop pollution, they only slow it down. They do not realize that in their quest to achieve maximum profits in the shortest times; they are cutting short the lifespan of the environment, in effect shortening their lives. Companies that have embraced Sustainable Economy DESIGNTEX which is a leading designer and manufacturer of textiles for commercial interiors wanted to create a product both environmentally friendly and profitable. Its executive got in touch with William McDonough and Michael Braungart and decided to follow through with the company’s goal.

The Swiss Chemical Giant CEBA-GEGY was convinced to work with them accepting that it was very risky. The McDonough Design Protocol tested 1600 dyes provided by CEDA-GEGY to determine whether they caused illnesses and found only 16 met the required standards. This was enough. They set out from day one with no compromise on aesthetics or performance. Profits increased, workers became contented and customers were satisfied. William went to Nike and asked them to incorporate sustainable design into their products.

The question was whether Nike would take the financial risk after all the success they had had with their status quo. After intensive research, in May 2001, Nike introduced a new rubber sole free of harmful ingredients, which gelled with the concept of sustainable design. The new design also protects their workers’