William McDonough
William McDonough is an internationally renowned designer and one of the primary proponents and shapers of what he and his partners call 'The Next Industrial Revolution.' Time magazine recognized him in 1999 as a 'Hero for the Planet', stating that "his utopianism is grounded in a unified philosophy that-in demonstrable and practical ways-is changing the design of the world."
Time magazine again recognized McDonough and Michael Braungart as "Heroes of the Environment" in October 2007. In 1996, McDonough received the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development, the nation's highest environmental honor; and in 2003 earned the U.S. EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award. In 2004, he received the National Design Award for exemplary achievement in the field of environmental design. In October 2007, McDonough was elected an International Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
McDonough is the founding principal of William McDonough Partners, an internationally recognized design firm practicing ecologically, socially, and economically intelligent architecture and planning in the U.S. and abroad. He is also principal of MBDC, a product and systems development firm assisting prominent client companies in designing profitable and environmentally intelligent solutions.
McDonough is a Venture Partner at VantagePoint Venture Partners in San Bruno, California. McDonough is an Alumni Research Professor at the University of Virginia's Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, and Consulting Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University. He also serves as U.S. Chairman and member of the Board of Councilors of the China-U.S. Center for Sustainable Development. He is part of the Management Committee of HRH The Prince of Wales's Business & The Environment Programme at Cambridge University. From 1994-1999, McDonough was the Edward E. Elson Professor of Architecture and Dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia.
McDonough's leadership in sustainable development is recognized widely, both in the U.S. and internationally, and he has written and lectured extensively on his design philosophy and practice. He was commissioned in 1991 to write The Hannover Principles: Design for Sustainability as guidelines for the City of Hannover's EXPO 2000, and in 1993 to give the Centennial Sermon at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. More recently, McDonough and Michael Braungart co-authored Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, published in 2002 by North Point Press.
Please note: The following are just a few examples of William McDonough's speeches. Mr. McDonough structures the topic for each group to become thoughtfully engaged in a magnificent design assignment which can be understood on a personal level, allowing each participant to go away with practical applications as an individual, professional, and citizen of the global community
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things
In an eye-opening and provocative presentation based on his book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, McDonough challenges the way that we think about waste and recycling. He explains that the widely accepted "reduce, reuse, recycle" approach actually creates unbelievable amounts of waste and pollution. Instead of focusing on recycling, McDonough urges that products be designed from the outset so that they will provide nourishment for something new after they have served their initial purpose. Internationally renowned for shaping "The Next Industrial Revolution" in product development, McDonough has experience redesigning everything from carpeting to corporate campuses. He shows audiences that:
-Recycling is ineffective - it is really just a process of "downcycling" products into low-grade materials that will eventually become waste.
-Anyone involved in making anything can put eco-effectiveness into practice.
-If revolutionized, human industry does not have to damage the natural world - products can be designed in a way that they will actually act as revitalizing nutrients for the environment when they are no longer needed.
Putting Eco-Effectiveness into Practice
When McDonough envisions the future, he doesn't see a dire environmental crisis about to descend on all humanity. Instead, he sees an opportunity for humanity to reinvent technical enterprises and human industry, using nature as a guide. Internationally recognized for his innovative and groundbreaking design ideas, McDonough explains how we can change the impact of human industry on the environment. He structures his speaking topic in a way that allows audiences to become thoughtfully engaged in a magnificent design assignment that can be understood on a personal level, allowing each participant to go away with practical applications as an individual, a professional, and a citizen of the global community. In his stimulating and innovative presentation, McDonough:
-Describes the best and worst in the history of human design from Thomas Jefferson to Thomas Edison
-Highlights how modern businesses and communities are accepting the challenge of a sustainable planet by adopting the protocols of "eco-effectiveness"
-Presents new strategies of change for eco-intelligence to help guide our endeavors at every level from the making of molecules to the planning of regions
William McDonough is an internationally renowned designer and one of the primary proponents and shapers of what he and his partners call 'The Next Industrial Revolution.' Time magazine recognized him in 1999 as a 'Hero for the Planet', stating that "his utopianism is grounded in a unified philosophy that-in demonstrable and practical ways-is changing the design of the world."
Time magazine again recognized McDonough and Michael Braungart as "Heroes of the Environment" in October 2007. In 1996, McDonough received the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development, the nation's highest environmental honor; and in 2003 earned the U.S. EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award. In 2004, he received the National Design Award for exemplary achievement in the field of environmental design. In October 2007, McDonough was elected an International Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
McDonough is the founding principal of William McDonough Partners, an internationally recognized design firm practicing ecologically, socially, and economically intelligent architecture and planning in the U.S. and abroad. He is also principal of MBDC, a product and systems development firm assisting prominent client companies in designing profitable and environmentally intelligent solutions.
McDonough is a Venture Partner at VantagePoint Venture Partners in San Bruno, California. McDonough is an Alumni Research Professor at the University of Virginia's Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, and Consulting Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University. He also serves as U.S. Chairman and member of the Board of Councilors of the China-U.S. Center for Sustainable Development. He is part of the Management Committee of HRH The Prince of Wales's Business & The Environment Programme at Cambridge University. From 1994-1999, McDonough was the Edward E. Elson Professor of Architecture and Dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia.
McDonough's leadership in sustainable development is recognized widely, both in the U.S. and internationally, and he has written and lectured extensively on his design philosophy and practice. He was commissioned in 1991 to write The Hannover Principles: Design for Sustainability as guidelines for the City of Hannover's EXPO 2000, and in 1993 to give the Centennial Sermon at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. More recently, McDonough and Michael Braungart co-authored Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, published in 2002 by North Point Press.
Please note: The following are just a few examples of William McDonough's speeches. Mr. McDonough structures the topic for each group to become thoughtfully engaged in a magnificent design assignment which can be understood on a personal level, allowing each participant to go away with practical applications as an individual, professional, and citizen of the global community
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things
In an eye-opening and provocative presentation based on his book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, McDonough challenges the way that we think about waste and recycling. He explains that the widely accepted "reduce, reuse, recycle" approach actually creates unbelievable amounts of waste and pollution. Instead of focusing on recycling, McDonough urges that products be designed from the outset so that they will provide nourishment for something new after they have served their initial purpose. Internationally renowned for shaping "The Next Industrial Revolution" in product development, McDonough has experience redesigning everything from carpeting to corporate campuses. He shows audiences that:
-Recycling is ineffective - it is really just a process of "downcycling" products into low-grade materials that will eventually become waste.
-Anyone involved in making anything can put eco-effectiveness into practice.
-If revolutionized, human industry does not have to damage the natural world - products can be designed in a way that they will actually act as revitalizing nutrients for the environment when they are no longer needed.
Putting Eco-Effectiveness into Practice
When McDonough envisions the future, he doesn't see a dire environmental crisis about to descend on all humanity. Instead, he sees an opportunity for humanity to reinvent technical enterprises and human industry, using nature as a guide. Internationally recognized for his innovative and groundbreaking design ideas, McDonough explains how we can change the impact of human industry on the environment. He structures his speaking topic in a way that allows audiences to become thoughtfully engaged in a magnificent design assignment that can be understood on a personal level, allowing each participant to go away with practical applications as an individual, a professional, and a citizen of the global community. In his stimulating and innovative presentation, McDonough:
-Describes the best and worst in the history of human design from Thomas Jefferson to Thomas Edison
-Highlights how modern businesses and communities are accepting the challenge of a sustainable planet by adopting the protocols of "eco-effectiveness"
-Presents new strategies of change for eco-intelligence to help guide our endeavors at every level from the making of molecules to the planning of regions
