Recommended resources on the environment for Caucus participants. Do you know of any books, movies, articles, etc. that you think other Caucus members would like to know about? Let us know.

Cradle to Cradle – Remaking the Way We Make Things
Written by two extraordinary men in their specialized fields of architecture and chemistry, William McDonough and Michael Braungart are at the forefront of environmental design. With a deep respect for the earth and an open mind tap into every avenue of creativity, they have dove into re-thinking and re-shaping everything we “make”.

Based on the striking concept of “Why Being ‘Less Bad” Is No Good’, they challenge our current extraction and production methods and boldly claim that as we try to be more efficient we are just “slowing” the release of chemicals into our soil, water, air…, “slowing” the destruction of our earth. Instead, we must look at the root of the problem and demand for ingenuity that gives benefits and nutrients “back” to the entire ecosystem. Forming truly sustainable biological or technical loops that mimic nature and its diversity, should ultimately lead us away from piles of waste (including toxic recyclable materials). With many strong examples of their paradigm shift based in the real world, they guide the reader into ways of being more “eco-effective”, taking responsibility for the change we want to see, starting with an open vision.

This book left me full of energy and hope for the future. That as humans, we have the ability to learn from nature and to form ways that will give back, uplift and nurture the earth. To open our minds to the limitless creativity we hold and how valuable this force can be when directed in the right direction. It is a call to take action, to break the mold and to start imagining all the positive possibilities now at our finger tips. I hope that more and more instructors at NAU will use this book as a teaching tool and develop students with an awakened sense to “re-think” our world, from the roots.

If you are interested in learning more about this book, a good place to start is by clicking this link.

Reviewed by:
DeJa Walker
Student in Environmental Studies
Center for Sustainable Environments

Previous Reviews:

• American Earth: Environmental Writing since Thoreau.

Please email your suggestions to Shelley.Silbert@nau.edu