Both McDonough's Ted Talks and Hawken's list of principles for sustainability talk about the crises of using too much resources.
I like McDonough's Ted Talks better, because he actually gave out some possible solution there instead of naming whom we should blame to. His idea of planting on the roof tops is really interesting. Although "green roof" is not a new idea, he brought it one step beyond. Planting vegetables and plants on roof tops can help clean the air, it's a good use of the space, and we can also eat the vegetables.
Just imagine how many empty roof tops we have, around the world. It would be a "waste" if we don't have any good use of them. Some Asians, specially people from China and Taiwanese, hang their clothes on their roof tops, but by doing that doesn't really give anything back to the environment. Of course, they at least aren't "wasting" those roof tops, however, McDonough's idea can give out more to the community.
Hawken has the point that no matter how many little things we're doing at home to save energy, the big companies and corporation can still use all the resources faster than we can save them. We have been talking about how most corporation could harm the environment, but I still believe that we can't just go and blame on them and tell them to stop what they are doing. In a cold way of saying this, they are simply making a living. Mr. Sheu showed us a movie in his class, called "Thank You For Smoking", last week. It's a story about a cigarette company's going against the people that wanted to promote a non-smoking environment. From the movie, it shouws you that even the people working in the company already knew the facts about smoking too much, they still try their best to sell them out. Why? Because that is their job and they believe the costomers should be able to chose for themselves.
I would fight against the ones that purposly add other chemicals into their products to fool their costumers, but I would not blame most of the corporation for hurting the environment. Without them, a lot of us would not be having what we have right now.
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I agree that Hawken somehow blamed the fault on corporations, but I don't agree that he is trying to "stop" what the corporations are doing.
His intention is more of "persuading" the company to change to a new format of running the businesses. I think it is quite impossible to totally stop what the corporations are doing now, but at least those corporations can start making some small changes.
The smoking part is interesting. You said that "Because that is their job and they believe the customers should be able to chose for themselves." This reminded me of what Hawken talked about how businesses should give what the customers need. So, do you think smoking is what a lot of people want/choose to do?
Wow...good reminder of the space that we have wasted on top of our roofs! Just to imaging that, we could actually have almost double the space if you use the roof spaces wisely.
I also watched the movie "Thank You For Smoking," and I can understand your perspective that it is corporations' job and that it's alright for them to hurt the environment. Nonetheless, I see the problem came in as, the corporations could actually reduce the damages, and still make the profit out of it, however they choose not to.
In addition, I see the benefit of corporation for the world as a short term one, because the damages they have done to all the species and the only earth we have out ranged the benefit.
I really hope that before all corporations produce product, they should go through the principles that McDonough takes into account when he design things.
Paragraph two was so cute. :D
Plants on roofs to clean air... and later we can eat the veggies, haha! I wonder how a country would look like from above if every house had a green roof.
I want to blame corporations... actually, blame them for bringing up the society in a way that we have to rely on them so much, and it's just sad.
That "Thank You for Smoking" documentary/film sounds really interesting. Although I disagree with the people from the company because if you're promoting the idea of smoking, isn't this just promoting and further convincing people to smoke? Yeah... I think, unless it really can't be helped, a person shouldn't work and advertise for a company with ideals that the individual doesn't believe in, and he or she is just doing it because it's their job.
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