One of the big themes I noticed in this reading was the idea of imitating nature, rather than trying to conquer it. This idea seems to make so much sense that I almost wonder why "conquering" nature is so inherent to humanity's own nature...like it is a way of proving our power. I mean, we have so much in the way of technology and we have gained so much scientific knowledge in the past decade alone, I feel that we should be evolving past the point of trying to "tame" Mother Nature. Cradle to Cradle is a perfect example of our capability to work WITH nature instead of against it...and if we have the capability, why aren't we utilizing it? Actually, it reminds me of a disturbing-but-hilarious movie I saw recently, called Idiocracy. It takes place 500 years in the future, where all Americans (coined "Uhhhmericans") have evolved to be ever cruder and stupider instead of more civilized and intelligent, to the point where they have forgotten basic knowledge. Knowledge such as water makes plants grow, so they feed all their crops the futuristic equivalent of Gatorade. Naturally, all their crops die, people are starving, a giant dustbowl is created where farmland used to be, and the country is in shambles. Now, I don't know that the human race could actually be that stupid, but there were some very cynical truths in the film regardless--like if we refuse to advance as a nation torwards more intelligent ways of living, we could very well be left behind.
Anyway, I got a little off-track, but also, worth mentioning: apparently the Sundance Channel is featuring a block of interesting programming focused on green living. I caught the show "Big Ideas for a Small Planet" this past weekend, and coincidentally it was all about green housing and the transition to more sustainable living/working environments. I was thinking about Chapter 3 especially as I watched it--particularly with the "cherry tree" analogy that kept popping up. Mostly, it's because one of the featured groups of architects in the show had designed a LIVING tree house; what they called "The Fab Tree Hab". I could be a totally nerding out here, but I think this concept is freaking amazing. Here's a couple links which provides a little more information:
http://www.inhabitat.com/2006/06/12/grow-your-own-treehouse/#more-929
http://www.inhabitat.com/2005/09/18/fab-tree-hab/#more-646
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