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The following is from an article on architect William McDonough in the Jan/Feb 2000 issue of "Azure", the Canadian magazine on design, architecture and art. "When commissioned in 1993 to create a line of environmentally safe contract fabrics for Steelcase subsidiary DesignTex, McDonough invited sixty chemical companies to collaborate in devising a toxin-free product. All said no. Finally, the chairman of Swiss manufacturer Ciba-Geigy accepted. "Together, they considered 8,000 chemicals currently used in the textile industry, eliminating 7,962 based on their criteria: if it caused cancer, birth defects or was in any way hazardous to human health, out it went. All elements had to be biodegradable and non-bioaccumulating. They assessed production methods; determined where the resources were coming from and whether thy were renewable, recyclable, energy-efficient and made under acceptable working conditions. "The resulting product was a blend of wool 'from happy sheep in New Zealand' and organically grown ramie from The Philippines. "Why are we designing toxic products and selling people hazardous materials when there are alternatives? 'Without being glib,' McDonough says, 'the fact of the matter is, if you take most of the products in this room, put them in a sealed glass box and put people in there, you are building a gas chamber.' Stern stuff. But paradoxically, McDonough isn't a guilt monger. 'We are not asking people to feel guilty,' he says. 'We're saying that negligence starts tomorrow, now that you know.'" See <www.mbdc.com> for McDonough & Braungart's sustainable industrial design program; <www.mcdonough.com> for McDonough & Partners architecture. --end-- -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- The preceding message was posted on Sustainable Maritimes (sust-mar) -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- DOES SUST-MAR KNOW? Not unless you tell us ... To submit a message about the environment/sustainability in the Maritimes, just send it to <sust-mar@chebucto.ns.ca> Messages are prioritised and queued, so please be patient if your message doesn't appear right away.
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