Not so Cradle-to-Cradle

Cradle-to-Cradle has been, by far, the hardest environmental book I have read since I started getting interested in the topic a couple years ago.  This is kind of strange because I had chosen one of the Authors for a presentation, thinking this might be one of my favorite books.  Before even starting the book itself, I had started my research on William McDonough.  The man is very smart, with really creative ideas for sustainable architecture.  However, when starting the research, I didn't really see his ideas as too "out there" to understand.  This book, though, really kind of turns me off to moving toward sustainability and doing things to help the environment.  In just the beginning of the book, I felt as though the authors were attacking everything I have done to try to help out. Though I understand some of the things we have been doing aren't necessarily right, I still believe it is better than just sitting around doing nothing.  It is difficult to even really talk about this book, because its just frustrating to me. The authors make very good points about why being less bad is no good, but the way they try to get that message across just doesn't work for me.  It makes me wonder if other people reading this book might think we are doomed as well.  

The authors really bash those for recycling, in my opinion, and it makes me feel guilty for doing it now.  I don't think that is a good method of trying to help the environment, because many people might just feel that we have done so little and its not worth it to even try that little bit.  There are some major things we need to focus on, such as the topic of efficiency as the authors pointed out.  I got the impression that efficiency is almost a bad thing, but I believe we are just confused, more so, about what efficiency should really mean.  

Cradle-to-Cradle is a great in the sense that it is able to point out what we still really need to work on how to be more sustainable, but I just can't agree with the ways they try to convey their message.  After reading this book, I mostly feel guilty for what I have been trying to do to help the environment, and I feel more depressed about change happening since we are apparently just digging ourselves deeper into a non-sustainable world, as the authors point out. 

The points in this book are pretty great, and important for the public to realize, but I think the authors need to take a different approach in getting those points across to the reader.