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'Sheep are not meant to be carpets' By Yuval Saar The year 2008 saw green go everywhere. It was hard to find a new design that did not pride itself on naturalness. Sterile marble for kitchen counters, with an anti-bacterial coating; kitchens made of aluminum and slate, and stone veneer for covering furniture were only a few of the exhibits at the Casa08 home design exhibition at the Tel Aviv Fairgrounds during September. Four weeks later, that venue hosted Rihutim 2009, the international furniture and home design exhibition, whose organizers also adopted green design. The organizers called the goal eco-chic. Even uber-designer Philippe Starck joined the green trend, when he presented home wind turbines for producing electricity at the Milan design exhibition. Starck's remarks to the International Herald Tribune illustrated that this trend is not without its problems. "It is important for the turbines to be aesthetic, since our involvement with ecology must be pleasant and is not a punishment," said Starck, referring to conventional wisdom that if it is green, it must be boring and not visually attractive. Advertisement Similar issues cropped up at a design conference in Holon last month. At the end of a long day of lectures, with many speakers, the conclusion was inevitable: As trendy as the environment may be, it is still not snazzy enough. The problem began with the words, and some of the lecturers mentioned this. It was difficult to find someone who felt comfortable with the ho-humness of "sustainable design." So the organizers from the Israeli Design Center faced a challenge when they decided to make sustainable design the main focus of the conference on "Rethinking Environment, Energy and Design." Speakers considered the impact of the environmental crisis and the significance of accelerated development of alternative energy sources on design and industry. The designers, architects, industrialists and academicians from Israel and abroad spoke to a packed auditorium. Such conferences are not usually considered crowd catchers; tickets for this one were sold out two weeks in advance. Prof. Michael Braungart was the most prominent speaker, and at times seemed to be the life of the party, with everyone laughing at his jokes and quoting him afterward. Braungart, a native of Germany, was a Greenpeace activist in his youth. In 1998, he and William McDonough published the article "The Next Industrial Revolution," propounding the practical principles of a sustainable world concept. That article was widely acclaimed and set the two men at the forefront of sustainability theory literature. Braungart's lecture, "Designing the Next Industrial Revolution," addressed the connections between science, nature, society and economics, on the background of the main principles of sustainable planning and design. He focused on his book, "From Cradle to Cradle," one of the main pillars of sustainability theory, which was published in 2002 (also in collaboration with McDonough). It discusses changes in industry and manufacturing, using ecologically sound design. The audience was enraptured by Braungart's style. He's a rare sight: an industrial designer and professor of chemistry and engineering who is charismatic and captivating. It was easy to identify with what he said, as his whips and arrows were initially directed at easy targets. Mattel, the giant toy manufacturer, whose star products include Barbie dolls, aimed not to manufacture toys for children, but to produce cheap toys, he said. Hence Mattel uses harmful materials that should not be found in children's toys. When Braungart met with U.S. President George W. Bush, Braungart told him that he did not have to go to Iraq to find weapons of mass destruction, but just visit giant corporations such as Mattel, McDonald's, and the big clothing manufacturers. Braungart also noted that from his point of view, a president who does nothing is preferable to one who pretends he is doing something, or tries to do less harm rather than more good, since his intentions reflect the nature of his thought processes. He says any attempt to do something that is a little less harmful is a waste of precious time. According to Braungart, the entire production process needs to undergo fundamental change to become effective from the very first stage. This thinker therefore objects to the use of the term "natural," or the concept behind this term, because even a garment made of 100 percent wool contains more than a few dangerous substances. "Sheep were not designed to become carpets or garments," he says, and when wool is used to make a carpet, the production process introduces substances that harm both the environment and the consumer. In general, Braungart feels that language is based on principles, not semantics. "Is your relationship with society sustainable?" he asks, and argues that everything required for efficiency is fundamentally flawed from an ecological point of view. "Falling in love and having sexual relations are not activities that have to be efficient. Efficiency is destructive. You are not protecting when you try to be efficient or when you do less damage. When you are asked to think about 'zero garbage,' you are still thinking about garbage. Instead of doing things properly, you have to do the right thing." Bookmark to del.icio.us   Following Chavez Bolivia cuts ties with Israel, says it seeks war crimes charges. Who needs the Knesset? Arab parties: We'll establish an alternative Arab parliament.

Read & React Olmert ignoring calls from Barak, Livni for immediate Gaza truce Responses: 71 Harel & Issacharoff: Is Hamas waiting on Obama for Gaza truce? Responses: 28 Hamas: We accept Egypt's proposal for Gaza truce - with reservations Responses: 46 Diplomats: Gaza op causing long-term harm to Israel's image Responses: 89 Israel's defense establishment backs an immediate cease-fire in Gaza Responses: 46 More Headlines 23:28 Hamas: We accept Egypt's proposal for Gaza truce - with reservations 00:09 ANALYSIS / Egypt's Gaza truce plan is mostly bad for Hamas 00:46 IDF soldier seriously hurt in anti-tank missile attack in Gaza 23:34 Hamas Health Ministry: More than 1,000 dead in Gaza 00:06 Rice: Olmert's claims regarding my Gaza UN resolution vote are 'fiction' 21:11 Arab parties: We'll establish an alternative Arab parliament 23:48 U.S. authorities remove 'Adolf Hitler,' 2 siblings with Nazi-like names from family home 23:48 For the first time, Gaza militants fire phosphorus shell at Israel 00:28 Author: Report of jihadist death threats to Madonna old news 23:23 Feminist group slams former envoy to UN Gillerman for 'tasteless' jokes about women 19:36 Bolivia cuts ties with Israel, seeks genocide charges against Israeli officials 17:21 3 rockets fired from Lebanon hit north Israel; IDF returns fire 19:58 Four people hurt as fire rages at Ashdod chemical plant 16:53 Israel indicts two Iran TV journalists for reporting on Gaza ground invasion Previous Editions Select Day 14 jan 13 jan 12 jan 11 jan 09 jan 08 jan 07 jan 06 jan 05 jan 04 jan 02 jan 01 jan

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