The Next Industrial Revolution: William McDonough, Michael Braungart, and the Birth of the Sustainable Economy

Concerns over global warming, overpopulation, and waste products from today's relentless consumer society are spurring some farsighted designers to nudge corporate planners away from "brute force" exploitation of our environment and more in the direction of a sustainable "industrial" economy, one which satisfies our needs, while leaving some resources for our grandchildren. Susan Sarandon narrates this timely look at the efforts of William McDonough, designer at the University of Virginia's School of Architecture, and his colleagues, who consult with managers to make factories and office buildings more environmentally natural spaces that, in turn, help energize employees, thus improving the bottom line (a far cry from the "dark Satanic mills" of the first industrial revolution). Citing the motto "good design is good business," McDonough and Michael Braungart offer examples as diverse as Nike and Ford Motor Company's River Rouge plant to demonstrate that businesses can work in tandem with nature while sustaining growth in profits. While the program doesn't address the problem of building political consensus on the need for sustainable growth (a subject for another documentary, perhaps), this thoughtfully argued, persuasively presented documentary will be a welcome addition to environmental education collections. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)