William McDonough is a world-renowned architect and designer and winner of three U.S. presidential awards: the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development (1996), the National Design Award (2004); and the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award (2003). Time magazine recognized him as a "Hero for the Planet" in 1999, stating that "his utopianism is grounded in a unified philosophy that—in demonstrable and practical ways—is changing the design of the world."

In the video below, William McDonough asks what our buildings and products would look like if designers took into account "All children, all species, for all time." A tireless proponent of absolute sustainability (with a deadpan sense of humor), he explains his philosophy of "cradle to cradle" design, which bridge the needs of ecology and economics. He also shares some of his most inspiring work, including the world's largest green roof (at the Ford plant in Dearborn, Michigan), and the entire sustainable cities he's designing in China. [Source: TED.com]

Links & Resources

• William McDonough's website: www.mcdonough.com
• Michael Braungart (McDonough's business partner and co-author) http://www.braungart.com/indexEN.html
• Cradle to Cradle Community Forum: http://community.mbdc.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?webtag=mbdc_c2c