MBDC news for January, 2003:

Monthly Feature: Stark Realities and Sustainable Solutions

"On a recent trip to East Africa, I was reminded that outside the frequently esoteric confines of academia and upscale coffee shops in the West, sustainability is a very real, stark, everyday human issue.... Despite the obstacles, I found myself on my African journey asking a seemingly endless series of questions beginning with 'what if?' What if…we used technology to turn the region's natural conditions into usable assets in a sustainable way? What if we looked for concrete, immediate solutions that the West could help implement?"

This month's feature story on MBDC.com comes from Thomas Osimitz, PhD, principal of Health & Environmental Sciences of Infoscientific.com, and former Vice President of Global Safety Assessment and Regulatory Affairs at S.C. Johnson. Read some of Dr. Osimitz's reflections on how our pursuit of "sustainability" in the West might help solve the pressing problems of the rest of the world.

http://www.mbdc.com

Ford Concept Car Explores Cradle-to-Cradle Design Strategies

Ford Motor Company unveiled its new, environmentally intelligent concept car on January 5 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, positioning it as a "model for change." Inspired by how its Model T revolutionized personal transportation in the last century, a team of Ford researchers and designers worked collaboratively with MBDC, co-founded by McDonough and German chemist Dr. Michael Braungart, and with BP to adopt environmental design concepts into plans for the hallmark new car model commemorating Ford's centennial. The goal was to create the Model T of the 21st century—a new type of vehicle specifically designed to be good to you and good for the world.

EnvironDesign®7

30 April–2 May 2003, 8:00 am–5:00 pm
Hilton Washington & Towers
Washington, D.C.

Register for EnvironDesign7, scheduled for April 30 to May 2, 2003, in Washington, DC.

Highlights include:

• Keynotes—including E.O. Wilson, Janine Benyus, William McDonough, Michael Braungart, Senator John Kerry (invited), William Browning, Winona LaDuke, and Robert K. Massie.
• Workshop Sessions—34 sessions in 10 major tracks.
• Product Learning Center—over 60 manufacturers and service suppliers.
• Pre-conference workshops—MBDC's Introduction to Cradle to Cradle Design, and SustainAbility's Trust Us: The Global Reporters' Workshop
• Site Tours—best practices and green building achievements.
• Post-conference Events—including private National Building Museum exhibit tours and LEED workshops.

For more information, contact Jenny Burgess at (561) 627-3393 or via e-mail at jburgess@lcclark.com. Complete conference details and session descriptions are available on-line at www.environdesign.com.

EnvironDesign7 is produced by IS and green@work magazines.

MBDC-Led Workshop at EnvironDesign7

30 April 2003, 8:00 am–5:00 pm

MBDC's Introduction to Cradle to Cradle Design is a primer in strategies of sustainability, their business relevance, the positive new design paradigm, and how to begin to apply it within organizations. Participants in all fields—from designers and developers to business executives and environmental advocates—will learn through presentations (including one by William McDonough and Michael Braungart), small group exercises, and case studies how to integrate cradle-to-cradle strategies profitably in their organizations.

This workshop is ideally suited to individuals and organizations desiring a fundamental understanding of how environmental concerns and sustainability affect them and how they can prosper by addressing the opportunities those issues present.

Register for MBDC's workshop at www.environdesign.com.

We hope you will join us at EnvironDesign7, for the Introduction to Cradle to Cradle Design workshop and the rest of the conference.

Phil

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Phil Storey
MBDC, Manager of Communications
phil.storey@mbdc.com