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May 28, 2006
"I have never come across anything in nature that is superfluous and does not fulfill a function. There seems to be no redundancy or unemployment in these natural worlds. Be it rock or plant, bird or tree, or even the bacteria within the soil, everything occupies a vital place in the dance of life." --Michael Lindfield
Eco-Cities For 400 Million People
Can China move 400 million people to its cities without wreaking environmental havoc? Eco-urban designer William McDonough says yes, that industrial cities could be far more ecologically balanced than they are now if they were designed from the ground up with sustainable principles -- and Beijing is listening. In Huangbaiyu, for instance, McDonough's team is allowed to spend only $3,500 per house. To pull it off, they're using local labor and local materials, all of which will either biodegrade safely or be completely recyclable. To avoid brick-firing pollution, walls are made of pressed-earth blocks. Between the blocks is straw, a byproduct of the local rice harvest, otherwise wasted. Walls are a half-meter thick, so houses won't need a lot of heating. Rooftop Solar panels provide electricity and heated water. "We're doing everything with nothing," McDonough says.
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