KEYNOTE: Cradle to Cradle™, the Next Ecologically Inspired Industrial Revolution

PRESENTATION
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PRESENTATION SUMMARY
The Cradle to Cradle design strategy is changing the way business is done on a global scale. Developed by architect William McDonough and ecological chemist Michael Braungart, Cradle to Cradle (C2C) is a new strategy for business growth and prosperity that generates ecological, social, and economic value. C2C represents a fundamental shift away from the flawed system of the Industrial Revolution, which primarily focuses on damage management instead of the elimination of damage caused in the course of doing business. Instead of designing cradle-to-grave products, dumped in landfills at the end of their ‘life,’ MBDC transforms industry by creating products for cradle-to-cradle cycles, whose materials are perpetually circulated in closed loops.

SPEAKER BACKGROUND
Ken Alston is Chief of Staff for architect and designer William McDonough FAIA and CEO of McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC), the product and process design firm founded by William McDonough and Dr. Michael Braungart to implement Cradle to Cradle design. He has a Bachelor of Technology degree in Applied Chemistry from Brunel University, (West London, UK) and a Masters in Business Administration from Brunel/Henley Management College (Oxford, UK).

Ken has worked in global multinational companies in a variety of technical and business roles for over 29 years. In the late 1980s he developed the first environmental packaging strategy for SC Johnson in Europe and as Marketing Director he evaluated green marketing of cleaning products with consumers. In 1992, as Global Director of Sustainable Product Innovation at SC Johnson & Son, Ken was responsible for worldwide environmental product stewardship, the oversight of corporate environmental goals and metrics, and the direction of SC Johnson's Worldwide Business Council on Environment. He worked closely with other companies in the Presidents Council on Sustainable Development and the World Business Council on Sustainable Development. Under Ken’s direction, SC Johnson made great strides in eco-efficiency, reporting results that continue to be widely recognized for their environmental leadership today.

Since 2000, Ken has worked closely with William McDonough and MBDC in a variety of roles including Director of Education and Outreach at Green Blue Institute. He developed online learning courses in sustainability and Cradle to Cradle design for clients and helped start the collaborative project which has since grown to become the successful Sustainable Packaging Coalition. MBDC now manages an independent certification program for sustainable products which is gaining in popularity.