Transcendent Thinking in Environmentalism

I often claim that Catholics cannot ally themselves with either the Democratic or the Republican party. Both parties hold policies that are opposed to Catholic teachings. Holding a view that transcends the political games that the two major parties play has some great advantages. These advantages have yet to be exploited by American culture in general, but the few people that have managed to actualize such transcendence have made some pretty large impacts. One such person is the green architect William McDonough.

In the "Inconvenient Truth" atmosphere of global warming paranoia, McDonough has been all but forgotten. However, his wisdom is very much needed today. The problem with Democratic liberal environmentalism is that it sees industrial America and big business as the enemy. In fact, it sometimes seems to consider all of humanity the enemy of the natural world. On the other hand, Republican conservative big-business tends to see all environmentalism as its enemy.

Conservative Christians who ally themselves with the Republican Party tend to make the same mistake. If Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth" alarmist mentality is incomprehensible, so is the attitude that since there is no evidence global warming is caused by human activity, there is no reason to try to control greenhouse gas emissions. I have to wonder, what is so wrong with wanting to put reasonable restrictions on greenhouse gasses and other pollutants? Since when is it anti-Christian to be environmentally conscious?

William McDonough transcends these myopic attitudes toward the environment and attempts to bring environmentalism and good business sense together. As an architect, he tries to make environmentally friendly buildings that save companies money by cutting energy costs.

USNews.com: Green Machine

McDonough is working to convince environmentalists and capitalists they have a common cause. What sets the architect apart is his rejection of traditional environmentalist attitudes. He discards as simplistic the notion of growth vs. no growth. "Most environmentalists are saying be less bad," he says. "We think growth is good. It just has to be something you would be happy to see growing."

Now that is transcendent thought! Instead of viewing big business as the enemy, McDonough tries to get big business to find profit in environmentalism. His philosophy is wise, deep and broad.

McDonough sketches his philosophy in a triangle, with economic returns, social good, and environmental benefits at the three corners. Instead of the either-or trade-offs typically associated with the environmental movement--build green or build cheap--McDonough believes it is possible to aim for the middle of the triangle, maximizing all three factors. Traditional thinking is that the way to build green is to, say, build a sealed box that costs less to cool because you can't open the windows and it's dark inside. But McDonough is convinced that with creative architecture and design, appealing workspaces can coexist with environmental efficiency and remain sound business decisions.

One would think that this out-of-the-box thinking (if you'll pardon the pun) would be widely acclaimed. It is accepted by some. Ford Motor Company hired McDonough to redesign their original plant on Michigan Rouge River outside of Detroit. He also designed several office buildings in Silicon Valley in California. However, it seems his harshest criticisms come from environmentalists.

Some environmentalists are uncomfortable with the enthusiasm for business McDonough embodies, questioning the need to constantly justify good environmental design in terms of cost and vague promises of increased productivity. "Why shouldn't corporations do it just because people will go home at night and feel healthy?" asks David Gissen, a professor at Penn State and curator of an exhibit on green architecture at the National Building Museum that will include several of McDonough's projects. That he's working with Ford at all has drawn criticism from environmentalists who see clients like Ford and the Gap as the enemy. McDonough bristles at those attitudes. "Who are we supposed to work with? At least they're leading and trying to go forward," he says. "People need to recognize the need of industry to transform--to move as quickly as possible toward the positive alternatives. Our job is to provide those positive alternatives."

Why shouldn't corporations do it just because people will go home at night and feel healthy? Because that's not how corporations work. Corporations exist to make money. There is nothing wrong with that. They provide us with important goods and services. If they can make money, and make people go home at night and feel healthy, many corporations would be happy about meeting both goals. The narrow-minded thinking of McDonough's critics will never work. We need more people like McDonough who are able to transcend narrow polemical thinking. We need these people in all areas of our culture, not just in environmentalism. The Catholic Church should be the largest source of transcendent thinkers. We need to get busy!

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