World-Renowned Architect and Designer to Speak at Westminster College

World-renowned architect and designer William McDonough will speak at Westminster College Thursday, Sept. 14, at 8 p.m. in Orr Auditorium.

McDonough's talk inaugurates Westminster's new Distinguished Speaker Series, "Perspectives on the Environment." The lecture series, funded by a grant from the Lewis Foundation, explores the economic, social, religious, political and security aspects of environmental issues. All lectures are free and open to the public.

"This lecture series explores the economic, social, religious, political and security aspects of environmental issues," said Dr. Shahroukh Mistry, Westminster assistant professor of biology and coordinator of this series. "To acquire knowledge of, and to demonstrate moral and ethical commitments to, the natural world is an integral part of a liberal arts education at Westminster. This speaker series is an important step toward developing an interdisciplinary and cooperative approach to engaging students in becoming knowledgeable and responsible stewards of the natural world and their communities."

McDonough is the winner of three U.S. Presidential Awards: The Presidential Award for Sustainable Development in 1996; The National Design Award in 2004; and the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in 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." Esquire magazine designated him "The Big Thinker of the Year" in 2005 for "reinventing almost everything" for the better.

McDonough's new book, "Cradle to Cradle," challenges the belief that human industry must damage the natural world. McDonough and co-author Michael Braungart explain how products can be designed from the outset so that, after their useful lives, they will provide ingredients for something new. Copies of the book are available at the campus Bookstore and also at the book signing that will immediately follow the lecture.

McDonough is the founding principle of William McDonough + Partners, Architecture and Community Design, an internationally recognized design firm practicing ecologically, socially, and economically intelligent architecture and planning in the U.S. and abroad. He is also the cofounder and principal, with German chemist Michael Braungart, of McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC), which employs a comprehensive "Cradle to Cradle" design protocol to chemical benchmarking, supply-chain integration, energy and materials assessment, clean-production qualification, and sustainability issue management and optimization.

He has designed corporate campuses and facilities for clients including The Gap, Herman Miller, Ford Motor Company and Oberlin College. He is currently working with the Chinese government, which has hired him as the master planner of six cities, each presenting a different ecological challenge.

"I believe we can accomplish great and profitable things within a new conceptual framework," McDonough states. "It is time for designs that are creative, abundant, prosperous and intelligent from the start.

Westminster College's Drinko Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning is hosting the lecture. The Drinko Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning was developed to advance world-class teaching at Westminster and enrich K-12 education through outreach programs for area educators.

Contact Dr. Virginia Tomlinson, director of the Drinko Center, at (724) 946-6097 or e-mail tomlinvm@westminster.edu or visit www.westminster.edu/drinko for more information.

William McDonough