The authors suggest new and startling ways to use materials. A good example is the book itself, which is made of polymers and not wood products. Would this approach be acceptable to people generally? Why or why not?

The Industrial Revolution worked on the assumption that materials are ever-renewable. How has this point of view changed in the last century-and-a-half?

Discuss the extended metaphor of the cherry tree as a model for design and production.

What is your response to the various suggestions for eco-friendly architecture? Include topics such as skylights, windows that open, design that incorporates local climate, grass roofs, solar collectors on roofs, and so on.

Compare and contrast the typical recycling point of view with the radical new ideas in this book about design and reuse of friendly materials.

Discuss the relative costs of "cradle to cradle" design and manufacture as...