The talk is free and open to the public and parking is available. McDonough’s lecture is the second in the university’s technology and society forum series. For more information, call Jay Kappraff at (973) 596-3490.

McDonough is the winner of three U.S. presidential awards: the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development (1996), the National Design Award (2004), and the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award (2003). Time magazine called him a “Hero for the Planet,” stating that “his utopianism is grounded in a unified philosophy that – in demonstrable and practical ways – is changing the design of the world.”

McDonough’s thoughts on the use of technology in creativity, developed with chemist Michael Braungart, are explored in their book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things. Their eco-effective strategy characterizes innovations as either biological or technical nutrients within cohesive “biological and technical metabolisms.” This visionary approach to technology will be illustrated with examples ranging from molecules to buildings, cities and even countries.

McDonough has been a leader in the sustainable development movement since its inception. He is the founder and principal of two design firms. William McDonough + Partners, Architecture and Community Design, Charlottesville, Va., has created numerous landmarks of the sustainability movement — homes, offices, corporate campuses, academic buildings, communities and cities. McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, also located in Charlottesville, employs the comprehensive Cradle to Cradle design protocol for chemical benchmarking, supply-chain integration, energy and materials assessment, clean-production qualification and sustainability issue management.

The forums are designed to explore the connections between the technological expertise that students study in the classroom and the real-world geo-political issues that affect the quality of human life.