--- title: "9 Carbon Quotes By William McDonough" description: "9 Carbon quotes by William McDonough. Plus more from William McDonough and more Carbon sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/831/william-mcdonough-10055_carbon_we-prefer-to-talk-about-100-renewable-in_941516.png" --- > [We prefer to talk about 100% renewable instead of zero carbon. When you say zero carbon, you are not positively defined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/we-prefer-to-talk-about-100-renewable-instead-of-zero-carbon-when-you/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/831/william-mcdonough-10055_carbon_we-prefer-to-talk-about-100-renewable-in_941516.png) > [Imagine walking into a grocery there is a jar sitting there with a lid on it saying it's not carbon. That is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/imagine-walking-into-a-grocery-there-is-a-jar-sitting-there-with-a/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/026/william-mcdonough-10055_carbon_imagine-walking-into-a-grocery-there-is_799399.png) > [The problem I have with carbon as a bad thing issue, is that people go out and say they want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/the-problem-i-have-with-carbon-as-a-bad-thing-issue-is-that-people-go/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75c/william-mcdonough-10055_bad-thing_the-problem-i-have-with-carbon-as-a-bad_423466.png) > [The problem carbon is that everyone thinks we have an energy problem, we don't. We have plenty of energy. We have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/the-problem-carbon-is-that-everyone-thinks-we-have-an-energy-problem/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/256/william-mcdonough-10055_carbon_the-problem-carbon-is-that-everyone-thin_1726957.png) > [If you don't like carbon, if you want to be zero carbon, then you might as well shoot yourself, dry up and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/if-you-don-t-like-carbon-if-you-want-to-be-zero-carbon-then-you-might/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/366/william-mcdonough-10055_blow_if-you-don-t-like-carbon-if-you-want-to_1563236.png) > [We have carbon in the atmosphere. That is a material in the wrong place problem. It's just like what I said about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/we-have-carbon-in-the-atmosphere-that-is-a-material-in-the-wrong/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a72/william-mcdonough-10055_atmosphere_we-have-carbon-in-the-atmosphere-that-is_2147131.png) > [Carbon in your body - that's good thing. In a tree, it's good. In the atmosphere, it's a bad. Nature wants to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/carbon-in-your-body-that-s-good-thing-in-a-tree-it-s-good-in-the/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6a/william-mcdonough-10055_atmosphere_carbon-in-your-body-that-s-good-thing-in_1717767.png) > [All these corporate reports say they want zero carbon. Well that is ridiculous, because you are not telling us what you are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/all-these-corporate-reports-say-they-want-zero-carbon-well-that-is/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2e/william-mcdonough-10055_carbon_all-these-corporate-reports-say-they-wan_2927978.png) > [And to use something as elegant as a tree? Imagine this design assignment: Design something that makes oxygen, sequesters carbon, fixes nitrogen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/and-to-use-something-as-elegant-as-a-tree-imagine-this-design/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/694/william-mcdonough-10055_assignments_and-to-use-something-as-elegant-as-a-tre_208100.png) ## Other authors on Carbon ## More by William McDonough > [Honor commerce as the engine of change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/honor-commerce-as-the-engine-of-change/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [I am very focused on large-scale deployments of renewable power and how we're going to get this done. Imagine our military bases covered with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/i-am-very-focused-on-large-scale-deployments-of-renewable-power-and/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [You don't filter smokestacks or water. Instead, you put the filter in your head and design the problem out of existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/you-don-t-filter-smokestacks-or-water-instead-you-put-the-filter-in/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [If design is the first signal of human intention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/if-design-is-the-first-signal-of-human-intention/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [ You need that same creative force that exists in a building like Disney \[Walt Disney Concert Hall\] to actually tackle that most prosaic of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/you-need-that-same-creative-force-that-exists-in-a-building-like/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [And to use something as elegant as a tree? Imagine this design assignment: Design something that makes oxygen, sequesters carbon, fixes nitrogen, distills water,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/and-to-use-something-as-elegant-as-a-tree-imagine-this-design/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [I'd so much rather have exciting architecture that causes one to stop, breathe, and reflect on the potential of the human mind, the craft,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/i-d-so-much-rather-have-exciting-architecture-that-causes-one-to-stop/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [To eliminate the concept of waste means to design things-products, packaging, and systems-from the very beginning on the understanding that waste does not exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/to-eliminate-the-concept-of-waste-means-to-design-things-products/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [We are not a green standard, we are a quality standard. We're different, we're multi dimensional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/we-are-not-a-green-standard-we-are-a-quality-standard-we-re-different/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [Don't get me wrong: I love nuclear energy! It's just that I prefer fusion to fission. And it just so happens that there's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/don-t-get-me-wrong-i-love-nuclear-energy-it-s-just-that-i-prefer/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [If anybody here has trouble with the concept of design humility, reflect on this: It took us 5,000 years to put wheels on our luggage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/if-anybody-here-has-trouble-with-the-concept-of-design-humility/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [The problem I have with carbon as a bad thing issue, is that people go out and say they want to be zero carbon.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/the-problem-i-have-with-carbon-as-a-bad-thing-issue-is-that-people-go/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [If you don't have an end game of something delightful, you're just moving chess pieces around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/if-you-don-t-have-an-end-game-of-something-delightful-you-re-just/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [“Ultimately a regulation is a signal of design failure...it is what we call a license to harm: a permit issued by a government to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/ultimately-a-regulation-is-a-signal-of-design-failure-it-is-what-we/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [I just think it is so delightful to see people, let their elbows free. I think the exuberance of it all is really exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/i-just-think-it-is-so-delightful-to-see-people-let-their-elbows-free/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carbon/william-mcdonough/#itemlist", "name": "9 Carbon Quotes By William McDonough", "numberOfItems": 9, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We prefer to talk about 100% renewable instead of zero carbon. 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