William McDonough, a pioneer in the "green" architecture movement, argued that companies can operate in harmony with the environment in a lecture last night at the Kennedy School of Government.

McDonough creates what he calls sustainable designs, which do not create waste. All byproducts of his designs can either be reused or are biodegradable.

"Designers must take responsibility," he said. "We can't say, 'That tragedy wasn't part of my plan.' You have to plan against the tragedy."

McDonough said he realized he wanted to design responsibly after a visit to Auschwitz.

"Someone designed that camp as a giant, efficient killing machine," he said. "I saw that, at some point, a designer has to look at the consequences of what he is creating. And if it's wrong, he has to fight it."

Since that time, McDonough has worked on designing safe textiles--"so untoxic, you could eat them"-- solar-powered buildings for Nike and the Gap and completely recyclable cars, among other products.

But he said that recycling by itself is less valuable than designing to eliminate waste in the first place.

"If you want to get to Canada, and you're driving towards Mexico, you don't slow down!" he said. "You turn around."