Seven Wonders: Everyday Things for a Healthier Planet

Consider your way of life and the effect that you have on the planet, and ask yourself the following question: If everyone on Earth lived like you, what would the impact be on the natural world and its finite resources? Probably catastrophic. According to John Ryan, it's time for us to reexamine our actions and reconsider our options.
In Seven Wonders, Ryan informs readers of the extraordinary benefits of such familiar things as the bicycle, the ceiling fan, the clothesline, the condom, Thai food, the public library, and the ladybug - and how using them can help solve critical global problems such as air pollution, ozone layer depletion, and toxic pesticide runoff. Our high-consumption "American way of life" creates enormous ecosystem damage. John Ryan artfully demonstrates how we can adopt relatively easy ways to lessen this damage and, at the same time, improve the health of our shared natural environment and of our families.

In Seven Wonders, John C. Ryan recommends a few simple things that could have a substantial positive impact on the planet's natural resources. The benefits of some of his "wonders" are obvious: condoms are a valuable tool in both birth control and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, while using a clothesline instead of a dryer saves energy and money. But did you know that Pad Thai dishes, which rely heavily on rice and vegetables, are not only healthy but environmentally sound? (Leaving aside the question of animal cruelty, livestock production in the United States accounts for almost half the energy used in American agriculture and generates 130 times more manure than the entire human population of the world.) And if more people used their public libraries instead of buying books, what might that do for the global level of paper consumption (not to mention the other community benefits a library has to offer)? Ryan's other three wonders are the bicycle, the ceiling fan, and the ladybug; his short essays on each of these items mix a presentation of their benefits with a thoughtful consideration of the social changes that would have to take place in our culture of consumption to make these wonders more mainstream. Seven Wonders is an intelligent reflection on the possibilities of a simpler lifestyle that combines material comfort with environmental sustainability.