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OKAEE Documentation
501(c)(3) Documentation Letter 1045 Contact Information OKAEE PO Box 2382 Stillwater, OK 74076-2382 E-mail: info [at] okaee [dot] org Phone: (405) 521-2384 |
Seven Wonders of SustainabilityAccording to Seattle author John Ryan, people can do plenty by simply digging through their cupboards or picking up everyday tools. He outlines a bold and powerful prescription in his new book, "Seven Wonders: Everyday Things for a Healthier Planet." Each chapter begins with a simple, everyday object: Pad Thai, ladybug, ceiling fan, condom, bicycle, clothesline and public library. If used by more people, each could effect enormous changes on the environment, Ryan says. Then he launches into engaging discussions of the benefits of each "wonder" and about the broader issues they symbolize."There's a huge gap in this country between how much stuff we take from the Earth and how much we can take from the Earth if we want to have a healthy world and future," Ryan says. "Yet all the tools to close the gap exist. The problem is we're not using them enough." Though the book's title sounds formulaic, it is surprisingly lively and informative, upbeat without sounding sappy, educational but not professorial. The writing style is light-hearted, sometimes wry, yet has a deadly serious intent: to wean Americans from their overconsumptive ways. A liberal sprinkling of gee-whiz facts, carefully researched and documented, adds spice to the narrative. For instance, he points out why people should think twice before buying halogen floor lamps, which he says ". . . are basically 700-degree F electric heaters that emit 5 percent of their energy as light." And by allowing office workers to dress casually, employers can save about $150 a year per person in cooling and electrical equipment costs. The book has generated positive feedback from local environmental organizations. "Our board of directors has not taken a position on Pad Thai," joked Tom Geiger, the outreach director for the Washington Environmental Council, a statewide group that represents 90 environmental organizations. "But, yeah, if people rode bicycles more and used air conditioning and ceiling fans more, they could make a difference. Small actions, multiplied by millions of people, really add up." Professor John Palka, co-director of the University of Washington's Program on the Environment, believes the book provides a public service. "There's hardly anything (in the book) that hasn't been said before," Palka said, "but (Ryan) has put it together in a neat package." Although many people can't incorporate all of Ryan's "wonders" into their own lives, Palka said, the book has a greater purpose. "The broader message," he said, "is to live a life mindful of the impact each of us has on the planet's resources." Here's a brief look at four of Ryan's wonders and why they're worth considering: Bicycles: Ryan (and many others) considers bicycles to be one of the most efficient forms of transportation ever invented: "Pound for pound, a person on a bicycle expends less energy than any creature or machine covering the same distance," he writes. According to Ryan's research, it's the world's most widely used transport vehicle, outnumbering automobiles by a ratio of 2-to-1. Yet in the United States only about 2 million people are regular bicycle commuters. Besides the obvious benefits of not consuming fossil fuels and not causing traffic jams, bicycles also are much safer than cars, the leading worldwide killers of men 15 to 44 years old. Many people scoff at the idea of using bicycles because of the long distances they must drive. But research shows that half of all commuter trips in the U.S. are three miles or less, well within bike range. Ceiling fans: A simple ceiling fan can make a room feel up to 9 degrees Fahrenheit cooler, yet operates on about one-tenth of the electricity required to run an air conditioner. Although the Northwest's mild year-round temperatures don't tempt many homeowners to install air conditioners, commercial buildings often use them. Ryan advocates a greater use of ceiling fans because air conditioners consume about one-sixth of the electricity produced in the U.S. On a hot summer afternoon, air conditioners devour "43 percent of the nation's peak power load - enough to occupy (and require the construction of) 2,000 giant power plants, each costing over $1 billion." Energy conservation, Ryan says, is a key component of reducing America's use of natural resources and of arresting global warming. Pad Thai: The highly seasoned Asian dish made of noodles, garlic, and vegetables, sometimes with bits of chicken or shrimp thrown in. Ryan doesn't mean to celebrate that particular dish so much as the basic principle of "peasant" cooking around the world: Start with starch, mix in veggies, add great seasonings, and use meat sparingly if at all. Could as well be tortillas and beans, curry and rice, or spaghetti and tomato sauce. Healthy, cheap, do-it-yourself, easy on the planet, delicious. The ladybug: Constantly searching out and destroying plant pests, without charge, without environmental damage. Your average ladybug scarfs up forty to seventy-five plant-sucking aphids a day. Multiply that by 75,000 beetles per gallon, which farmers can order through the mail, and you've got one heck of an efficient pesticide. Something like 98 percent of sprayed chemical pesticides never even hit a pest, but ladybugs zoom right in on the aphids and nothing but the aphids. Donella Meadows, recently deceased renowned sustainability author, had to say this about Ryan's Seven Wonders, "What do all these wonders have in common? Well, their kindness to the Earth and to human health is what qualifies them for a sustainability list. They are accessible to anyone, inexpensive to obtain and maintain. Many of them serve not only practical but also esthetic needs; they satisfy the eye, the palate, or the soul. Most are old in concept, though they may have modern variations. Something like them has evolved in many different cultures. Most are objects you can buy, but usually from a local maker, not a multinational corporation. Maybe that's why we don't much appreciate the humble, sustainable wonders around us. Their value is too obvious to need touting. You only have to spend billions "marketing" something if its worth is in doubt. " For more details on the Use Less Stuff Campaign, contact campaign coordinator, Susie Shields, at susie.shields@deq.state.ok.us or 405.702.5166. Information is also available on the web: www.deq.state.ok.us. Download the ULS Week 2002 packet Or Read more from the ULS Week 2002 Packet:
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