By Eric Sorensen and the staff of Sightline Institute
“The wonders represent opportunity, simple things ordinary people can make to make a difference in their own lives and in their communities, things that collectively hold the hope of surprising benefit.” — Craig McInnes, Vancouver Sun
Released April 24, 2008 (see press release here)
What do a clothesline, a locally grown tomato, and a microchip have in common? According to Sightline’s new book Seven Wonders for a Cool Planet, these are ordinary things that, with widespread use, can have an extraordinary impact on the fight against global warming, one of the most urgent challenges facing life on Earth in this century.
But Seven Wonders is much more than another book of tips. The book, by award-winning journalist Eric Sorensen and the staff of Sightline Institute, sheds new light on our relationships to the world we inhabit and offers a powerful template for personal and public action.
Each wonder is profiled in a short, lively chapter that is also a springboard for exploring the key issues behind global warming and how to design sustainability into the very heart of our lives, communities, and economies. Here’s a quick summary:
- “The Bicycle” is an ode to the most energy-efficient vehicle ever devised–and a transportation solution whose promise is just starting to be realized. (Read bicycle fact sheet here.)
- “The Condom” examines how a little more “wrapping-up” could have a big impact.
- “The Ceiling Fan” shows that energy efficiency isn’t just a free lunch. “It’s a lunch you are paid to eat.”
- “The Clothesline” starts with a six-dollar piece of rope and ends with the vast potential of renewable energy.
- “The Real Tomato” uses the well-traveled vegetable to examine how to make agriculture greener. (Read excerpt here.)
- “The Library Book” shows why “reuse” is the most important of the “three R’s.”
- “The Microchip” is a testament to how the virtual world can benefit our real-world climate. (Read excerpt here.)
Where to purchase Seven Wonders: you can buy copies of Seven Wonders for a Cool Planet directly from Sierra Club Books, your local bookstore, or online from bookstores such as Amazon.
Note: Seven Wonders is an update of a 1999 book by Sightline, published by Sierra Club Books.
See Also:
Fact Sheet: Seven Wonders for a Cool Planet
