BIOLOGIC: Designing With Nature to Protect the...

BIOLOGIC: Designing With Nature to Protect the Environment by David Wann (Johnson Books: $14.95; 284 pp., illustrated) and IN OUR BACKYARD: A Guide to Understanding Pollution and Its Effects by Travis Wagner (Van Nostrand Reinhold: $19.95; 320 pp., illustrated, paperback original). Wagner uses a question-and-answer format to present basic information about the sources and effects of various types of pollution, as well as alternative and preventive measures. Some of the information is depressing: A single gallon of gasoline leaking from a storage tank can render 1 million gallons of water undrinkable. Other figures are encouraging: Despite the rising number of cars in the U.S., the Clean Air Act has produced a 51% decrease in carbon monoxide and a 93% decrease in lead in the air. Intelligent and well-researched, “Backyard” provides an easy-to-grasp introduction for anyone who wants to learn more about an important issue. David Wann takes a more upbeat approach to the subject, arguing that Americans need to consume less and learn how to avoid environmental damage before it occurs, rather than devise new ways to clean up messes. Although his tone often seems a little too cheery, Wann ruefully notes, “America still doesn’t have an itinerary, only an open highway, littered with burger wrappers and billboards.”