The real people who hold our civilization together are the maintenance people. If it weren't for them - pumping water out of subways, painting bridges to keep from rusting, fixing a steam pipe that is 70 years old - we'd… — Alan Weisman Copy Share Image
“The Panama Canal,' says Abdiel Perez, 'is like a wound that humans inflicted on the Earth--one that nature is trying to heal.” — Alan Weisman Copy Share Image
The fact that the infrastructure is falling apart is not necessarily because it's built poorly. The New York City subways were built in 1903. The fact that they're still running at all is an enormous success. The fact that New York City's bridges have held up as long as they have is extraordinary, and the engineers didn't have computers to… — Alan Weisman Copy Share
“Before artificial nitrogen fertilizer became widely available, the world's population was around 2 billion. When we no longer have it - or if we… — Alan Weisman Copy Share Image
“Puszcza, an old Polish word, means “forest primeval.” Straddling the border between Poland and Belarus, the half-million acres of the Białowieża Puszcza contain Europe’s… — Alan Weisman Copy Share Image
“In recent years, a green burial movement has protested formaldehyde, which oxidizes to formic acid, the toxic in fire ants and bee stingers, as… — Alan Weisman Copy Share Image
“In the days when money was backed by its face value in silver or gold, there were limits to how much wealth could flow… — Alan Weisman Copy Share Image
“Missing, however, are nearly all fauna adapted to us. The seemingly invincible cockroach, a tropical import, long ago froze in unheated apartment buildings. Without… — Alan Weisman Copy Share Image
All of us humans have myriad other species to thank. Without them, we couldn't exist. It's that simple, and we can't afford to ignore… — Alan Weisman Copy Share Image
In a future that portends stronger and more-frequent hurricanes striking North America's Atlantic coast, ferocious winds will pummel tall, unsteady structures. Some will topple,… — Alan Weisman Copy Share Image
The real people who hold our civilization together are the maintenance people. If it weren't for them - pumping water out of subways, painting… — Alan Weisman Copy Share Image
“Once, we built structures entirely from the most durable substances we knew: granite block, for instance. The results are still around today to admire,… — Alan Weisman Copy Share Image
