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Every other year, World Monuments Watch makes a list of the 100 most endangered sites in the world. In compiling the roster, experts consider the significance of each site, the urgency of the threat to it, and the viability of a solution. Many of these places have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but that doesn't protect them from erosion, abandonment, development, weather damage, or from being loved too much—by tourists. Spin the globe and learn about our endangered cultural heritage. Start with these seven wonders and the causes that threaten to wipe them from our map.

• Giant stone Buddhas in Bamiyan, Afghanistan—erosion, human destruction
• Missions of Chihuahua, Mexico—abandonment, exposure to the elements
• Rock art of Dampier, Australia—industrial development
• Machu Picchu in the Urubamba Valley, Peru—development pressure, unchecked tourism
• Historic neighborhoods of New Orleans, United States—hurricane damage, limited resources
• Farnese Nymphaneum in Rome, Italy—biological attack, rain and flood damage
• Historic sites of Kilwa, Tanzania—rising sea, coastal erosion

We understand why communities bar nuclear waste dumps, outlaw smoking in public places, and police litter bugs. We can even get behind neighborhood strictures on some noise pollution. But does the innocent clothesline truly require similarly strict treatment? It seems out of place, and yet "tens of thousands" of homeowners' groups across the U.S. have made it a fugitive act to string and use a clothesline. Since 1999, Project Laundry List has fought local embargos on open-air wash-drying. The group offers guides to products such as environmentally friendly detergents and umbrella-style clotheslines. It promotes writing and installations honoring the ages-old tradition of letting your clean white sheets flap in the wind. And it has taken action in campaigns such as "Right to Dry." Not only do clotheslines promote good stewardship of the Earth, they produce sweet-smelling, crinkly-dried apparel. Be a lover, not a hater. Hang a clothesline.

Most of us know the stress of getting a bill paid during lean times, meeting the minimum payment for a medical procedure, or adjusting to a sudden increase in rent. And most of us get through those rough patches. But not all of us. Since 2002, Modest Needs has sought to help "otherwise... self-sufficient individuals and families" who have strayed into financial straits. Perhaps a spouse has fallen sick and the property taxes loom. Perhaps a sister can no longer care for her child and the little one needs dental work. In acts they call "preventive giving," Modest Needs makes small payments available to people who detail their situations and are verified by the group. Read the moving testimonials from recipients of these micro-gifts. And then check out the applications for help. Because so many of these pleas for assistance could come from any of us.