1. 85% of the U.S. greenhouse gas emissions are energy related - http://www.netl.doe.gov/technologies/carbon_seq/overview/what_is_CO2.html 2. The town of Braintree is paid $22/ton for recycling but pays $50/ton for trash. - Rosemary Nolan 3. Australia has mandated a phase-out of all incandescent light bulbs by 2010. Saving 4 million tons of greenhouse gases annually. - http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/energyefficiency/lighting.html 4. The number of oxygen-depleted dead zones in the world's oceans has increased from 149 to 200 in the past two years, threatening fish stocks. - http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=20307&Cr=pollution&Cr1=%20 5. Urban air pollution causes 800,000 premature deaths each year. http://www.unep.org/geo/yearbook/yb2006/055.asp 6. If everyone on Earth lived as Americans do, we would need 3 Earths, if everyone lived as people from Northwest Africa, only .15 Earths. - http://www.ecofuture.org/pop/rpts/mccluney_maxpop.html 7. Vampire Watts can account for 10% of your yearly electric bill. These watts come from many small household appliances, such as answering machines, DVD players and cell phone chargers. - http://virginia.sierraclub.org/greatfalls/issues/Vampire_flyer.pdf 8. It takes 20,000 calories daily of grown food to feed a 2000 calorie diet. - http://www.organicconsumers.org/btc/gasfood112105.cfm 9. American's consume 25% of the world's produced oil, but our nation holds less than 3% of proven reserves. - Energy Information Administration, "U.S. Crude Oil, Natural Gas and Natural Gas Liquid Resources, 1999 Annual Report," DOE/EIA-0216 (99) (December 2000). 10. It takes 25 gallons of water to produce a pound of wheat. It takes 5000 gallons of water to produce a pound of beef. - "Diet For A New America" by John Robbins 11. If the environmental effects of gasoline were factored into the price, it would be $15 per gallon. - Lester Brown. Plan B 3.0, Mobilizing to Save Civilization 12. If the Greenland ice sheet melts into the ocean, worldwide sea levels will rise by 24 feet. - http://www.grida.no/publications/other/ipcc%5Ftar/?src=/climate/ipcc_tar/wg1/418.htm 14. Replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact florescent lights can reduce your energy bill from lighting by 75%. - http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls 15. If everyone in the US changed just one bulb to a CFL, it would save enough energy to power 3 million homes for a year. - http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls 16. An Energy Star programmable thermostat in your home can save nearly 20% on your energy bill. - http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=thermostats.pr_thermostats 17. Composting can reduce 25% of the yard trimmings and food residuals in our waste stream. - http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/rrr/composting/ 18. Over 45mph, gas economy drops significantly. From 55mph to 65mph, it drops 10%. At 70mph, 17%. - US Government Accountability Office. 19. Using recycled aluminum scrap to make cans takes 95% less energy than making it from raw materials. - http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/saving/ 20. Limiting shower times to 5 minutes can reduce CO2 emissions by 300lbs/person per year. - Low Carbon Diet, David Gershon 21. Think about this, it may soon be easier to reclaim mineral resources from our landfills than it will be to extract them from the earth. Already there is more aluminum buried in North American dumps than left naturally in the earth. There is more gold in one ton of scrap computer parts than 17 tons of raw ore. – www.enviroalternatives.com/landfill.html
22. It takes 50 million barrels of oil to deliver the bottled water consumed in the United States. The equivalent of running 3 million cars for a year. – Lester Brown, http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/2007/Update68GA.htm?gclid=CKSG_ZeTm5gCFQukHgodbg-gmw
23. Individual bottles of water range up to several dollars a gallon, while tap water is delivered directly to homes and offices for less than a penny a gallon – Lester Brown, http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/2007/Update68GA.htm?gclid=CKSG_ZeTm5gCFQukHgodbg-gmw
24. Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute. Billions end up as litter each year. - http://www.reusablebags.com/facts.php
25. Each year, Americans throw away 100 billion plastic bags. Only 0.6 percent are recycled - http://www.worldwatch.org/node/1499
26. After just an inch of rain, 600 gallons of water can be captured from a 1000/sq foot roof into a rain barrel. Use this “free” water for your garden. – David De Rothschild, The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook.
27. Americans throw away 25 billion Styrofoam cups each year. Styrofoam cannot go into Braintree Single Stream Recycling Bins - David De Rothschild, The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook.
28. TV’s account for 4% of all U.S. energy consumption. A plasma widescreen TV can consume more electricity than a refrigerator. - David De Rothschild, The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook.
29. 17 million gallons of fuel, mostly gasoline, are spilled each year while refueling lawn equipment. More than the Exxon Valdez spilled into the Gulf of Alaska – US EPA
30. Gas mowers represent 5% of U.S. Air Pollution and produce as much air pollution as 43 new cars each being driven 12,000 miles – US EPA
31. Homeowners use up to 10 times more toxic chemicals per acre than farmers. US. Fish and Wildlife, http://www.fws.gov/contaminants/documents/Homeowners_Guide_Frogs.pdf |
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