30 GREEN FACTS
2. The Town of Braintree is paid $22/ton for recycling but pays $50/ton for trash. - Rosemary Nolan
3. Australia mandated a phase-out of all incandescent light bulbs by 2010, This saved 4 million tons of greenhouse gases annually. -
4. The number of oxygen-depleted dead zones in the world's oceans has increased from 149 to 200 in the two years between 2004-2006, threatening fish stocks.
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
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
9. Americans 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
15. An Energy Star programmable thermostat in your home can save nearly 20% on your energy bill. -
17. Over 45mph, gas economy drops significantly. From 55 mph to 65 mph, it drops 10%; at 70 mph, 17%. - US Government Accountability Office.
18. Using recycled aluminum scrap to make cans takes 95% less energy than making it from raw materials.
19. Limiting shower times to 5 minutes can reduce CO2 emissions by 300lbs/person per year. - Low Carbon Diet, David Gershon
20. 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.
21. It takes 3 times as much water to produce 1 bottle of bottled water, so it takes 3 bottles worth to produce 1 bottle you can buy in the store.
22. The total amount of energy embedded in our use of bottled water can be as high as the equivalent of filling a plastic bottle one quarter full with oil.
23. An estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide annually. That comes out to over one million per minute. Billions end up as litter each year.
24. Each year, Americans throw away 100 billion plastic bags. Only 0.6% are recycled.
25. After just an inch of rain, 600 gallons of water can be captured ointo a rain barrel from a 1000/sq foot roof. Use this “free” water for your garden. – David De Rothschild, The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook.
26. 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.
27. 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.
28. 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
29. 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
