Reuse, Reycyle, Make a Difference

I am not an environmentalist by any stretch of the word. In fact, I’ve never studied environmental issues. I’ve never taken up an environmental cause. Until now…

Today, October 15, 2007 is Blog Action Day. A day when all bloggers post an article about the environment. The issues, the causes, the possible solutions.

OK, so technically I’m not doing anything more than blogging about environmental issues. Let me correct that; I did a ton of research and I am using that research to inform you of 38 environmental facts. Interesting, but useless? Yes and no… it depends on what you do with this list.

For me, I plan to be a bit more environmentally conscious and change my (bad) habits.

For you, well, it’s up to you.

With that, I leave you with my list of facts. Do with it what concerns you most… Most importantly, DO SOMETHING; I know I will.

1. If we raise fuel efficiency standards in American cars by one mile per gallon, in one year, we would save twice the amount of oil that could be obtained from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
2. Raising it by 2.7 mpg would save enough to eliminate all the oil imports from Iraq and Kuwait combined
3. Raising it by 7.6 mpg would save enough to eliminate 100% of our gulf oil imports into this country
4. If just 25% of U.S. families used 10 fewer plastic bags a month, we would save over 2.5 BILLION bags a year.
5. On the average, the 140 million cars in America are estimated to travel almost 4 billion miles in a day, and according to the Department of Transportation, they use over 200 million gallons of gasoline doing it.
6. Every year we throw away 24 million tons of leaves and grass. Leaves alone account for 75% of our solid waste in the fall.
7. Over 100 pesticide ingredients are suspected to cause birth defects, cancer, and gene mutations.
8. Every ton of recycled office paper saves 380 gallons of oil.
9. About 1% of U.S. landfill space is full of disposable diapers, which take 500 years to decompose.
10. Energy saved from one recycled aluminum can will operate a TV set for 3 hours, and is the equivalent to half a can of gasoline.
11. Glass produced from recycled glass instead of raw materials reduces related air pollution by 20%, and water pollution by 50%.
12. Americans use 50 million tons of paper annually -- consuming more than 850 million trees.
13. Homeowners use up to 10 times more toxic chemicals per acre than farmers.
14. By turning down your central heating thermostat one degree, fuel consumption is cut by as much as 10%.
15. Insulating your attic reduces the amount of energy loss in most houses by up to 20%.
16. Enough glass was thrown away in 1990 to fill the Twin Towers (1,350 feet high) of New York's World Trade Center every two weeks.
17. One ton of carbon dioxide that is released in the air can be prevented by replacing every 75 watt light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs.
18. Many banks lent large sums of money to developing nations. In order to pay those debts plus interest many nations have turned to the mining of their natural resources as a source of financial aid.
19. Every day 40,000 children die from preventable diseases.
20. The human population of the world is expected to be nearly tripled by the year 2100.
21. A three percent annual growth rate will result in the doubling of consumption and production of food and other products in 25 short years.
22. The amount of motor vehicles that are expected to be operated will increase 15 million year until at least 2010.
23. The world's per capita grain production has been on the downfall since 1985 despite the use of fertilizers and pesticides.
24. Already a train system has been developed (back in 1987) which is based on magnetic levitation and causes minimal pollution. These versions of a train are already in use in several countries.
25. Fibre optics, made of glass, are being used to replace copper cables throughout the world.
26. The uncontrolled fishing that is allowed has reduced the amount of commercial species. Some species, up to one-tenth of their original population.
27. Every day 50 to 100 species of plants and animals become extinct as their habitat and human influences destroy them.
28. The United States contains only 5 percent of the world’s population, but contributes 22 percent of the world’s carbon emissions.
29. Between 20 and 25 percent of carbon emissions come from deforestation and land use change.
30. Personal cars and trucks in the United States emit 20 percent of the United States' carbon emissions.
31. Air conditioning and heating account for almost half of electricity use in the average American home.
32. Climate change is linked to stronger hurricanes, more drought and increased coral deaths from bleaching.
33. Ratio of pollution generated by a leaf blower in one hour to that generated by driving a car one hundred miles: 1:1
34. Percentage of Kuwait's freshwater supply still contaminated with oil spilled by Iraqi forces during the Gulf War: 40
35. Ratio of New York bird deaths last summer attributed to West Nile virus to those attributed to pollution: 2:3
36. Chances that a body of water in Mexico is too contaminated to swim in: 3 in 4
37. Days it takes an adult in Los Angeles to breathe in more air pollution than EPA guidelines recommend for a lifetime: 25
38. Ratio of the estimated U.S. cost of ratifying the Kyoto Protocol to the cost of the Iraq war so far: 1:1