Fun+Facts

 =Fun Facts = Americans produce the most gabage. On average, we produce more than five pounds of trash a day. That is 260,000,000 tons of trash per day! The U.S produces the most greenhouse gases out of any other country. April 22nd is Earth Day. Only 3% of Earth's water is drinkable, so keep it clean! Arbor day is also known as tree day. If the current condition of destruction continues, rainforests will disappear by the year 2030. Americans dispose of over 180 million tons of garbage a year. Out of the 180 million tons a year, Americans throw out more than 72 million tons of paper. The amount of office and writing paper disposed of annually can build a wall twelve feet high streching from New York to Los Angeles. Americans take the most showers out of any other country. The U.S. goes through over 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually! If every American home replaced just one light with a compact fluorescent light bulb, we would prevent over 9.3 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year, which is similar to taking 800,000 cars off the road. If every American household added insulation to their attic, we would prevent over 24 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year. If each desktop and monitor in U.S. homes was to sleep when not in use, we would prevent more than 16 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year, which is like taking 1.4 million cars off the road. If every American household serviced their heating and cooling systems, inspected their ducts for leaks, and programmed their thermostat to save energy while they’re away or asleep, we would prevent over 169 billion lbs of greenhouse gas emissions per year, which is like taking 14 million cars off the road. The biggest business sectors that are contributing to global warming are the following: Industry, Transportation, Residential, Commercial, Agriculture. Methane is the second biggest cause of greenhouse warming. Gas from cows is a big contributor to global warming.



The amount of energy saved by recycling 1 tin can is equal to 3 hous of watching television. Forty-nine million people could be fed by edible food that ends up in the landfills each year! Over 380 gallons of oil are saved for every ton of paper recycled. Over two million tons of e-waste (computers, TVs, etc.) is thrown out by Americans each year, instead of being brought to recycling centers. Dripping faucets can waste up to 15-20 gallons of water each day. Since the late 1800s, global temperatures increased by an average of 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Bamboo absorbs 4 times more carbon dioxide as hardwood trees and releases 35 percent more oxygen. Although the United Statescontains only 4.5% of the global population, it is responsible for 15% of the world,s consumption of wood. Every degree you turn down on your thermostat saves about 5% on your heating bill. You can use a dried lemon peel to prevent moths and other bugs from invading your closet. Rainforests once covered 14% of the Earth's surface and now they only cover 6%. Normal washing machines require 45-50 gallons of water per load. Some high-efficiency washing machines only use 13 gallons of water, plus it is more energy efficient. The World Health Organization reports that indoor air pollution causes 14 times more deaths than outdoor air pollution (2.8 million lives). The U.S. currently recycles 32.5 percent of its waste, compared with about five percent in 1970. According to the EPA, recycling cuts global warming pollution by the equivalent of removing 39.6 million passenger cars from the road. Before 1973, no curbside recycling programs existed in the United States. By 2006, about 8,660 curbside programs had sprouted up across the nation. 31 percent of plastic soft drink bottles, 45 percent of aluminum cans, and 67 percent of all major appliances are now recycled. Less than half of all post-consumer paper discarded in the United States is recycled. Only 13 percent of water bottles are recycled. In 2005, Americans purchased 30 billion water bottles, and 26 billion of them wound up in landfills. Airports and airlines recycle less than 20 percent of the 425,000 tons of passenger-related waste they produce each year. Recycling saves about 1,000 pounds of solid waste, approximetely 10,000 gallons of water, and 17 million Btu of energy per ton of paper. Each ton of paper recycled saves two tons of trees. Magazines that are sent to a landfill release 170 tons of CO 2, while magazines that are recycled only release 6 tons.