If every U.S. home replaced one incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent ‘squiggly’ bulb, enough energy would be saved to light 3 million homes for a year.
Source: EPA Energy Star: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls
Every glass bottle that’s recycled saves enough energy to light a 100-watt light bulb for 4 hours.
Source: EPA: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/education/pdfs/toolkit/tools-m.pdf
Turning down the thermostat in your home by one degree Fahrenheit in winter can save you up to 4% in monthly utility expenses.
Source: EPA: http://www.epa.gov/region7/citizens/EPA_HomeHelps.pdf
An aluminum can takes 200-500 years to degrade, but a recycled aluminum can will be regenerated and back on the shelf in 60 days.
Sources: Missouri Department of Transportation (http://www.mdc.mo.gov/nomoretrash/facts/); Aluminum Association (http://www.aluminum.org/Template.cfm?Section=Home&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=11321)
If every American maintained proper inflation on their car tires, it would save more than one billion gallons of gasoline per year. (Sources: calculations based on information from DOT, DOE, and NHTSA; tire inflation savings from http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/maintain.shtml)
75% of electricity used by home electronics is “vampire loads” - consumed while the device is ‘off.’ When not in use, cell phone chargers, DVD players, televisions, and any other electronic devices should be unplugged or put on a power strip that is turned off.
Source: Department of Energy - http://www.energy.gov/applianceselectronics.htm
In 2005, more than 3/4 of American workers who commuted by car did so alone. Source: Census Bureau, http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/american_community_survey_acs/010230.html
The average American will throw away 600 times their weight in garbage in a lifetime.
Sources: EPA (http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/resources/msw-2005.pdf) and CDC data on life expectancy and body weight
For every gallon of gasoline used, your car emits over 19 pounds of carbon dioxide! The weight of what’s in your trunk decreases gas mileage - every extra 100 pounds costs you about half-a-mile-per-gallon.
Source: U.S. EPA http://epa.gov/oms/climate/420f05001.htm and <http://www.epa.gov/otaq/consumer/car-env.pdf> Accessed: August 3, 2008