In researching and preparing to write this blog I have come past various facts that in and of themselves do not warrant their own post so I have been keeping a running list. Since I love little facts and you never know when you will have the opportunity to discuss them with a friend I wanted to share them with you. My husband will particularly like #2 as several years ago I blurted out the fact about the pick-up truck being the best selling car in the US and he STILL makes fun of me about it.
- In 2007 $1.6 billion of jet fuel was burned by planes waiting in line to take off at airports. That’s 740 million gallons of fuel. That is 7.1 million metric tons of CO2.
- The Ford 415 is NOT the #1 selling car this year (as it has been for the last 17 years) it is now the #4 car with Honda Civic, Toyota Camry, and Toyota Corolla taking the top spots.
- London Olympic Stadium is being designed to be demountable, so that it can be sold after the games. Organizers also note that it could be “the first step in a new approach to the games, which could become more like a travelling circus to keep costs down and allow poorer countries to play host.” London is talking to possible 2016 host Chicago because “both cities have decided to build main stadiums with small numbers of permanent seats while erecting giant seating scaffolds for the two weeks of competition. Talks have focused on how London’s stadium might be bolted rather than welded together, ensuring the materials used allow it to function properly in another country and climate, and how sections might fit on a cargo ship.” (from Treehuger.com)
- Americans weigh about 24 more pounds per person than we did in the 1970s. That weight, when we’re driving, has to be moved around with our cars. Multiplied over the three trillion miles driven in America each year, suddenly we need a lot of gas to move around our extra chub. If we could (preferably through walking and biking) lose those 24 lbs and reach 1970’s sizes, America would used nearly one billion gallons of gas lessthan we currently do. (from ecogeek.org)
- 60,000 plastic bags are used in the US every 5 seconds!! (from portfolio.com)
- 2,000,000 plastic bottles are used in the US every 5 minutes. (from portfolio.com)
- 12% of Earths plant species could be extinct in the next 20 years. (from green-networld.com)
I hope to do this kind of post on a regular basis I think alot can be said by looking at these facts. Eventhough I wrote a post about using canvas bags instead of getting a plastic bag at the store it hits you even more when you see the fact above. I hope you found these as interesting as I did.
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