30 Environmental Facts That Will Blow Your Mind!

Last Updated Thursday, April 21, 2016

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a good place to start when seeking to know the nation's pulse on environmental factors that affect the planet, as well as human health.

On the other hand, all one has to do is observe the unusual nature of weather patterns over the past two decades, to know that something is definitely causing environmental uncertainty.

In retrospect though, there is documented proof of destructive floods dating back centuries i.e. the chronicles of the great flood and Noah's Ark for instance.

Local state environmental agencies are in place to ensure the quality of air, land and water. Ironically, Flint, Michigan is not a good example of what these agencies are there to do. Moreover, the lead-poisoning story is just one tragic example of what happens when these agencies fail in their capacities. In reference to Michigan's lead poisoning, perhaps governors have too much power.

But I digress.


Most Americans probably never think about the many ways their habits and everyday routines negatively affect environmental health.

The trash we accumulate, the cars we abandon, the chemicals we carelessly toss out, the water we waste and the general pollution of the environment happens on a daily basis somewhere in the world.

Below, are 30 environmental facts that will blow your mind:

1. The average American family produces about 100 lbs. of trash every week.
2. Americans buy (and throw away) 500 million disposable cigarette lighters every year. 
   
3. Natural alternative: Mineral oil works well as a lubricant on door hinges.
4. 3 million cars are abandoned in the United States every year.
5. An estimated 14 billion lbs. of trash are dumped into the sea every year.
6. We throw away enough iron and steel to supply all of America's automakers continuously.
7. Using a broom, not a hose, to clean driveways and steps saves hundreds of gallons of water.
8. More than 200 million tons of pesticides are used annually in California alone.
9. About 75% of the water we use in our homes is used in the bathroom.
10. The average annual energy bill for America's hot tubs is $200 million.
11. About 75% of America's glass is used for packaging.
12. The average U.S. home uses the energy equivalent of 1,253 gallons of oil every year.
13. In the U.S., about 70% of all metal is used just once...and is then discarded.
14. 99.5% of all the fresh water on Earth is in icecaps and glaciers.
15. Appliances, heating, and cooling cost the average U.S. home over $1000 a year in energy.
16. A trigger nozzle on your hose will save at least 20 gallons when you wash your car.
17. The production of meats, dairy products, and eggs account for one third of the raw materials used for all purposes in the United States.
18. Annually, America produces the equivalent of 10 lbs. of plastic for every person on earth.
19. At the rate we generate garbage, we need 500 new dumps every year.
20. 50% of paper in the U.S. is used solely for packaging.
21. 100 gallons of water is needed to produce one pat of butter.
22. L.A. residents drive 142 million miles--the distance from Earth to Mars--every single day, producing a quarter of the nation's carbon dioxide cloud.
23. About 40% of all battery sales are made during the Christmas season.
24. In 1987, America produced (and disposed of) over 50 billion pounds of plastic.
25. According to Debra Lynn Ladd, pesticides banned in the U.S. are shipped to coffee-growing countries and used on coffee that's sent back here. Drink organic.
26. If every household recycled Sunday papers, we could save over 500,000 trees every week.
27. If every commuter car carried just one more passenger, we' save 600,000 gallons of gasoline and keep 12 million pounds of "greenhouse gases" out of the atmosphere every day.
28. If every household installed "low-flow" shower heads, we could save billions of gallons of water every year...without ever noticing it.
29. If every American family planted just one tree, over a billion pounds of "greenhouse gases" would be removed from the atmosphere every year.
30. To produce one serving of chicken, 408 gallons of water is required.

Reference: The Earth Works Group, EPA