Grist: Josh Sevin

Can't See the Forest

Josh Sevin — Wed, 01 Mar 2000 20:00:07 +0000

20 percent of Earth’s original forests remain undisturbed
13 percent of original forests in the Pacific Northwest remain undisturbed
1 to 2 percent of original forests in the U.S. remain undisturbed
2.47 acres of rainforest are destroyed each second, an area approximately the size of two U.S. football fields
214,000 acres of rainforest are destroyed each day, an area larger than New York City
78 million acres of rainforest are destroyed each year, an area larger than Poland
5 to 10 percent of closed tropical forest species will go extinct per decade at current rates of tropical forest loss and disturbance
27 percent of wood commercially harvested worldwide is consumed by Americans

Sources:
1 — Natural Resources Defense Council
2, 3 — World Resources Institute
4-6 — Natural Resources Defense Council
7 — World Resources Institute
8 — Natural Resources Defense Council

A Disappearing Act

Josh Sevin — Wed, 23 Feb 2000 20:00:08 +0000

137 species are estimated to go extinct each day
50,000 species are estimated to go extinct each year
78 species were on the original U.S. endangered species list
1,201 species were on the U.S. endangered species list as of October 1999
43 percent of endangered and threatened animals in the U.S. depend on wetlands
40 percent of all modern medicines are either modeled on or synthesized from natural compounds derived from various species
95 percent of known plant species have yet to be screened for their medicinal values
30 million species of plants and animals — more than half of all life forms on our planet — live in rainforests

Sources:
1, 2 — Natural Resources Defense Council
3 — Environmental Defense Fund
4 — U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
5-7 — National Wildlife Federation
8 — Natural Resources Defense Council

More Than Meats the Eye

Josh Sevin — Wed, 09 Feb 2000 20:00:51 +0000

8 pounds of grain are needed to produce one pound of beef
2,464 gallons of water are needed to produce one pound of beef
40 percent of grain is fed to livestock, poultry, or fish
China’s grain consumption increased by 40 million tons between 1990 and 1995 — and 33 million of those tons were fed to livestock
meat consumption has increased 400 percent in developing nations since 1965
220 million acres of U.S. land have been cleared for livestock production

Sources:
1-5 — National Wildlife Federation
6 — 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth

Paper Chase

Josh Sevin — Wed, 02 Feb 2000 20:00:25 +0000

a 50 percent increase in worldwide paper consumption is expected by 2010
115 billion sheets of paper are used annually for personal computers
700 pounds of paper are consumed by the average American each year
10,000 trees are cut down annually in China to make holiday cards
3 cubic yards of landfill space can be saved by one ton of recycled paper
77 percent of paper is recycled in the Netherlands
67 percent of paper is recycled in Germany
52 percent of paper is recycled in Japan
45 percent of paper is recycled in the U.S.

Sources:
1 — World Resources Institute
2 — Worldwatch Institute
3 — Environmental Defense Fund
4 — Xinhua News Agency
5 — 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth
6 — Washington Post
7-9 — Worldwatch Institute

A Kick in the Grass

Josh Sevin — Wed, 26 Jan 2000 20:00:52 +0000

20 million acres of U.S. land are covered by lawn
1 hour spent mowing a lawn with a gas-powered mower produces as many emissions as 50 hours spent driving an average car
5 percent of U.S. air pollution in summer months is emitted by gas-powered lawn equipment
27,000 gallons of water are needed each week to maintain an acre of lawn
35 percent of all household water is used to tend yards
32 million pounds of pesticides were used on U.S. lawns in 1994

Sources:
1 — 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth
2 — Earth Communications Office
3 — National Wildlife Federation
4 — 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth
5 — Earth Communications Office
6 — EPA

Car Talk

Josh Sevin — Wed, 19 Jan 2000 20:00:32 +0000

70 million motor vehicles were on the world’s roads in 1950
630 million motor vehicles were on the world’s roads in 1994
1 billion motor vehicles are expected to be on the world’s roads by 2025, if the current growth rate continues
12,000 pounds of carbon dioxide are emitted by the average car each year
5 percent of a car’s fuel can be wasted by underinflated tires
2 billion gallons of gasoline could be saved annually if 65 million car owners kept their tires properly inflated
85 percent of auto fuel is consumed just to overcome inertia and start the wheels turning
2.5 times more emissions are generated by SUVs and light trucks than by standard cars
33,000 natural gas vehicles were in use in the U.S. in 1993
75,000 natural gas vehicles were in use in the U.S. in 1998
50 million new cars roll off the assembly line each year
11 million cars are junked annually in the U.S.

Sources:
1-3 — World Resources Institute
4 — Environmental Working Group
5, 6 — 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth
7 — Amicus Journal
8 — L.A. Times
9, 10 — U.S. Department of Transportation
11 — Amicus Journal
12 — Wall Street Journal

Forty

Josh Sevin — Wed, 12 Jan 2000 19:59:23 +0000

• percentage by which energy consumption in developing nations is expected to grow by 2010

• percentage of written prescriptions that are either based on or synthesized from natural compounds found in plants and animals

• percentage of total paper used in Germany that goes toward packaging

• percentage by which one can reduce pollution from an older car by keeping it well-tuned

• dollars saved by replacing an incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent

• percentage by which fish species in Canadian lakes have declined due to acid rain

• percentage by which CFC consumption rose in the developing world between 1986 and 1995

• acres of wetlands that are vanishing per hour in southern Louisiana

• percentage of the world’s grain harvest that is fed to livestock, poultry, or fish

Sources:
1 — World Resources Institute
2 — National Wildlife Federation
3 — Earth Communications Office
4 — EPA
5 — Earth Communications Office
6, 7 — World Resources Institute
8 — Christian Science Monitior
9 — National Wildlife Federation

Three

Josh Sevin — Wed, 05 Jan 2000 20:00:35 +0000

• factor by which an average resident of an industrialized nation consumes more fresh water than an average resident of a developing nation

• factor by which sulfur dioxide emissions are expected to increase in Asia by 2010

• number of hours a television can be powered with the energy saved from a recycled aluminum can

• number of plant species that provide one-half of the world’s food supply (namely, rice, corn, and wheat)

• cubic yards of landfill space saved by one ton of recycled paper

• number of months worth of thrown-away aluminum that could be recycled to replace the entire U.S. commercial airfleet

• factor by which the ozone hole now exceeds the size of the continental U.S.

Sources:
1 — Earth Communications Office
2 — World Resources Institute
3 — 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth
4 — National Wildlife Federation
5 — 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth
6 — Environmental Defense Fund
7 — Sherwood Rowland

Hogwatch

Josh Sevin — Thu, 16 Dec 1999 20:00:49 +0000

10 million hogs live in North Carolina’s coastal region
8 million humans live in North Carolina
92 percent of North Carolina’s hogs are raised on factory farms with at least 2,000 hogs
1 hog generates as much waste as 3 people
2.5 tons of hog feces and urine are produced in North Carolina per citizen each year
52,000 tons of waste are generated by North Carolina’s hogs daily
640,000 pounds of nitrogen are generated by North Carolina’s hogs daily
213,000 pounds of phosphorus are generated by North Carolina’s hogs daily
22 million gallons of hog waste were dumped into North Carolina’s New River after a waste lagoon burst in 1995
11 million gallons of oil were spilled in Alaska’s Prince William Sound by the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster

Source: Environmental Defense Fund

Water, Water Everywhere

Josh Sevin — Wed, 08 Dec 1999 20:00:06 +0000

5 gallons of water, on average, go down the drain if you leave the tap running while you brush your teeth
30 gallons of water, on average, go down the drain if you leave the tap running while you wash dishes
50 gallons of water per day can be wasted by a small faucet leak
150 gallons of water, on average, are used to wash a car with a hose
14 percent of the water consumed in the average American home is used to operate a washing machine
75 percent of the water consumed in the average American home is used in the bathroom
325 gallons of water are consumed per person per day in Las Vegas, possibly more than in any other city in the world

Sources:
1, 2 — 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth
3 — Earth Communications Office
4-6 — 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth
7 — USA Today