350 million — number of pounds of smog-producing chemicals (nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds) released by planes landing and taking off from U.S. airports in 1993
200 million to 600 million — number of gallons of wastewater created each year from airplane deicing
219 — number of volatile organic chemicals found in the air around Chicago’s O’Hare Airport
5.6 — number of miles a passenger could travel in an intercity bus using the same amount of energy it would take to move her one mile in a commercial jet
1.5 — number of miles a passenger could travel in a commercial jet using the same amount of energy it would take to move her one mile in a single-occupancy car
30,000 — number of flights completed in the U.S. each day
149 — percentage increase in U.S. air travel (paying passenger miles) on major commercial airlines from 1979 to 1999
85 — percentage expected increase in U.S. air travel from 1999 to 2020
10 — approximate number of gallons of crude oil required to make one gallon of jet fuel
77 — number of gallons of jet fuel needed for a person to travel from New York to Los Angeles on a commercial... Read more
Articles by Todd Hettenbach
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Electric Boogie
12,133 — per capita annual electricity consumption (kilowatt-hours) in the U.S. in 1997 1,381 — per capita annual electricity consumption (kilowatt-hours) in the rest of the world in 1997 21.5 — percentage increase in U.S. electricity consumption from 1990 to 1999 43 — percentage decrease in utility funding for energy efficiency from 1993 to 1998 […]
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Recount!
1.2 billion — number of dollars raised by Democratic and Republican candidates for federal office in the 2000 election cycle 110:1 — ratio of anti-environmental (construction, chemical, and energy/natural resource) PAC contributions to environmental PAC contributions 9 — estimated number of dollars spent by candidates for federal office per registered voter in the United States […]
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Burning Rubber
6.5 million — number of tires recalled this year by Bridgestone/Firestone 270 million — number of scrap tires generated in the U.S. in 1998 500 million — number of scrap tires currently in U.S. stockpiles 35 — number of U.S. states that ban whole tires from landfills 59 — number of tire fires in the […]
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Pounding the Pavement
3 million — number of acres of open space developed each year in the U.S. 40 — percentage increase in acreage of developed land in the U.S. between 1982 and 1997 1891 — year in which the first road was paved in the U.S. 2.4 million — number of miles of paved public roads in […]
