• Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a computer for three hours.
• It takes approximately 1 million years for a glass bottle to break down at a landfill.
• The U.S. represents 5 percent of the world’s population but uses 26 percent of its natural resources.
• 16 million tons of carbon dioxide are emitted into the atmosphere every 24 hours by human use worldwide.
• Each hour, people in the United States use 2.5 million plastic bottles.
• 43,000 tons of food are thrown out in the United States each day.
• Wind power is the fastest-growing energy source in the world.
• Chicago is projected to experience 25 percent more frequent heat waves by the end of the century.
• North America is projected to warm between 3.6 and 18 degrees Fahrenheit (2-10 degrees Celsius) by the year 2100, depending on the region.
• Leaving your car at home just two days a week will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 1,600 pounds a year.
• A leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons of water a day.
• If every one started using ENERGY STAR light bulbs, it would prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from nearly 10 million cars.
• A full bathtub requires about 70 gallons of water, while taking a five-minute shower saves water by using 10 to 25 gallons.
• The average washing machine uses 40.9 gallons of water per load.
• Americans generate 1.6 million tons of household hazardous waste a year, including paints, cleaners, stains and varnishes, car batteries, motor oil and pesticides.
• 20 to 30 percent of species may be at risk of extinction from climate change impacts within this century.
• By 2080, sea level rise could convert as much as 33 percent of the world’s coastal wetlands to open water.

Source: Intergorvernmental panel on climate change 2007 report, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Energy, Worldwatch Institute, American Almanac, Clean Air Council

Compiled by Melissa Silverburg