Sustainabilty Fun Facts

Here are a few great facts from Bronwyn Mitchell, Executive Director of Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education


• A 5-minute shower is equal to 20-35 gallons of water.

• A heavy coat of dust on a light bulb can block up to half of the light.

• When you turn on an incandescent light bulb, only 10% of the electricity used is turned into light. The other 90% is wasted as heat.

• The plastic used in one toner cartridge contains about a half quart of oil.

• An American family of four uses up to 260 gallons of water in the home per day.

• The average American throws away 3.5 pounds of trash per day.

• Americans use four million plastic bottles every hour, yet only one out of four is recycled.

• "Tin" cans (like those used for tuna and soup) are actually 99% steel. Americans throw away enough steel every year to build all the new cars made in America.

• In the US over 40% of municipal solid waste is paper

• 1 ton of aluminum saves the equivalent in energy of 2,350 gallons of gasoline. This is equivalent to the amount of electricity used by the typical home over a period of 10 years!

• One ton of 100 percent recycled paper saves the equivalent of 4,100 kWh of energy, 7,000 gallons of water, 60 pounds of air emissions and three cubic yards of landfill space.

• One ton of paper from recycled pulp saves 17 trees, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 7000 gallons of water, 4200 kWh (enough to heat a home for half a year), 390 gallons of oil, and prevents 60 pounds of air pollutants.

• Recycling 1 ton of glass saves the equivalent in energy of 10 gallons of oil. Recycling one ton of newspaper saves 15 trees.

• One gallon of oil, when reprocessed, can generate enough energy to meet the electricity needs of a home for half a day


The Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education is having their 26th Annual Conference, Educating for Sustainability, February 10-13, 2011 at the UMUC Marriott Inn and Conference Center in Hyattsville, Maryland.  For more information visit http://www.maeoe.org/conference/.