I just took a fun trip to Miami Beach with 2 of my college roommates. We had a great time relaxing in the sun and catching up. On the flight home, I started reading the Delta Sky magazine. I am always amazed at how great the airline magazines are. Truly – every time I read one, I have at least one article that I want to save. This time, there were a bunch. It was all about “going green.”

One thing that I found particularly interesting (and disturbing) was a set of stats/facts about US consumption. I thought I’d share a few of the most interesting points that were made:

• The people of the US represent less than 5% of the world’s population but we account for more than 25% of the consumption of the world’s resources. That alone is just plain sad.
• If everyone in the US lowered their thermostats by 1 degree in the winter, the nation would save 230 million barrels of crude oil – enough to fill an oil tanker 400 times.
• One gallon of used oil – the amount from a small car engine – can pollute 1 million (!!!!) gallons of fresh water and create an 8-acre oil slick. YIPES. Each year nearly 200 million gallons of used oil are illegally dumped on the ground, tossed in the trash or pound down storm sewers and drains.
• If every American switched to receiving just ONE bill as an electronic statement instead of a paper one, the one-time savings would be nearly 218 million sheets – enough to completely blanket the island of Key West in a single layer of paper.

And this one had the biggest impact:

• One out of every 3 pounds of the waste that Americans generate is just for packaging, which each year adds up to 77 million tons – enough to fill the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans 37 times.

Lots of food for thought.