Did you realize that by the age on six months old, the average North American has consumed the same amount of resources as an average person in a developing country consumes in an entire lifetime?
Believe me, I didn't either! Is anyone else apaulled by this but me? I had to spread the word.
More scary facts...
Everyday here in the United States alone we produce 404,271 TONS of garbage! That equals almost five pounds per person a DAY. Yikes!!!!! For me the saddest part about this fact is that nearly one-third of the "garbage" is recyclable and another one-third is compostable. When will we learn?
The higher amounts of waste also means higher methane emissions. Currently our landfills are the largest human-related source of methane in the united States. That means the U.S. accounts for 34% of ALL methane emissions as a result of garbage. The methane produced by the landfills is a major greenhouse gas 20 to 30 times more potent in its' greenhouse effects CO2. Producing materials from recycled products doesn't necessary reduce quality but it has been proven to save on energy, use less resources, involve less chemicals and reduce pollution.
For me I need to look at this growing problem optimistically, the people of our planet have the major potential to reduce the amount of waste being produced. Ponder that for a minute. Maybe if we could teach and lead by example for our children, then maybe the future won't be garbage but recycling!
I have one last fact to leave with you...for every ton of recycled material, we save 2.5 cubic yards of landfill space. I know for me learning about these facts, makes me think twice about what I buy and what I throw away. i don't want my kids to inherit a garbage planet filled with methane gas. Do you?
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