7Gen Blog

A Look At Leading Environmental Indicators

If every picture tells a story, every statistic paints a picture. And usually it's worth a thousand words. With that in mind, we've collected some facts and figures that we think say a great deal about where we are today and where we need to go tomorrow. Introducing the first Seventh Generation Index, a snapshot of leading environmental indicators that paint a portrait of the state of our world.

• Number of people employed worldwide in the renewable energy sector: 2.3 million
• Percent increase in production of solar cells last year: 51
• Number of people expected to be employed in the solar energy sector alone by 2030: 6.3 million
• Number of minutes of sunlight hitting Earth needed to meet global energy needs for a year: 1
• Size of the patch of desert needed to meet all U.S. energy using concentrated solar power: 92 x 92 miles
• Percent of global energy needs that could be met by wind power: 3,500
• Cost to build wind power generators to meet 20% of U.S. electricity needs: $1.2 trillion
• Amount of money spent on foreign oil in the U.S. every year: $700 billion
• Number of volatile organic compounds emitted by six common deodorizing and laundry products: 100
• Average number of new chemicals being created each day: 5
• Percent of total U.S. energy use dedicated to producing food: 19%
• Percent of total U.S. energy use that would be dedicated to producing food if everyone was vegetarian: 13%
• Average number of coal-fired power plants being built in China every week: 1
• Percent of air pollution in the western U.S. that originates in China: 15
• Percent reduction in U.S. atmospheric sulfur dioxide levels since 2000: 14
• Percent reduction in U.S. ground level ozone levels since 2000: 9
• Percent drop in total toxic releases in the U.S. from 2000 to 2005: 39
• Number of floating pieces of non-biodegradable plastic per square mile of ocean: 46,000
• Number of days it takes new plastic developed by Mississippi scientists to biodegrade in seawater: 20
• Percent of U.S. household waste currently being recycled: 33
• Percent of U.S. household waste that could be recycled: 75
• Cost per ton of garbage collection in the U.S.: $70-$200
• Cost per ton of curbside recycling in the U.S.: $50-$150
• Number of jobs created per 10,000 tons of waste incinerated: 1
• Number of jobs created per 10,000 tons of waste landfilled: 6
• Number of jobs created per 10,000 tons of waste recycled: 36

See Part 2 of the Seventh Generation Index.

photo: Dave Gingrich

Sources:

1. Worldwatch Institute, “Jobs in Renewable Energy Expanding,” 2008, http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5821
2. Worldwatch Institute, “Another Sunny Year for Solar Power,” 2008, http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5449
3. Worldwatch Institute, “Jobs in Renewable Energy Expanding,” 2008, http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5821
4. UK Energy Saving, Solar Energy Facts, http://www.uk-energy-saving.com/solar_energy.html
5. Cable News Network, “All About CSP,” March 17, 2008, http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/11/12/eco.about.csp/#cnnSTCText
6. Calculation based on data from the Pickens Plan, http://www.pickensplan.com/theplan/
7. The Pickens Plan, http://www.pickensplan.com/theplan/
8. The Pickens Plan, http://www.pickensplan.com/theplan/
9. The Seattle Times, “Some Scented Household Products Contain Chemicals Classified As Toxic, UW Study Finds,” July 23, 2008, http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008067309_toxicsmell23m...
10. The San Francisco Chronicle, “Home is Where the Hazard Is,” May 19, 2004
11. New Scientist, “Americans Must Diet To Save Their Economy,” July, 23, 2008, http://environment.newscientist.com/article/dn14391-americans-must-diet-...
12. New Scientist, “Americans Must Diet To Save Their Economy,” July, 23, 2008, http://environment.newscientist.com/article/dn14391-americans-must-diet-...
13. Blue Moon Fund, “Chinese Air Pollution Crosses Pacific, Reaches Western United States,” April 3, 2007, http://www.bluemoonfund.org/news/news_show.htm?doc_id=472228
14. Sydney Morning Herald, “Light in the Fog,” July 18, 2008, http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/light-in-the-fog/2008/07/18/12161631570...
15. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Emissions Inventory (NEI) Air Pollution Emissions Trends Data, August 2005, http://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/trends/index.html#tables,
16. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Emissions Inventory (NEI) Air Pollution Emissions Trends Data, August 2005, http://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/trends/index.html#tables,
17. U.S. EPA, Toxic Release Inventory, 2007, http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/tables/08s0366.pdf
18. United Nations Environmemental Programme, “Action Urged to Avoid Deep Trouble in the Deep Seas,” June 2006, http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=480&Ar...
19. Science Daily, “Plastic That Degrades In Seawater Could Be Boon For Cruise Industry,” March, 2007, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070327113602.htm
20. EPA, Municipal Solid Waste: Recycling, http://www.epa.gov/garbage/recycle.htm
21. Earth 911, About Curbside Recycling, http://earth911.org/recycling/curbside-recycling/about-curbside-recycling/
22. Natural Resources Defense Council, “Too Good To Throw Away Recycling's Proven Record,” http://www.nrdc.org/cities/recycling/recyc/chap3.asp
23. Natural Resources Defense Council, “Too Good To Throw Away Recycling's Proven Record,” http://www.nrdc.org/cities/recycling/recyc/chap3.asp
24. EPA, “Resource Conservation Challenge: Campaigning Against Waste,” EPA 530-F-02-033, 2002
25. EPA, “Resource Conservation Challenge: Campaigning Against Waste,” EPA 530
26. EPA, “Resource Conservation Challenge: Campaigning Against Waste,” EPA 530