At our Walk 'n Lunch event in Lafayette we "decorated" the walking trail with signs pointing out many interesting sustainability facts you may (or may not!) know.
What???
o 40% of bottled water is really tap water
Pass on single use plastic
o The US makes up only 5% of the world population, but it throws away enough plastic bottles in a week to encircle the Earth 5 times!
Bright idea
o Recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to power a normal light bulb for about four hours. A modern glass bottle takes 4000 years or more to decompose.
Aluminum can be recycled indefinitely!
o Recycling just one aluminum can save enough energy to power a TV for 3 hours!
Breathe easy (and thank a tree)
o One tree produces 260 pounds of oxygen each year
Say, “No bags, please”
o On average, ONE supermarket goes through 60,500,000 paper bags per year!
o Plastic bags: New thicker grocery bags are contributing even more to our plastic problem.
Let’s chill
o Up to 90% of the energy used during a washing machine’s cleaning cycle goes into heating the water – set your dial to cold for energy and $$$ savings.
Save water
o Only 1% of the world's water supply is usable, 97% are the oceans and 2% is frozen (for now).
Bee grateful
o Three-fourths of the world’s flowering plant and 35% of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators. Thank you, bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
Better together
o Small changes over time can make a big difference.
o With 1,165,927 Contra Costa County residents -- together we make a difference.
Let’s hang out this summer
o Air-drying clothes can reduce the average household’s carbon footprint by 2,400 pounds a year -- and save 10-20 % on utility bills. You’ll get fresh air and clean smelling clothes! 12. Landfill or compost?
o Californians throw away nearly 6 million tons of food scraps and waste each year -- about 18 % of all the material that goes to landfills. Most families throw out $1500 of food a year.
o Food scraps make up 40% of household waste
Hey Fashionistas Did you know that Californians throw out 982,000 tons of clothes a year? What can you do? Donate, buy second-hand, upcycle into new fashion, or hold a clothing swap.
You can help. Consider a membership with Sustainable Contra Costa to help expand our reach and fund sustainability projects across Contra Costa County.
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