Ecology Facts

• Every day a different fact will be on the board for you to copy in your notebook. Only copy BOLD TYPE.

• Number your facts.

• If you are absent, copy the fact from someone when you return.

• These facts were taken from our Ecology book, The Green Book, and reputable environmental websites.

FACT 1: On average, YOU generate 4.5 pounds of trash

every day.

Over the course of your life, that will total six hundred times your average weight in

garbage. This includes paper, yard trimmings, food scraps, plastic, rubber, metal, wood, glass, etc. In the end, we

will each leave a ninety-thousand-pound legacy of trash for our grandchildren.

FACT 2: Americans use at least twice as much water and energy per person as anyone else in the

world.

• Those are big problems since there is a scarcity of both to go around!

• Energy in the home is used mostly for heating and cooling.

Fact 3: By 2025, 2/3 of the world’s population will suffer

from water shortages.• That means approximately 5.3 billion people

will be affected!• Try to flush one less time during the day and

that will save 4.5 gallons of water-as much as the average person in Africa uses ALL DAY for cooking, drinking, bathing, and cleaning.

Fact 4: EIGHT million plastic water

bottles are thrown away every day.

• How many do you use a day?

• How many of those water bottles still have water in them when you toss them out?

• I reuse my water bottles. Do you?

Fact 5: If everyone in America simply separated the paper, plastic, glass, and aluminum products from the trash and recycled, we could decrease

the amount of waste in the landfills by 75%.

•Currently, it takes an area the size of Pennsylvania to dump out waste each year.

•This Friday is Statesmen Café and be sure to BYOC! Keep the Styrofoam out of the landfill.

Fact 6: Not letting the water run while brushing your teeth can

save up to 1,825 gallons of water annually.

• That much water could fill up your bathtub more than thirty-five times!

• What are some other things you can do to save your water?

Fact 7: More than two hours of the average American's day is

spent sending e-mail and surfing the internet. Internet

servers use as much energy as all the TV’s in the U.S.

combined.

• Cut back on your computer time. Save energy. Save the Earth!• How much time do you spend on the internet and E-mail?

Fact 8: The average American uses seven trees a year in

paper, wood, and other products made from trees.

This amounts to about 2,000,000,000 trees per year!

• Each ton (2000 pounds) of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4000 kilowatts of energy, and 7000 gallons of water. This represents a 64% energy savings, a 58% water savings, and 60 pounds less of air pollution!

• If all our newspaper was recycled, we could save about 250,000,000 trees each year!

Fact 9: Every year ONE American produces over

3,285 pounds of hazardous waste.

• The term "hazardous waste" comprises all toxic chemicals, radioactive materials, and biologic or infectious waste.

• Hazardous waste presents immediate or long-term risks to humans, animals, plants, or the environment. It requires special handling for detoxification or safe disposal.

• Examples: many types of paint, gas, antifreeze, solvents, pesticides, acids, bleach, industrial cleaning agents, batteries(The EPA has a list of 500 types!!)

Fact 10: Motor oil never wears out, it just gets dirty. Oil can be recycled, re-refined and used

again, reducing our reliance on imported oil.

• What do you do with the used oil from your vehicles? earth911.com

• A single quart of motor oil, if disposed of improperly, can contaminate up to 2,000,000 gallons of fresh water.

• If you recycle just two gallons of used oil it can generate enough electricity to run the average household for almost 24 hours.

Fact 11: Plastic bags and other plastic garbage thrown into the ocean kill as many as 1,000,000

sea creatures every year!

• Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in an incinerator .

• Americans use 2,500,000 plastic bottles every hour! Most of them are thrown away!

FACT 12: The energy saved from recycling one glass bottle can run

a 100-watt light bulb for four hours. It also causes 20% less air

pollution and 50% less water pollution than when a new bottle

is made from raw materials. • A modern glass bottle would take 4000 years or

more to decompose -- and even longer if it's in the landfill.

• If recycled glass is substituted for half of the raw materials, the waste is cut by more than 80%.

Fact 13: The U.S. is the #1 trash-producing country in the world at 1,609 pounds per person per year. This means that 5% of the world's

people generate 40% of the world's waste.

• The US population discards each year 16,000,000,000 diapers, 1,600,000,000 pens, 2,000,000,000 razor blades, 220,000,000 car tires, and enough aluminum to rebuild the US commercial air fleet four times over.

Fact 14: If all our newspaper was recycled, we could save about 250,000,000 trees each

year! • If every American recycled just one-tenth

of their newspapers, we would save about 25,000,000 trees a year.

• The amount of wood and paper we throw away each year is enough to heat 50,000,000 homes for 20 years.

Fact 15: There is no limit to the amount of times aluminum can

be recycled. • An aluminum can that is thrown away will still be

a can 500 years from now! • Recycling one aluminum can saves enough

energy to run a TV for three hours -- or the equivalent of a half a gallon of gasoline.

• Used aluminum beverage cans are the most recycled item in the U.S., but other types of aluminum, such as siding, gutters, car components, storm window frames, and lawn furniture can also be recycled.

Fact 16: Compared to regular food, there are about 40%

more antioxidants in organic food.

• Organic foods are those that are grown/produced without hormones, steroids, and other chemical enhancements to promote growth and appearance.

• Antioxidants are substances or nutrients in our foods which can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body. When our body cells use oxygen, they naturally produce free radicals (by-products) which can cause damage.

Fact 17: The appliance that uses the most electricity in your house is the HOT WATER

HEATER.• You can wrap the hot water heater with an

insulation wrap to trap the heat to reduce your electric bill.

• Make sure before purchasing a hot water heater you choose one that is the right size for your home.

• Gas hot water heaters provide instant heat and do not require any electricity to heat the water or to keep it hot.

About 10 to 15 percent of your TV’s energy is still used when powered of.

The average American household has two TV’s if everyone would unplug there TV’s we could save 1

billion dollars in electric bills.

Fact 18: Unplug your TV when it’s not in use. Phantom loads increase your electric bill.

Fact: A typical four square mile patch of rainforest contains as many as 1,500 flowering plants,

750 species of trees, 400 species of birds and 150 species of

butterflies. • Why is this important to you?

• What are we doing about it?

Fact 19: Kudzu, an invasive vine from Japan, was imported because

it grew fast and was a good groundcover that helped stop

erosion.

• It’s rapid growth caused it to take over entire forests, blocking sunlight until the trees died. It grew over barns, houses, fences and power lines.

• Controlling it has not been easy. So far, the most effective control is grazing goats!

Fact 20: Ozone depleting gases are CFC’S found in refrigerants,

aerosols, solvents, methyl bromide fumigant, and halon.

• Chlorofluorocarbons=CFC• 1978-U.S. banned the use of products that

released CFC’S into the air.• The first hole in the ozone was discovered in the

early 1980’s.• In 1987 the Montreal Protocol was established

uniting 180 nations in the agreement to stop making products that released harmful gases.

• Scientists say that the ozone can be repaired over time.

Fact 21: Many houseplants found in American homes came

from the rainforest originally, like philodendron, orchids, and

bromeliads. • Rainforest plants are adapted to survive in

the dim sunlight under the thick forest canopy.

• That’s a perfect trait for a plant that will live in you living room and only get a little light!

FACT 22: Some bogs are so acidic that when a human body is found in one they are often

preserved like a mummy.• Bogs form from shallow ponds that have slowly

collected plants and leaves until they are thick.• Moss and ferns root right over the water in the

rotting plant matter. Over time this makes a thick mat on top of the water that is called peat.

• No air can get in and the rotting plants beneath build up acids.

• The oldest body found in a bog was in Denmark and is thought to be 10,000 years old.

Fact 23: Ivory used for jewelry and other decorative pieces represents the death of an elephant or walrus. The exotic animal pet trade is not

regulated in all countries around the world.

• Owning an exotic pet does drive the hunting of exotic species.

• It’s best to leave wild animals in their natural habitat.

Fact 24: The Organic Food Production Act was passed in

the U.S. in 1990 and calls for the U.S.D.A. to make national

standards for organic products.• Any product labeled “organic” must be raised without

synthetic chemicals or in ground that has been clear of chemicals for at least 3 years!

• Plants can not be genetically altered.• Meats have to come from animals that were not given

hormones or antibiotics.• A study by the USDA found that pesticides stay on fruit

even after they have been washed and peeled.

Fact 25: “Frankenfoods” are plants and animals that have had genes added to them in laboratories to

enhance their traits.• These added genes can keep plants from

growing mold in the field or allow them to withstand drought conditions

• Genetic Engineering can help plants resist pests and reduce the need for pesticides.

• Genetic Engineering can add vitamins to our food and help with the shortage of food.

• Will this process affect humans and how?

Fact 26: Toxic chemicals leach out of Styrofoam products into the food that they contain (especially when

heated in a microwave). These chemicals threaten human health

and reproductive systems. • Bring your own mug/cup for Statesmen Café.• Each year, Americans throw away 25 trillion

Styrofoam cups.• Many cities and counties have outlawed polystyrene

foam (i.e. Taiwan, Portland, OR, and Orange County, CA

Fact 27: While some humans destroy habitats, others are creating habitats. Examples: flower gardens,

landfills and dumps, sewers, subways, barns, vegetable gardens,

and agriculture fields.• It is thought the grizzly bears in

Yellowstone Park would have gone extinct if it were not for the garbage dumps there in the 1950’s and 60’s.

• Sometimes man-made places provide alternate habitats to adaptive animals.

Fact 28: Perhaps the most famous extinction of animals happened from

the careless introduction of predators to a protected ecosystem-the island of Mauritius, off the coast

of Africa.• The large flightless birds (dodos) had never seen

predators before.• The sailors brought over on their ships dogs, cats,

pigs and rats which preyed on the dodo birds. • The dodos were clueless and flightless.• It took less than 100 years for all the dodos to

disappear completely.

Fact 29: More than 20,000,000 Hershey's Kisses are wrapped each

day, using 133 square miles of aluminum foil. All that foil is

recyclable, but not many people realize it.

• How many Hershey’s Kisses have you unwrapped lately?

• Using recycled aluminum scrap to make new aluminum cans, for example, uses 95 percent less energy than making aluminum cans from bauxite ore, the raw material used to make aluminum.

Fact 30: An area of a rainforest the size of a football field is

being destroyed each second.

• The forests of Central Africa are home to more than 8,000 different species of plants.

• More than 2,000 different species of butterflies are found in the rainforests of South America.

Fact 31: 1 out of 4 ingredients in our medicine is from

rainforest plants.

• The trees of a tropical rainforest are so densely packed that rain falling on the canopy can take as long as 10 minutes to reach the ground.

• Giant bamboo plants can grow up to 9 inches a day.

• 80% of the flowers in the Australian rainforests are not found anywhere else in the world.

Fact 32: Rainforests act as the world's thermostat by

regulating temperatures and weather patterns.

• One-fifth of the world’s fresh water is found in the Amazon Basin.

• Rainforests are critical in maintaining the Earth's limited supply of drinking and fresh water.

Fact 33: It takes 10 inches of snow to equal 1 inch of rain.

• How much snow did you measure at your house this week?

• We are still in need of more rain in our area.

• Snow fall is better for the land than rain because the ground absorbs it slowly instead of running off into our streams and ponds.

Fact 34: More gas is spilled every year when people fill up their

lawnmowers, weed trimmers, and chippers than was spilled in the

whole Exxon Valdez oil spill.• March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez, a huge oil

tanker, hit a reef in Alaska and burst open. • 11 million gallons of crude oil spilled into the

ocean killing massive amounts of wildlife.• Congress passed the Oil Pollution Act of

1990.(stricter rules, stronger hulls on tankers and better communication guidelines)

Fact 35: As polyethylene breaks down, toxic substances leach into the soil and enter the food chain.

It takes 1000 years for polyethylene bags to break down.

• Four to five trillion plastic bags are manufactured each year • Americans use over 380 billion polyethylene bags per year • Americans throw away approximately 100 billion polyethylene

bags per year • Of those 100 trillion plastic bags, 1% are recycled

Read more: "Say No To Plastic Bags: The Shocking Facts About Polyethylene Bags" - http://environmental-activism.suite101.com/article.cfm/say_no_to_plastic_bags#ixzz090Y8OsRQ

Fact 36: Out of every $10 spent buying things, $1 (10%) goes for packaging that is thrown away.

Packaging represents about 65% of household trash.

• Therefore, try to purchase items with less packaging and think of ways to reuse the packaging.

• Throwing packaging materials in the garbage is just like throwing money in the garbage.

• Recycle the packaging material instead of throwing it in the trash can.

Fact 37: A major use for discarded tires is as a component in rubber

modified asphalt and concrete. Old tires are recycled into floor mats,

blasting mats, and muffler hangers.

• Whole tires can be used in artificial reefs, such as those used to control erosion.

• Tires which have been ground into crumb can be used in traffic cone bases, mud flaps, moisture barriers, and other products.

Fact 38: Only 5 percent of the original prairie in the United

States remains.

• A quarter of Earth was once covered by grasslands, but much of these have now been turned into farms.

• This has resulted in a widespread loss of wildlife habitat.

Fact 39: When taxpayers purchase replacement windows

that meet specific energy efficiency requirements, they are

eligible for 30% of the amount returned in as a tax credit. This

credit is capped at $1,500 for the years of 2009 and 2010.

• Unlike a tax deduction that only reduces the amount of your taxable income, a tax credit reduces the amount of tax you owe.

• The credit is provided for all qualified windows purchased and installed in 2009 and 2010.

Fact 40: If you run a company with 1,000 PCs left on overnight,

you can save about $28,000 a year if they are turned off after

hours. • CCPS has approximately 750 computers. Therefore,

we would save $_____________ annually.• That's not chump change!• Of course, it's also a fact that your PC will function

better if you restart it regularly, and nightly shutdowns can help you avoid having to suddenly reboot in the middle of the day when you'd otherwise be productive.”

Fact 41: Here’s how long it takes (on average) some things take to break

down: plastics - 500 years,

aluminum cans - 500 yearsorganic materials- 6 months

cotton, rags, paper - 6 months• Therefore, when given a choice, choose the items

that decompose the fastest!

• UNLESS, that is, you really do want to live near a landfill one day!

Fact 42: Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. As

much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes

goes to heating the water. • How many loads of laundry does your family

wash each week?• Sometimes warm water is necessary to

remove greasy stains. Otherwise, keep your settings on COLD/COLD!

• Consider using a drying rack or a clothesline instead of the clothes dryer.

Fact 43: The United States has 8% of all forests in the world,

making it the fourth most forest-rich country with approximately 750 million acres of forestland.

• There are approximately 689 species of trees in the United States.

• The majority of forestland is located in the Pacific Coast (including Alaska), and South regions.

Fact 44: 20% of US forestland is under some type of conservation program, which is almost twice

the world average of 11%. • The CRP offers landowners, operators, and

tenants the opportunity to voluntarily convert land with high erosion rates and other environmentally sensitive land to permanent vegetative cover. Permanent cover options include grasses and legumes, tree plantings, and wildlife habitat.

Fact 45: The world's tallest tree is a Coast Redwood in California,

measuring more than 360 ft or 110 m.

• The world's oldest trees are 4,600 year old Bristlecone pines in the USA

• The 236 ft or 72 m high Ada Tree of Australia has a 50 ft or 15.4 m girth and a root system that takes up more than an acre.

• One of the tallest soft wood trees is the General Sherman, a giant redwood sequoia of California. General Sherman is about 275 ft or 84 m high with a girth of 25 ft or 8 m.

Fact 46: One acre of trees removes up to 2.6 tons of carbon dioxide each year.

• The amount of oxygen produced by an acre of trees per year equals the amount consumed by 18 people annually. One tree produces nearly 260 pounds of oxygen each year.

• Shade trees can make buildings up to 20 degrees cooler in the summer.

• Trees lower air temperature by evaporating water in their leaves.

Fact 47: Dendrochronology is the science of calculating a

tree's age by its rings. • Tree rings

provide precise information about environmental events, including volcanic eruptions.

Fact 48: As a part of the stimulus package, 70 billion dollars is directed towards promoting

GREEN JOBS.• This is a whole category of jobs with a wide

ranging need for experience, technical expertise, and physical ability.

• These positions are in solar, solar installation, solar panels, energy efficiency, home design, wind power, and many other fields.

• These jobs will be more and more plentiful in the coming years.

Fact 49: 20 pink bikes make getting around the Sweetbriar College campus fun and eco-

friendly.• The bikes can be picked up and

dropped off at several bike racks located around campus.

• According to the ACUPCC Web site, becoming climate neutral means “having no net greenhouse gas emissions.” Colleges are supposed to get there “by minimizing greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible and using carbon offsets or other measures to mitigate the remaining emissions.”

Fact 50: 40% of America's rivers are too polluted for fishing, swimming, or aquatic life.

• Even worse are America's lakes—46% are too polluted for fishing, swimming, or aquatic life.

Fact 51: In any given year, about 25% of beaches in the US are

under advisories or are closed at least one time because of water

pollution.• 1.2 trillion gallons of untreated sewage,

storm water, and industrial waste are discharged into US waters annually. The US EPA has warned that sewage levels in rivers could be back to the super-polluted levels of the 1970s by the year 2016.

Fact 52: Though accounting for only 5 percent of the world's

population, Americans consume 26 percent of the world's energy.

(American Almanac)• Worldwide, some 2 billion people are currently

without electricity. (U.S. Department of Energy)• Among industrialized and developing countries,

Canada consumes per capita the most energy in the world, the United Sates ranks second, and Italy consumes the least among industrialized countries.

Fact 53: A wind farm is a group of turbines/wind

machines in one place used to make electricity.

• More and more states are using wind farms to make electricity.

• California makes more than twice as much wind power as any of the other 30 states using it!

• One wind machine can be as tall as a twenty story building with three blades that are 200 feet long!

Fact 53: A really good diverse forest in the US has about 12-15 different species of trees in an acre. In the

Amazon Rainforest, a single acre of jungle will have about 300 different species of trees and another 300 to

400 species of higher plants.• The main problem in trying to capture this on film is

perspective. • What angle lense do you use to take a picture of a 12 story

tree without losing definition, much less one that is surrounded by hundreds of other 12 story trees intermingled with literally hundreds of other species of trees, vines, shrubs and bushes?

Fact 54: Reasons to rooftop garden:

• Increase access to private outdoor green space-at home or at work-within the urban environment

• Support food production • Promote individual, community, and cultural diversity • Improve air quality and reduce CO2 emissions • Delay storm water runoff • Increase habitat for birds • Insulate buildings • Increase the value of buildings

for owners and tenants alike • Create job opportunities in the field of research, design,

construction, Iandscaping/gardening, health, and food production

Fact 55: The Roanoke River watershed is about 9,580 square

miles. An estimated 700,000 people live in the Roanoke River watershed.• The headwaters of the Roanoke River are in

Montgomery and Floyd counties, and the 400-mile-long river empties into the Albemarle Sound near Plymouth North Carolina.

• The Roanoke River exceeds the state standard for coliform bacteria nearly throughout its entire length, and urban and agricultural runoff pollution are increasing in magnitude. PCB contamination also has been found in the river, resulting in health advisories for fish consumption in certain stretches of the waterway. Sediment, another type of nonpoint source pollution, is also a major concern in the basin.

Fact 56: Sustainability-Property by which a process can be

continued indefinitely with out depleting the energy or material resources on which it depends.

It is the practical goal toward which our interactions with the

natural world should be working.

Fact 57: RHHS is having a co-mingle recycling contest.

Recyclables are due to the library by Thursday, April 29.

Participants of the winning grade level will be invited to a

party!

Fact 58: Insulation is made from old jeans and newspaper; glass

tiles from recycled bottles or automobile windshields;

countertops are made from waste paper, plants, cloth fiber, glass, cement, aluminum, and

polystyrene; and floor tiles from car tires.

Fact 59: April 22- EARTH DAYwas founded in 1970 by John

McDonnell. Earth Day is intended for all of us to recognize how we influence our limited resources from our planet.

There are often activities, campaigns, and events scheduled on this day to promote awareness

of Earth issues.

Make everyday Earth Day!Charlotte County Earth Day is MAY 8th!

Fact 60: An ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) will save about $30 over its lifetime and pay for itself in about 6 months.

It uses 75 percent less energy and lasts about 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb.

Fact 61: There were an estimated ten million Indians living in the

Amazonian Rainforest five centuries ago. Today there are less than

200,000. • Most medicine men and shamans remaining in the

Rainforests today are 70 years old or more. Each time a rainforest medicine man dies, it is as if a library has burned down.

• When a medicine man dies without passing his arts on to the next generation, the tribe and the world loses thousands of years of irreplaceable knowledge about medicinal plants.

Fact 62: Rainforests provide many important products for people: timber, coffee, cocoa and many

medicinal products, including those used in the treatment of cancer.

• A typical four square mile patch of rainforest contains as many as 1,500 flowering plants, 750 species of trees, 400 species of birds and 150 species of butterflies.

Fact 63: April 28th is Save the Frogs Day. Frog populations have

been declining worldwide at unprecedented rates, and nearly

one-third of the world’s 6,418 amphibian species are threatened

with extinction. • At least 100 species have

completely disappeared since 1980!

Fact 64: Seventy percent of the plants identified by the U.S. National Cancer Institute as

useful in the treatment of cancer are found only in rainforests.

• More than 2,000 tropical forest plants have been identified by scientists as having anti-cancer properties

• Less than one percent of the tropical rainforest species have been analyzed for their medicinal value.

Fact 65: Only 20% of the world’s population has running water,

and more than one billion people do not have access to clean

water.• Keep thinking of ways you can conserve water.

• The next generation is depending on us to leave behind a legacy that includes water conservation.

Important Dates in Ecology:

Environmental Study- most of next week

3 ring binder check- test grade- next week

Lab notebook check– test grade-nextweek

Lab notebook test- open notebook- May 13

Ecology exam- May 17 (100 questions)

Fact 66: Arbor Day is a day designated to tree planting and

increasing awareness of the importance of trees. 

• First Arbor was in Nebraska in 1872.

• Founded by Julius Sterling Morton

• Arbor Day is also now celebrated in other countries including Australia.

• Arbor Day is an excellent opportunity to take stock of the trees on your property and plan for the future.

• Plant a tree! April 30, 2010 was Arbor Day.

Fact 67: Fresh water siphoned for agriculture accounts for 70 percent of all global water use.

• More than half of it is wasted.

• Rivers are dammed to provide some farmers fresh water.

Fact 68: At least 20 percent of all freshwater species are either extinct or threatened

with extinction.• As freshwater habitats are further

degraded and stressed, wars over access to fresh water may darken the world's future.

Fact 69: Resistance to wetland development, efficient

agricultural use of water, and a switch to solar and wind energy

from hydroelectric dams are ways we can help save our Fresh

Water Biomes.• These positive actions will make a difference!

• Hope lies with cooperation among nations to better manage, conserve, and share the planet's scarce freshwater resources.

Fact 70: An ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent

light bulb (CFL) will save about $30 over its lifetime and pay for

itself in about 6 months. • It uses 75

percent less energy and lasts about 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb.

Fact 71: You can buy a 15-watt (w)fluorescent bulb that generates the

same amount of light as a 60w incandescent. This makes a

fluorescent bulb four to six times more efficient.

Incandescent bulbs are very inefficient since their mode of generating light is just a by-product of generating heat.

Fact 71: Every year we throw away 24 million tons of leaves and

grass. Leaves alone account for 75% of our solid waste in the fall.

• If the amount of leaves on the grass is not too deep you can just run them over with a mulching mower. Make a few passes over the area in different directions and set the deck high. Going slowly and keeping the blade very sharp also helps.

• Haul large amounts of leaves to an area that they can naturally decompose. They can be used for fertilizer.

• Dead leaves are full of Nitrogen which is good to use as fertilizer.• They are especially good to put in your garden area. Your plants will love

them!!

Fact 72: The average amount of recycled fiber content in newsprint

used by U.S. newspapers has increased from 10 percent in 1989 to

more than 30 percent today.• Not only have old newspapers been used to produce

recycled newsprint, newspapers are recycled into other products such as cereal boxes, egg cartons, pencil barrels, grocery bags, tissue paper, cellulose insulation materials, and many more diverse products.

• By recycling one ton (2,000 lbs.) of news paper, we save: 17 trees; 6,953 gallons of water; 463 gallons of oil; 587 pounds of air pollution; 3.06 cubic yards of landfill space and 4,077 Kilowatt hours of energy.

Fact 73: Buying foods and other products in reusable or

recyclable packaging can reduce CO2 emissions by 239 pounds a

year.

Fact 74: Consider the environment when purchasing presents for the

holidays or birthdays. •Check out this solar light!  Great for the garage or shed.  Includes solar panel, rechargeable batteries and light, new ultra-bright LED technology,   Waterproof design mounts anywhere and works in cloudy conditions. 

• Water Amplifying Adjustable Showerhead with H2OKINETIC Technology - Saving water is important!  Saving water save money too!  $30!

Fact 75: VA and MD governors are asking the federal

government for $365 million dollars to restore the

Chesapeake Bay.• The money would be used to protect land, help

farmers reduce pollution, restore streams and help upgrade Washington’s Blue Plains sewage treatment plant among other things.

• Without the money the bay will continue to face deteriorating ecological conditions and economic value.

Fact 76: Burning to clear land is illegal in Indonesia, but it is

widely practiced on the island of Sumatra.

Already 85 percent of Sumatra's forests are gone. What is left is vanishing at an alarming rate -- an area the size of 50 football fields disappears every hour, according to Greenpeace and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Fact 77: In the United States, the most common way to make

electricity is by burning coal. • Thomas Edison owned the first power plant

ever!  The power plant opened in New York City in 1882.

• Today one power plant can make enough electricity for 188,000 homes to use.

Fact 78: When you open your refrigerator, 30% of the

cold air gets out.

• Every year all around America, home refrigerators use the amount of energy that is produced by 25 big power plants.

Fact 37: Next week the SCA is sponsoring a GO GREEN WEEK.

Each ecology student is expected to support this effort.

• Tuesday –Everyone Wear GREEN! Prizes will be awarded to the winning Take Ten. (Ecology students get class credit for this.)

• Wednesday– Go Green Photo Contest! Take pictures of students recycling or being environmentally friendly.

• Thursday- Environmental Facts Find- Find the facts hidden and take them to Mrs. Dunnavant’s room for a prize.

• Friday- Mr. and Mrs. Green Contest -Be on the look out for students and staff you feel are really going green...submit entries in library. Wear recycled clothes that have been “handed down” or you got from Good Will/yard sales.

•  All week- bring in used books to donate to the library!

Fact 47: Turn out. Take action.Be part of this historic event.

Earth Hour-March 28, 2009, 8:30 pm

World Wildlife Fund is asking individuals, businesses, governments and organizations around the world to

turn off their lights for one hour – Earth Hour – to make a global statement of concern about climate change and to demonstrate commitment to finding

solutions.

Fact 59: Southside Soil and Water District

Representative: Julie Hamlett

Charlotte County Extension Agent: Bob Jones