Did you know that if every household in the U.S. replaced just one roll of virgin-fiber paper towels with 100-percent recycled paper towels, it could save 1.4 million trees, 3.7 million cubic feet of landfill space, and 526 million gallons of water, and prevent 89,400 pounds of pollution?

Did you know electric dryers are twice as energy-efficient as paper towels, even towels made from recycled paper? Although the production of the electricity that powers electric dryers generates greenhouse gases, the production of paper towels is twice as energy-intensive and creates more greenhouse gases overall. Also, the manufacture of paper towels emits pollutants, including chlorine, and many paper towels are made from virgin wood rather than recycled material.

Did you know 50 to 80 percent of tires are underinflated? Underinflated tires waste up to 5 percent of a car’s fuel. How much fuel would be saved in the U.S. if every tire was properly inflated? Up to 2 billion gallons a year!

Did you know if every household in the U.S. replaced just one bottle of 28-ounce petroleum-based dishwashing liquid with a vegetable-based product, that would save 82,000 barrels of oil a year? This is enough oil to drive a car over 86 million miles!

Did you know it takes 10 years for one cigarette butt to biodegrade? Most people wouldn’t throw a gum wrapper on the ground, but cigarette butts are commonly dropped or tossed out of car windows. Why?

Did you know the EPA has estimated that using a computer’s “sleep mode” reduces its energy consumption by 60 to 70 percent and, on a large scale, ultimately could save enough electricity each year to power Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, cut electric bills by $2 billion, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by the equivalent of 5 million cars? A screen saver that displays moving images causes your monitor to consume as much electricity as it does in active use. A blank screen saver is only slightly better but that reduces energy consumption by a small amount. Try turning off your monitor when you’re not using it or using your computer’s power management feature to automatically shut the monitor down when it is not in use.

Did you know that despite the rumors, leaving your computer on overnight is in fact much less efficient that shutting it down and booting it up the next day. Turning off your computer will decrease the amount of energy it uses, reduce its mechanical stress and prolong its life.

Did you know that 12% of the matter going to landfills daily in the U.S. is yard waste, including grass clippings and leaves? Grass-cycling is the natural practice of leaving clippings on the lawn when mowing. These clippings quickly decompose and return nutrients to the soil.

Did you know it takes one 15- to 20-year-old tree to make enough paper for only 700 grocery bags? Bring cloth bags when you shop, and if you forget, put your purchases in as few bags as possible.

Did you know if every American household replaced one standard incandescent light bulb with a fluorescent bulb, the energy saved would be equivalent to the energy generated by one nuclear power plant running full time for a year?

Did you know every year, Americans throw away enough office and writing paper to build a wall 12 feet high, stretching from Los Angeles to New York City? Don’t print out each memo or email you receive. Read and delete the ones you don’t need to save and electronically file others you might refer to later. Save even more paper by using the blank sides of used sheets of paper for note-taking and printing drafts.

Source: nationalzoo.si.edu/Publications/GreenTeam/