MATERIAL ENERGY COST TO GREENHOUSE PRODUCE


GASES Paper Glass containers Plastic bottles 6,361 kWh 2,910 pounds


$1,000 WORTH 10,611


kilowatt-


hours (kWh) 7,778 kWh


3,373 pounds


PRODUCED 3,373 pounds


Call for Cradle-to-Cradle Product Lifestyle AMOUNT


RECYCLED


63.5 percent (2010)


33.4 percent (2010)


28 percent


HDPE bottles; 29 percent


Plastic bags and film


Carpets and rugs


Soaps and cleaners


Light bulbs and parts


5,889 kWh 5,083 kWh 3,500 kWh 2,712 pounds 2,469 pounds 1,715 pounds


PET bottles (2010)* 12 percent


(2010)


8.1 percent (2009)


Not applicable


Up to 1,000 years or more


Up to 20,000 years


Toxins from cleaners can


contaminate water supplies.


2,328 kWh 1,023 pounds 2 to 6.7


percent of household


CFLs (2009)* Mattresses Computers


Cell phones and other devices


2,281 kWh 1,183 kWh 1,322 kWh 1,122 pounds 586 pounds 665 pounds Less than 10


percent (2012) 38 percent


(2009)


8 percent (2009)


Up to 1,000 years or more


Up to 1,000 years or more


Up to 1,000 years or more


Up to 1,000 years or more


Use CFL and LED energy- efficient lights and recycle CFLs at major hardware stores


or check Earth911.com.* Consider solar exterior lights.


Buy organic mattresses and


recycle old ones (Earth911.com). Look for recycled content


in electronics and recycle equipment. See Earth911.com.


Only upgrade when needed. Trade old phone in to recycle


(SecureTradeIn.com) or donate to charity (ReCellular.com).


*HDPE means high density polyethylene; PET means polyethylene terephthalate; CFL means compact fluorescent lamp (or light); LED means light-emitting diode. Additional sources include epa.gov, PaperRecycles.org and ProductStewardship.us.


LANDFILL LIFESPAN


2 to 4 weeks -


1 million years 450 years


ALTERNATIVES


Use recycled and scrap paper and limit printing.


Recycle or reuse glass bottles


and jars as glassware or to store food.


Save money by choosing refillable bottles over throwaways. Use washable cloth shopping


bags and non-plastic food storage containers.


Use individual carpet tiles or


carpet that meets Carpet Area Recovery Effort (CARE) standards.


Recycle plastic bottles and use biodegradable cleaners.


natural awakenings October 2012


41


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