Green facts

Interesting facts on green topics.

Extinctions

From Optus & Australian Wildlife Conservancy

Australia has one of the worst rates of animal extinction in the world
In 2007. more than 1500 kinds of animals and plants are close to dissappearing forever

Where are we at in 2007?

From The New Inventors, Episode 35 - 02/10/2007 Download

In the past 20 years Australian homes have increased in size by 40%, while our families are getting smaller.
Australians spend 90% of their time inside.
20 years ago there was no Internet. Today if MySpace was a country it would be the 11th largest in the world.
Every year 125 million computers are thrown out across the world, most of these go to landfill.
10 years ago, half the people in the world had never made a phone call. Today, half the people in the world own a mobile phone.
Demand for rooftop solar panels is increasing by 16% per year in Australia and by 40% globally.
0.25 hectares of land is required to feed each person. By 2025 there will be less than one third of that area each.
The world's population is 6.5 billion, and is increasing by 77 million people per year.

Car fuel consumption standards

Japanese cars are required by law to get more than 45 miles per gallon whereas for cars in the U.S. the standard is under 25 mpg.
Australian cars have a voluntary target set in 2003 of 6.8L/100km for petrol passenger cars by 2010. This represents an 18% improvement in the fuel efficiency of new vehicles between 2002 and 2010.

Cycling saves carbon emissions

A cyclist who commutes 18km each way every day on a relatively flat commute will save each year:

2.6 tonnes C02 and $7000 compared to a large car like a Land cruiser
0.9 tonnes C02 and $3000 compared to small car like a Corolla

Trains are the best form of urban transport

Rail passenger transport has the lowest carbon emissions - full trains are clearly much more energy efficient than cars. Relative to a trip in a car, carbon emissions are:

Train trips - one eighth (8 times better)
Light rail - one quarter (4 times better)
Buses - one half (2 times better)

Australian households create 9 tonnes of CO2 per year from electricity usage

The average Australian home uses about 20kW/h of electricity per day, which translates to about 9 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
A solar efficient house with a solar array can greatly reduce or eliminate these emissions. More information.
The British Government estimates eight percent of all domestic electricity is consumed by devices in standby The Energy Challenge (PDF)

Rail vs road - some points to consider

A modern small automobile with two passengers generates almost 25 times the air pollution, per passenger mile, as a four car commuter train at 35% capacity.
Two sets of commuter rail tracks will handle the passenger traffic of at least six lanes of highway.
A new light-rail line costs about a third of a new highway or loop road, and recent developments in track-laying technology can shave 60% to 70% off that cost.
Trains are faster, quieter, and smoother than buses. In addition, they avoid traffic jams and most accident scenes.
Modern commuter and light-rail trains are built to run forward or backward, eliminating the need for huge turnaround loops.
Rail deaths and injuries are much lower compared to those in automobiles.
Rail cars and locomotives last much longer than cars and trucks (in some cases up to 100 years) with appropriate maintenance.
Railroad tracks are cheaper and easier to maintain than roads and highways.
There is no rubber tire disposal problem with trains (a much bigger issue than many people realize).

Source: 13 Reasons We Need Passenger Rail, Rails - New Mexico's Passenger Rail Action Group

Melbourne house price rises

The median house price in Melbourne soared 13.1% ($50,000) to $431,000 in 2006.
This is the largest dollar increase over a twelve month period.
$50,000 would pay for a solar panel system that would supply more than the average house electricity usage.

Source: Median house price soars in Melbourne, Sydney Morning Herald

External links

Ecohouse challenge "factoids" on saving energy