infographic_sustainable_samples

SHARK CRISIS 100 Mil KILLED 11,000 Every hoUR YEARLY HUMANS KILLED / YEAR VS. FROM A DOG 2 2 5 ,0 0 0FROM A SHARK ATTACK ATTACK 73 MiL Shark finning is the abhorrent and wasteful practice of cutting off a shark’s fins and discarding the body. Sharks are killed yearly for their fins Between the 1970s and the 2000s TIger Sharks Between the 1950s and the 1990s Between the 1980s and the 2000s in the Atlantic have declined thresher sharks HAMMERHEAD 100% SHARK in the Pacific have declined 89%in the Pacific have declined 96% Between the 1980s and the 2000s Between the 1970s and the 1990s WhiTE Sharks GreenEye Dog Sharks 79%world wide have declined in the Pacific have declined 96% www.sharkconservationfund.org | www.worldwildlife.org/ | www.sharks.org/

AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN CHARLOTTE PROBLEMS CAUSES 34% Households that are cost Rapid Population Growth burdened meaning they pay The population of Charlotte is more than 30% of their income expected to grow to 271,000 on housing by 2030, furthering concerns for affordable housing options Rapid Redevelopment Older and naturally occurring affordable housing is being replaced with luxury apartments $17.44 34,000 Rising Land Costs $7.25 Increased housing Affordable housing units $ construction due to growing are needed in the city populations means less land is available for higher prices Minimum wage is $7.25. 87 Gentrification To afford a two-bedroom Renovating urban areas to apartment you have to make HOURS accommodate the affluent at least $17.44 per hour pushes out minorities and significantly increases 28,000 Needed to work property value per week to afford Evictions counted in Rising Rents Mecklenburg County for 2017 a two-bedroom Home prices have increased apartment at 34% and rents have increased minimum wage 24% but median incomes have only increased by 4% SOLUTIONS VOUCHER Community Land Trusts Housing Voucher Programs Rental Assistance Demonstration Non-profit organizations that sell Provide low-income families vouchers to Ensures stable funding for public affordable houses to low-income help pay for safe and quality housing in housing through project based households but retain ownership the private market. Vouchers make sure programs invested in the upkeep and maintenance of low-income housing of the land to ensure future residents don’t pay more than 40% of housing affordability their income on housing SOURCES: The Charlotte Observer | The Department of Housing and Urban Development | NBC Charlotte | City of Charlotte | WSOC TV

15 out of 20 +3ºF of California’s fires have occured in the last increase in eighteen years California this century Fires the size of California’s 1,000 football fields population are 550% more frequent milhlasiroe4acnh0ed, most living in 900,000 deforested areas people in California are living in high risk 50% wildfire areas of wildfires Wildfires are fueled by are due to warm, dry climates climate change with parched vegetation OFNOLYRYEOSUTC AN PFRIERVEENST ALL DATA COLLECTED FROM: MADISON J. FOSTER •https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_ change_in_California •https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/ nov/12/california-fires-latest-what-is-happening- climate-change-trump-response-explained

eianoc9lhafC2nylowdetmfahiairlnlisgsllticooenntritboutnessto The average American throws away 80 lbs of clothing One 40 yearsClothes take to decompose garbage truck because of synthetic fibers and It takes of textiles is wasted artificial every second 700 gallons dyes of water to produce one t-shirt TheTruth2I.n820b30i,ltlhioe fnashtioonninsdusotarfyvwiCailtslOiheogmin2pritecpoeimngnTtehghbhnaeieonnafraeaunstdhesdiseomngoinTrdaehusestfray2shniodncionlsnauwswsrutrgmaay eseitsrtesthoertef AboutYWohuaCt an Do Buy Sustainably, Donate FashFiaosntand Recycle Clothing

38,000 MILESIF EVERY FAMILY REUSED JUST TWO FEET OF HOLIDAY RIBBON, THE OF RIBBON SAVED COULD TIE A BOW AROUND THE ENTIRE PLANET. 50 thousand 4 million cubic yards of paper pounds of wrapping paper That’s how much paper we could save if we each sent one card less. That’s about 5,787 football fields Avoid cards with glossy, shiny worth of wrapping! or gold foil coatings since these cannot be recycled. Traditional wrapping Save the cards that you get paper’s dying and and reuse them as lamination make it hard to “postcards” next year. recycle properly. This saves on postage too. A sustainable solution is to find wrapping paper made with recycled materials. 2.65 billion 25% Christmas cards wasted The number of Christmas cards sold each year in the U.S. could from Thanksgiving to fill a football field 10 stories high. New Year’s holiday 100,000 hours! Americans throw away more trash during this LED lights vs. traditional holiday period than any other time of year. Invest in LED (light-emitting diode) holiday lights, which use The extra waste amounts to 25 million tons of 90% less energy than traditional incandescent lights. garbage, or about 1 million extra tons per week! Plug your decorative indoor and outdoor lights into a timer to save electricity. 35% of Americans have unused Christmas gifts About 35% of Americans have an unused Christmas present collecting dust in their closets. HAVE A GREEN CHRISTMAS GIVE GIFTS THAT ARE DURABLE, ENERGY-EFFICIENT, RECYCLABLE, OR MADE OF NATURAL PRODUCTS. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ECONOMY BY BUYING FROM LOCAL MERCHANTS, CRAFT SHOWS, OR ANTIQUE SHOPS. Sources: https://livegreen.recyclebank.com/column/because-you-asked/is-wrapping-paper-recyclable https://www.vanderbilt.edu/sustainvu/resources/greening-guides/sustainable-holiday-greening-guide/holi- day-decorating/ https://intercongreen.com/2012/12/26/sobering-fact-wrapping-paper-could-cover-over-5000-football-fields/ https://lbre.stanford.edu/pssistanford-recycling/frequently-asked-ques- tions/frequently-asked-questions-holiday-waste-prevention https://www.marketplace.org/2016/12/26/life/used-wrapping-paper-not-much-gift-recycling-market https://lbre.stanford.edu/pssistan- ford-recycling/frequently-asked-questions/frequently-asked-questions-holiday-waste-prevention

Reduce Your Waste 8 40% OF ALL 133BILLION END UP IN MILLION TONS POUNDS OF OF PLASTIC FOOD PRODUCED FOOD ARE WASTED THE OCEAN IN THE U.S. IS EVERY YEAR WASTED PER YEAR STOP buying PLASTIC silverware Use REAL silverware instead 1 1 reusable 540 bag is equal reusable to 170 plastic plastic straws is the =water bottle bags same as 1 1 167 metal straw cloth towel plastic is equal to water bottles 7,300 paper towels S AVE GLASS J ARS AND Buy food in bulk to R E U S E T H E M AS minimize packaging T U P P E RWAR E Buy fruits and vegetables that aren’t wrapped in plastic CaOt hOoKme BUY THE MOST aPnydAlouuCnrcKohwn ENERGY EFFICIENT AND EATER EFFICIENT REFRIGERATOR YOU CAN AFFORD SOURCES https://www.wwf.org.au/get-involved/change-the-way-you-live/shopping#gs.PiLvTH0 https://insteading.com/blog/food-recovery-act/ https://www.worldvision.org/hunger-news-stories/food-waste

Cocoa For Good Information Brought To you by The Hershey Company $500M to the “Cocoa for Good” program • Nourishing children • Empowering youth • Building prosperous communities and preserving natural ecosystems 133,000+ trees planted Increased usage of shade- grown Cocoa, which lasts in Kentucky, Virginia and 15 years longer than plants Florida national forests grown in sun • Goal to have zero waste across Hershey • 13 sites are zero waste • Plants have an 85% recycling rate • Over 50 years, will eliminate 38,000 tons of CO2 and 2,600 tons of air “THERE IS NOT A PERSON ALIVE WHO SHOULD NOT PLANT A TREE—NOT FOR THE SHADE THAT YOU’LL ENJOY, BUT FOR THOSE WHO ARE COMING AFTER.” — MILTON HERSHEY

IS ONLINE SHOPPING BAD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT? 1U6. S5.SPAIBNANHICLNIKLPTUAIPAHOGELEENLDYS THAT’S THE EQIVALENT OF A DAILY CONSUMPTION OF: 1.2 MILLION 242 MILLION TREES GALLONS OF WATER 5million gallons of oil TRANSPORTATION 10% OF SHOPPING IS THE TOP IN THE US PR ODUC ER OF OCCURS ONLINE CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS 33% OF ONLINE ORDERS ARE CDD1OEU4LMITVOEEYFFRREITNOMRGMISUGHSOCIEOOAKNDVSYSS RETURNED COMPARED TO ONLY 7% OF IN-STORE PURCHASES WHAT CAN AMAZON SHIPPED CONSUMERS DO? 5 BILLION slow down place online orders from ITEMS THROUGH consumption PRIME LAST YEAR one store 28% OF AMERICAN SYFDiooearrrtkbraaeTfsirCmo;lTmuehbs:e; TNheew bundle ADULTS MAKE M U LT I P L E orders MONTHLY ONLINE PURCHASES MADE IN COORDINATION WITH THE SIERRA CLUB RENEE JANIS

CLIMATE change in US CITIES Heavily populated earth has wa rmed by 34 degree THE TOP 5 cities cities will s since 1760 warming the fastest warm up by 10 degrees NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA or more by MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA 2040 LAS VEGAS, NEVADA NEW YORK, NEW YORK KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI IN THE NEXT 30 YEARS... US CITIES ARE WARMING BY 70° AROUND 1 DEGREE EACH YEAR 57° CLEVELAND, OH will have a summer high of 114 ° From 2000 to 2016, the biggest MIAMI, FL will be underwater cities’ average LOS ANGELES, CA will have 70% temperatures have increased by 13 degrees of forests burned by wildfires RISING SEA LEVELS WILDFIRES HEAT WAVES DROUGHT IMPACTS 0N CITIES WHAT YOU CAN DO WHAT YOUR CITY CAN DO STEP 1: Eat organic food when you can STEP 1: Set citywide clean energy goals STEP 2: Buy from local farmer’s markets STEP 2: Invest in eco-friendly transportation STEP 3: Green your commute as much as possible STEP 3: Reduce emissions with green buildings STEP 4: Reduce & reuse before you recycle STEP 4: Work to involve everyone in your city http://stories.weather.com/disruptionindex https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/11/30/18117953/climate-change-report-2018-cities-2050 https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2017/01/23/nine-things-you-can-do-about-climate-change/#5841b140680c

What’s in the Chesapeake? What’s in the USA’s largest estuary anywa 80% of the Tidal Chesapeake Bay is Cause... ...Alg partially or fully impaired by toxic contaminants Nutrients 1. Blocks O 331 million pounds Excess 2. Cuts Off of Nitrogen per year dumped in the bay 3. Leads to That weighs more than 1.89 cubic miles of 2 Washington Monuments “Dead Zone” and that’s the largest one! combined! 6.52That’s a million pound difference! Sources of Nitrogen Pollution in the Chesapeake 45% 19% 17% 16% 4% 1.89 Agricultural Storm water Treatment Plant 3.2 m Runoff Runoff Wastewater swi Air Pollution Septic

ay? Why does it matter? gae Overgrowth! Conditions in the Chesapeake are getting better... ...with an overall quality rating of “C”... Out the Sun’s Rays ...2 Great White Sharks ff Oxygen to life below found swimming in the bay in July, and significant increases o Dead Zones in the bay in other species’ populations... hypoxic 7 of 15...and with major s only regions showing a significant fish... health improvement. crustaceans... To help improve bay conditions: 9 cubic miles and plant = life are all at 1. Participate in bay cleanup efforts risk in a dead 2. Be mindful of personal pollution million Olympic 3. Vote to keep the Chesapeake Bay zone. Program in action imming pools

SAVE THE BEES OVERVIEW OF ISSUE BEES KEEP DYING AT RECORD RATES, PUTTING OUR FOOD SUPPLY AT SERIOUS RISK DAILY 60-90% OVER THE PAST 15 2.4 MM 6 WEEKS YEARS, 30-90% OF DECLINE FROM THE AVERAGE BEES DISAPPEARED 6 MM HIVES IN LIFE OF A HONEY DUE TO CCD 1947 TO 2.4 MM IN BEE DURING THE THE YEAR 2010 WORKING SEASON BEEKEEPERS AROUND DURING THE THE NUMBER THE WORLD BEGAN SEEING 2017-2018 YEAR, OF BEES IN THE US SUDDEN DISAPPEARANCE BEEKEEPERS LOST IN 2017 WAS AT ITS OF BEES 40.1% OF BEE LOWEST POINT COLONIES IN 50 YEARS 1990s 40.1% 2017 CAUSES & CARING RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS ISSUE AND WHY EVERYONE SHOULD CARE 1/3 OF FOOD 75% OF CROPS GLOBAL WARMING THAT WE EAT DEPENDS ON REPRODUCE ONLY WITH FLOWERS BLOOM TOO EARLY POLLINATING INSECTS THE HELP OF POLLINATORS PESTICIDES TOXIC TO THE BEES $15 BILLION $5.7 BILLION/ YR HABITAT LOSS A YEAR IN U.S. CROPS ARE IS THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC NEW DEVELOPMENTS POLLINATED BY BEES COST OF BEE DECLINE PARASITES 2035 IF COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER CONTINUES AT THE CURRENT RATE, HARMFUL MITES MANAGED BEES WILL DISAPPEAR BY WHAT CAN YOU DO ANY CONTRIBUTION, BIG OR SMALL, CAN MAKE A HUGE IMPACT ON SOLVING THIS ISSUE 1. PLANT GARDENS 2. ELECT OFFICIALS 3. RESTORE EF 4. SHOP SMART IF 1% OF NATION’S LAWNS WERE ELECT OFFICIALS TO PASS COUNTY ECOLOGICAL FARMING RESTORES LOOK FOR “SHARE THE BUZZ” CONVERTED TO POLLINATOR AND TOWN ORDINANCES TO SOIL NUTRIENTS, AVOIDS SOIL SIGNS THROUGHOUT THE STORE GARDENS, BEES WOULD HAVE LOSS, AND AVOIDS PESTICIDES REDUCE PESTICIDE SPRAYING AND AND CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS ON PRODUCTS FROM BRANDS ANOTHER 50,000 SQUARE MILES FUND MORE RESEARCH THAT SUPPORT THIS CAUSE SOURCES: GreenPeace, SOS-Bees | PBS, What’s Behind the Problem of Disappearing Bees | NBCNews, Scientist Have Some Wild Ideas for Solving Our Big Bee Problem | NRDC, The Buzz About Colony Collapse Disorder | NRDC, Why We Need Bees

Paper Waste: The Truth About Your Coffee Cups 50% 1/400 35% of Americans coffee cups of cut down drink coffee are recycled trees are used daily for paper products 500The average American worker uses disposable cups per year 17 million 1% 4 reusable cups of paper coffee billion 674wi,l0l s0av0e lbs cups are recycled of waste Gal. of water per year are used in the paper industry =16 billion 6.5 million paper coffee cups trees per year per year Sources: https://oneplanetzero.com/blogs/news/10-reasons-you-should-stop-using-disposable-coffee-cups http://www.carryyourcup.org/get-the-facts http://www.recyclingadvocates.org/single-use-coffee-cup-reduction/

Saving Our National Parks “Europe has cathedrals. We have National Parks” 2.3% 331 million Climate change is increasing of the people went fire season and U.S.A. to the National the severity Parks in 2017 Lack of Bad air quality freshwater. It is being can choke views, drained by cities and IN The PARKS poison plants and farmlands foul water USE EHLTTOICGUT.RHENTLSSOINFF BWROEATUTTSELAREBSLE USE ACTNOHDMRORPEWOCSYATCWLAEY BRAEGUSSABLE AT HOME RCFEAODROUBCTOPENRYINOTUR SYSHOHOUORRWTEENR NVAITPSIAIOTRNAKAL RRREEEDUCUSYCEC,EL,E UESNEELREGSYS UTSREAPNUSBPLOICRT 1,2,3,4,5

FOOD DESERTS Areas without access to healthy foods or grocery stores. 10 miles from a grocery store in rural areas 1 miles from a grocery store in urban areas National Statistics 23.5 Million people live in Food Deserts 55% This is equal to Taiwan’s population. 1/2 of those living in food less likely to deserts are low income households. have a quality diet. $71 Billion would be saved in health care costs with access to healthy foods. North Carolina Alamance County Statistics Statistics 8th 18% hungriest place in of the population of the United States Alamance County is food insecure 1.5Million people 349live in food 9,350 deserts Food Deserts in children in Alamance North Carolina county are food insecure. That’s the size of the 1 in 5 town of Elon people are SOURCE: American Nutrition Association food insecure

HOW TO COMPOST Benefits of composting Recycle household waste Condition healthy soil Protect the environment Composting organic waste Composting conditions soil Composting can enrich can reduce garbage waste by by creating nutrient-rich landscaping without using up to 30% humus for garden use chemical fertilizers Save money on water Save natural resources Enjoy your labor Composting improves soil’s Composting keeps excess Composting is fulfilling as water-holding capacity garbage out of landfills, you make environmentally- and reduces water loss which cuts down on fuel friendly choices What to compost What not to compost • Fruits • Fat or oil • Vegetables • Dairy products • Pasta and bread • Meat • Egg shells • Chicken • Coffee filters • Fish • Tea bags • Greasy foods Statistics about composting 500 lbs 60% of organic matter of waste is organic each year can be and compostable removed through composting 10 min 4.5 lbs a week is all it of trash is takes to compost generated by and reduce waste each person/day 75% of solid waste is recyclable Source: Learn How To Compost http://www.sodgod.com/composting/

TAKING A LAPPARESUSTAINABLE THE LOOK AT INDUSTRY Fashion is the 3rd most polluting industry in the world. Fashion contributes The number of garments 20% of industrial produced globally exceeded water waste. 100 billion Fashion contributes for the first time in 2014. 10% of global carbon emissions. Global average consumption of new textiles is 13kg per person. 63% 63% of textile Americans consume nearly fibres are derived from 20 billion petrochemicals. garments a year, equiva- lent to 62 garments each. In the past 15 years, the average number of times a 36%garment is worn before it ceases to be used has decreased by, Gavi Weiss 2018 Sources: 1. www.ecowarriorprincess.net 2. EPA 3. Close the Loop

Skip the Straw: Save a Sea Turtle Impacts of Plastic Pollution on Marine Life Sea Turtle vs. Straw: How The Eco Movement Went Viral In August of 2015, A field biologist, Christine Figgener encountered an endangered Olive Ridley sea turtle off the waters off Guanacaste, Costa Rica with what appeared to be a parasitic worm in its nose. Upon closer examination, they found it to be a plastic straw passing through the turtle’s nasal cavity and into its throat, a problem that made it difficult for the turtle to breath and smell, thereby inhibiting its ability to find food. The 4 in. 10 minutesstraw was wedged to remove. The video posted to in the turtle’s nose and took 30 millionYouTube now has over views and has sparked a movement. The Problem: Sea Turtles are vulnerable The Ban: to ocean pollution at all Starbucks has lead the way by It is estimated that there are stages of life from eggs to committing to remove straws from hatchlings to juveniles to 100Million more than 28,000 stores globally adults. by 2020. That’s more than 2 billion tons of plastic in oceans around straws per year. the world, and an additional McDonald’s plans to ban straws at all U.K. and Ireland locations 60Billion lbs. Seattle became the first major will be produced this year alone. city to ban plastic straws on End-to-end That’s July 1, 2018. enough to circle Sea turtles which California is exploring the possibility the Earth 2.5 times. eat jellyfish and other floating of banning plastic straws using + Another perspective, animals in the total coverage = open ocean, Assembly Bill 1884, which would were shown to both the U.S and be at the most prohibit food facilities from risk to mistake 500 India combined. plastics like “providing single-use plastic straws… Million plastic straws are bags, soda rings, used everyday in the U.S. Most and straws in to consumers unless requested.” particular for end up in the oceans. food. Cities in the state have already implemented bans including Malibu, Oakland, and Berkeley. 5Ocean Gyres: 3.3 1 in 1000sea turtles will survive to in the maturity because of the “Great Pacific Garbage world Patch”, a large area that is Plastic straws are among approximately the size of the top 10 items found Texas it contains 3.5 million during beach clean up and tons of can do so much harm to trash turtles, seabirds, and other Billion risks associated with the marine creatures. plastic straws ingestion or entanglement of plastic pollution. pollute the world’s beaches. Plastic straws get By the year What you can do: into the ocean by: 2050 1. Don’t buy plastic straws. 2. Politely request “no straw, please” whenever ordering. • being left on 3. Talk with your server or bartender, the manager or owner beaches or coastal about making straws available only upon request. areas there will be more plastic in the 4. Use hashtag #RefusePlasticStraws and #PlasticPollutes • being littered ocean than fish. • being blown out of trash cans in your social media posts. • being thrown into 5. Take the No Straw Please Pledge. storm drains that lead to our oceans! Sources: https://www.nationalgeographic https://www.sailorsforthesea.org https://blueocean.net https://www.strawlessocean.org Natalie Zagorski