Celebrating Earth Day at Home

Earth Day is tomorrow. Around your community there are probably many great events that you can attend to learn more about green living, pick up litter, plant trees, or drop off recyclables.

Of course I encourage you to participate in the events happening around town. However, since Earth Day is on a Tuesday this year, I'm sure many won't be able to make it to one. That doesn't mean you can't celebrate right at home.

We all celebrate holidays with our families at home. Earth Day shouldn't be any different. Use this special day as an excuse to finally make all those changes around the house you've been planning.

Where should you begin? I like to think of greening up one's home room by room.

1) Bathroom:

• Install a low-flow shower head, like the one found HERE, to reduce water usage.
  
• Insist that family members take 5 minute showers.
• Install an aerated faucet for the bathroom sink like the one found HERE
  
• Use organic cotton towels like THESE.
  
• Install fluorescent light bulbs.
• Use recycled toilet paper. Read more about recycled toilet paper HERE.
  
• Place a water-filled gallon milk carton in the toilet tank to reduced water demand.
• Use non-toxic home made cleaning supplies to wash the tub, toilet and sink. Find recipes HERE

2) Kitchen:

• Only use re-usable dish, silver and glass ware. Look for biodegradable or recycled napkins.
• For cleaning, try turning old t-shirts and sheets into rags. If not, use recycled paper towels.
• Again, you can use home made non-toxic cleaning supplies for the kitchen (look HERE) or in your dishwasher (look HERE)
  
• Clean your oven the easy way without using smelly sprays (look HERE)
  
• Only run the dishwasher when it is full and never use the "heat dry" function, drip dry instead.
• Vacuum the refrigerator coils to improve your fridge's energy efficiency.
• Purchase organic food at the farmers' market.
• Replace your garbage can with a recycling can. Leave a small biodegradable garbage bag hanging on a cabinet handle for garbage. This makes it harder to toss things away without taking into consideration that it might be recyclable.
  
• Install a faucet aerator and wash dishes in a sink full of water rather than by running the faucet.
  
• Use a dry erase marker to label a water glass for each family member each day to use. This will avoid wasting glasses throughout the day and will reduce the number of dishes being washed.
  
• Install florescent light bulbs.
  

3) Family Room:

• Avoid phantom energy usage by plugging the television, DVD player, CD player, stereo, video game system, etc. into a surge protector with a power switch. Turn it off when you don't need it and save big money on your utility bill.
  
• Install fluorescent light bulbs.
• Recycle old newspapers and magazines.
• Go HERE to find inventive ways to dispose of books.
  
• Cancel junk mail (go HERE) and catalog subscriptions (go HERE)
• Use natural, non-toxic homemade furniture polish (go HERE)
• Recycle old electronics and computer equipment so the toxic chemicals inside them don't get into our drinking water. Go HERE to find a dump site near you.
• Insulate your windows and save on heating/air conditioning by installing clear THIS clear tape.
  

4) Laundry Room:

• Wash your laundry using cold water.
  
• Only run the washer with a full load.
• Use laundry detergent free of phosphates that end up in lakes & rivers and choke the fish.
• Hang up laundry when you have the opportunity. It will make your clothes last longer and will save a lot of electricity.
  

5) In the Yard:

• Re-use coffee grounds on the soil around acid-dependent plants as a natural fertilizer.
• Avoid unnatural pesticides, fertilizers and insecticides. Often, natural remedies like lime juice and citronella can be just as effective.
• Water your lawn in the morning before it gets hot.
• If you step on the your grass and it stands back up, it doesn't need watering.
• Ensure your sprinklers are watering grass and not sidewalk.
• Get your car washed at a commercial car wash that recycles the water or wash your car on the lawn.
  
• Install covers on your pool and spa to stop evaporation.
• Use a broom to clean the sidewalk and driveway, in lieu of the hose.
• Cut your grass higher to create longer blades that will shade the roots to allow for better water conservation.
• Try xeriscaping your yard by going HERE.
  

Must Read: New York Times Piece on Building Green

From the New York Times:

To illustrate the confounding nature of green building, Lindsay Suter, a Connecticut architect, likes to start with a question: Between a stone and plastic foam insulation, which one is green?

“You’ll go, ‘Of course, Lindsay, the stone is a natural product,’ ” said Mr. Suter, who was trained at the Yale School of Architecture, where he now teaches part time.

Read the full article HERE

New WE Campaign Video

I told you about the new WE Campaign in THIS post.

By now you've probably seen some of their creative advertisements featuring political arch rivals agreeing that global warming is a non-partisan issue needing immediate attention.

I recently saw the Al Sharpton and Pat Robertson ad and really liked it.

Below is the newest advertisement starring current Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and former Speaker New Gingrich.

To see the rest of the advertisements go HERE.

Water Usage Calculator

Google "Carbon Calculator" and you'll discover a ton of great websites that allow you to calculate your carbon footprint. Calculating your water usage, however, is a little more difficult.

Zerofootprint has created a great "One Minute Calculator" that calculates your home water usage by answering a few quick questions.

The calculator can be found HERE.

I answered the questions and came out with 95,827 liters/person/year of water usage. I think its unusually low compared to the average American because I don't have a car to wash or a yard to water. According to the site, Canadians score an average of 125,000 liters/person/year, while Europeans score 73,000.

I played around with the questions and found that by reducing my showers down to 5 minutes a piece and by installing a "low flow" device into my toilet, I can save 44,165 liters/person/year. Thats lower than the Europeans, magnifique!

It doesn't take a genius to know that water is becoming an increasingly limited resource. If you want to conserve the amount of water you're using, go to THIS post where I outline some easy tips to do just that.

Energy Saving HDTVs

The most popular posts on the Green Piece Blog are the ones addressing HDTV's and energy usage.

HDTV's are tremendously popular as people make the switch from traditional tube televisions to the flat, high-definition versions. Unfortunately, as electronics companies improved the visual performance of their TV's, they did not improve their environmental impact. In fact, an LCD or Plasma TV burns through 4 times as much energy as a traditional tube TV.

The technology companies are currently playing catch-up by introducing more energy efficient flat-panel HDTV's. The first company to build a more energy efficient HDTV is Philips. Their Eco TV provides owners with options like dimming the back light or capping peak light output to reduce energy consumption by as much as 30 watts compared to traditional Philips HDTV's.

CNET has also ranked HDTV's based on several categories of energy usage, such as watts per square inch and watts overall. Here are the best of each category...

• Watts per square inch of screen overall: Samsung HL-T5687S (0.12)
• Watts per sq. inch LCD: Philips 42PFL7432D (0.22)
• Watts per sq. inch plasma: Insignia NS-PDP42 (0.29)
• Watts per sq. inch after calibration: Samsung LN-T4665F (0.09)
• Watts overall, regardless of screen size: Sharp LC-32D44U (126.25)
• Watts overall, 40- to 50-inch screen size: Philips 42PFL7432D (134.04)
• Watts overall, larger than 50-inch screen size, flat panel: Olevia 252T FHD (257.29)

In addition to buying a more energy efficient HDTV, there are other ways to reduce the environmental impact of your new toy.

First, make sure that your HDTV is plugged into a power strip or wall outlet that you can turn off whenever you are not using the television. HDTV's uselessly burn energy while in "standby" mode.

Second, make sure you recycle your unused tube television. Don't just toss that antique in the garbage. Inside the tube TV is a lot of toxic metals and substances that can get into the water supply or spread in other ways to negatively impact people and animals. To find a nearby television recycling center, go HERE.

Green DC: Flying Squirrels & the End of Nature

This post is part of a weekly feature where we will focus on events and issues, related to the environment, happening in our own back yard of Washington, DC. Come back next Wednesday for another post.

Last week we listed some of the events happening in town for Earth Day, which is April 22nd. Definitely check them out. You can clean up Rock Creek by the Zoo in the morning and catch the Roots at the national mall in the afternoon.

This week is a crap shoot of this and that.

• April 26th from 9am t0 3pm:
• The DC government is holding an electronics recycling and hazardous waste drop-off at the Carter Barron Amphitheater parking lot between 16th and Kennedy Streets NW. This is a great opportunity to dump all those old computers, monitors, printers, CD players, VCR's, etc. that you just don't want anymore.
• BTW - If you have cell phones, MP3 Players, or any other small electronics and you can't make it to the drop-off, DC is home to a pilot program for the US Postal Service that provides free pre-addressed and stamped envelopes to ship these items to a recycling plant.

• Pepco Florescent Light Discounts:
• If you live in the District or Virginia, it might be worth catching the Green and Red lines to Maryland where Pepco is offering coupons for florescent light bulbs. You already know how long they last and how they are good for the environment, now you can finally finish replacing the old bulbs.
  
• HERE is the list of store locations offering the $1.50 or $3.00 of coupons at the cash register.

• Attract Flying Squirrels:
• Random opportunity to learn about flying squirrel habitats and how you can lure them into your yard for the thrill of having rabid rodents flying after neighborhood children.
• Every Saturday evening the Long Branch Nature Center in Arlington hosts an educational seminar on flying squirrels and how to make your yard into a safe, inviting habitat for the bat hybrids.
  

• The End of Nature:
• This should be an uplifting event. April 12 - May 4, the Warehouse Gallery (1014 7th Street NW) will be hosting an art exhibit titled "The End of Nature."
• Artists will be displaying their concept of a world where nature ceases to exist.
  

• Gridskipper's DC Green Spots:
• Gridskipper compiled a great list of DC's hot "green" spots. Check it out HERE.
• Did they miss any? List your favorites in the comments section.
  

A More Efficient Dishwasher

Your dishwasher seems pretty harmless. It just hums away, loyally cleaning all those dishes and not complaining about dish pan hands. But slight tweaks in the way you run your dishwasher could have a big impact on your utility bill and environmental footprint.

Here are some quick tips on making your dishwasher just a little bit better...

• Never run your dishwasher until it is full.
  

• Only use dish washing detergent that is natural, biodegradable and phosphate free. Like THIS BRAND for example.

• Don't pre-rinse your dishes before loading them into the machine. Most new models do not require pre-rinsing. Just get the big pieces off.

• Air dry your dishes. Turn off the heat dry function, its unnecessary. If you have a problem with spots, use Wave Jet.

• Reduce the number of dishes you use by using the same glass for water throughout the day rather than grabbing a new glass for every drink. Keep an eye on the number of dishes you use and look for ways to reduce that number.
  

• Most dishwashers heat the water coming into them. However, they also draw water from the hot water heater. So its doing the same job twice and charging you for it. Lower the temperature on your hot water heater to 120 degrees so you aren't paying to heat it twice.

• You can make your own dishwasher soap at home using this recipe: Mix baking soda and borax with dishwasher soap. Fill a container half full with the dishwasher soap then a quarter baking soda and quarter borax. You can also use vinegar instead of Jet Dry in the rinse dispenser.

NBC News - Pacific Salmon Disappearing Fast

An order issued by fishing authorities prohibits any fishing of Pacific Salmon because stocks have declined drastically over the past few years for an unknown reason. Several theories have been suggested ranging from ocean temperature warming to disease. Whatever the cause, there is serious fear that the Pacific Salmon is quickly facing possible extinction.

Watch the story below.

Environmentalists Target Coal

From the LA Times...

Every time a new coal-fired power plant is proposed anywhere in the United States, a lawyer from the Sierra Club or an allied environmental group is assigned to stop it, by any bureaucratic or legal means necessary.

They might frame the battle as a matter of zoning or water use, but the larger war is over global warming: Coal puts twice as much temperature-raising carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as natural gas, second to coal as the most common power plant fuel.

Read the full article HERE

Green Wedding Tips

Every year, about 2.3 million couples are married in the United States. With an average wedding budget of about $20,000, over $72 billion is spent annually on weddings. Amid all of this spending a cottage "green wedding" industry has sprung up in recent years to offer eco-friendly couples the opportunity to have an environmentally friendly wedding.

Of course you can choose to pay someone a premium to make your wedding "greener" or you can follow a few simple tips that will likely save you money and reduce your wedding's environmental footprint.

Wedding Dress & Tuxedo:

• Avoid the impulse to buy a new dress. The average wedding dress costs $18-20 thousand. Borrowing a dress from a relative adds more emotion to the occasion. You can have it altered to your body and taste. Make sure the dress is dry-cleaned using non-toxic chemicals. If you cannot find a relative with a dress you like, consider other options described in THIS Smart Money article.
  

• Donate your wedding dress when you're done so someone less fortunate can have their own special day.
  

• Rather than buying a true wedding dress, find an attractive evening gown you would wear to another occasion. This is true for tuxedos too. Find a handsome suit that could be used again in the future.

• BYO-Suit/Dress...If you invite your wedding party participants to choose their own clothes while sticking to a specific style, color, tie, etc. you ensure they can wear something they already own or something they'll wear again.
  

• Go vintage and buy classic dresses and suits that will add sophistication to your wedding.

• Or just go casual and wear comfortable clothes, especially in an outdoor wedding, that you will likely wear again.
  

Invitations:

• Choose only 100% PCW recycled invitations processed without chlorine. Encourage guests to recycle their invites. Or choose these invitations that have seeds embedded in them and will sprout when planted.
  

• Skip the extra envelope for RSVP cards by using reply postcards instead. They will be cheaper in the long run and will reduce the need for paper.
  

• For internet savvy guests, consider only sending electronic invitations that link to a wedding site with all the event information and where they can RSVP via email. This system makes it easier to RSVP and it makes it easier to track your guest list in one place. Its also a time and paper saver.

Flowers:

• Instruct the florist to stick to locally grown flowers only. Flowers shipped from other states or countries require a lot of fuel and special refrigeration that uses harsh chemicals.
  

• Use wildflowers. They grow naturally and can be nearly any color or size.
  

• Decorate with potted plants rather than cut flowers so your guests can bring home the plants rather than just putting them in the garbage.
  

Dishes/Glasses:

• Reusable glasses, plates and silverware are always preferable to disposable varieties. This is especially true with regard to any Styrofoam supplies. However, if you want to be really eco-friendly, consider bio-degradable disposable items made of natural products.
  

Honeymoon:

• Avoid the traditional Niagara Falls honeymoon and opt for an eco-vacation where you can be among the beauty of nature and observe creatures in their natural habitat.

• I did a post on eco-vacations you can READ here. Some of the really interesting options are in South American countries near the rain forests.

• Use the back of your wedding program to educate your guests on your honeymoon location and invite them to contribute to some of the great organizations that are working to preserve natural habitats and forests.

• You, or your guests, can donate money to a carbon offsetting organization so that the carbon emissions from your honeymoon will be neutralized by the development of renewable energy sources or from the planting of trees.
  

Martha on Sustainable Home Renovations

Found this interesting video from Martha Stewart with different home renovation materials that are eco-friendly. Enjoy!

Click HERE to watch.

"Grow a Tree" Kit

With Earth Day approaching, you might be thinking of ways to contribute something eco-friendly to the planet. Planting a tree is always a good choice. Trees provide a multitude of benefits to our planet including: homes for birds, oxygen, carbon absorption, shade, etc.

If you are a little nervous about planting a tree, you can buy a $10 kit from canoeonline.net that includes all the necessary ingredients for successfully growing a ponderosa pine tree.

According to canoe, the ponderosa pine is good choice for almost anyone because..."Ponderosa Pine tolerates heat and drought, and is extremely cold-hardy. It can be cultivated almost anywhere, and is a beautiful and statuesque tree at every stage of its life."

Buy the kit HERE for yourself or for a friend.

Baby Diapers: Cloth vs. Disposable

While watching National Geographic's "The Human Footprint," I learned that in an average American baby's pre-potty trained years, they will use about 3,000 disposable diapers.

A lot goes into manufacturing disposable diapers and most people know they don't quickly break down in the dump. This raised the question in my mind, what is better cloth or disposable diapers?

As with most issues related to the environment, this is not a simple question to answer.

First, cloth and disposable diapers are changed at different rates by parents. Cloth diapers are changed10 times a day, while disposables are changed 5 times a day. This means each year a child will use about 3,100 - 3,700 cloth diapers or about 1,800 to 2,900 disposables. This is largely true because older children will need several diapers to absorb liquids sufficiently.

In terms of energy units over the course of one year, disposable diapers use less net energy. Disposable diapers burn 6,900 MJ's of energy. The vast majority comes from manufacturing, which requires petroleum products. The rest comes from packaging and shipping. Cloth diapers burn about 9,600 MJ's of energy. Almost all of that comes from the laundering process, which accounts for 8,200 MJ's.

With regard to solid waste (garbage), disposable diapers lose out. Cloth diapers create about 160kg of solid waste, whereas disposable diapers create about 260kg of waste. In terms of volume (the amount of space in the garbage dump), disposable diapers take twice as much space as cloth diapers., filling the dump much faster. Eighteen billion disposable diapers are thrown away every year and they can take up to 500 years to decompose. They represent the third largest source of solid waste in dumps.

In terms of natural resources, the results are mixed. To diaper all the babies in the United States with disposable diapers, 82,000 tons of plastic and 1.3 million tons of wood pulp are required. However, cloth diapers require 50-70 gallons of water every three days. If parents or a diaper service use laundry detergent without phosphates to wash cloth diapers, the output is water free of toxins or pollution. To manufacture disposable diapers, companies put bleach, solvents and dioxins into water. Of course, both cloth and disposable diapers require agricultural products which are not likely organically grown and contribute pesticides and insecticides to the environment.

Some studies have shown that disposable diapers pose a greater rash threat to a baby's skin. In addition to their poor "breathability," disposable diapers also contain several unnatural ingredients that may have long term health effects on your children. Dioxin is a chemical by-product of the paper bleaching process necessary in manufacturing disposable diapers. Dioxin can cause cancer, birth defects, liver damage and skin diseases. Because the chemical is a by-product of the paper bleaching process, its not found in high concentrations in the actual diaper, but may still be present. Sodium polyacrylate is the absorbent gel that keeps the disposable diapers dry. This product has been removed from feminine hygiene products in the past and there are currently no studies that show the effect of long-term exposure to the product on babies.

All of this is a lot of information to absorb. Keep in mind that if you have cloth diapers laundered by an outside service, this decreases the impact of the diapers on the environment significantly. Less water and less energy is used by diaper laundry services.

If I had to make a decision about which diaper to use on my baby, I would fall on the side of using both. Cloth diapers are difficult to manage when you are out and about. They are more feasible during those times when you will be staying close to home. Disposable diapers are very expensive and result in dumps filling faster with products that will not degrade any time soon. My impression is that a careful balance is the best you can do until they learn to use the potty.

Conserve Water This Summer

The 2007 Spring season in the Southeast region of the United States was the driest since the National Climactic Data Center began keeping records in 1895. We all remember the images of wildfires in the West ravaging dried forests last year. Cattle ranchers were selling their stock from lack of grass on the fields. Lake Okeechobee, America's second largest fresh water body was drying up. Things got so bad in Georgia by the end of the Summer that residents were organizing prayer gatherings to pray for rain fall.

There is no way of telling what this Spring and Summer might bring us, but if last year was any indication, we should start conserving water now.

There is a lot you can do around your home to conserve water. In the long-run, making these changes will also reduce your water and sewer bills.

Lets start with the bathroom:

• Replace your shower head with an efficient unit like this ONE. Go even further and add a switch to turn off the water while you soap up, see this ONE. If you want to get your family to conserve water, but the 5-minute shower timer HERE.

• Make sure you keep those showers under five minutes.
  

• Purchase a sink faucet aerator to reduce the amount of water coming out of each faucet in your home, must water just goes down the drain anyways.

• Place a milk jug filled with water in your toilet's tank. Most toilets use far more water than necessary.
  

• Check for leaky faucets and tighten them.

• Put Kleenex in the garbage rather than flushing them down the toilet each time you sneeze.

• Turn off the faucet while you brush.
  

Next, the kitchen:

• When washing dishes, don't let the water run. Fill the sink and turn the tap off.

• Save 1,000 gallons of water by ensuring your dishwasher and clothing washer are full before running them.

• Designate one glass per person as the "water glass" and re-use it for each drink of water. You'll use less glasses and run the dishwasher less. Keep water in a pitcher in the fridge for a cold drink. This way, all the water ends up in you and none down the drain.

• Tighten any leaky faucets.
  

Finally, in the outside and in the yard:

• Check your sprinklers frequently to ensure they are hitting the grass, not the wall or sidewalk. Water your lawn in the early morning hours.

• Install covers on pools and spas to avoid evaporation.

• Save 80 gallons of water every time you clean the driveway or sidewalk by using a broom or blower rather than the hose.

• Run your sprinklers for shorter periods of time twice a day rather than longer periods once a day. Your yard will only absorb so much and the rest just runs off into the sewer.
  

• Only water your lawn when its necessary. Check by stepping on the grass, if it doesn't stand back up, it needs water.

• Run your lawn mower blades on a higher setting. Longer grass creates shade for the root system so it can stay moist longer.
  

• Use a commercial car wash that recycles the water rather than washing your car at home. Or wash your car on the grass.
  

Hillary & Obama Dust-Up Over Oil Contributions

A war of words has been unleashed between Democratic Presidential candidates Barack Obama & Hillary Clinton since Obama began airing an advertisement that states he has not taken any campaign contributions from oil companies.

FactCheck.org took Obama to task for this claim, saying it was misleading. According to FactCheck.org, a law has been on the books for over a century that prohibits individual companies from giving campaign contributions to Presidential candidates.

In addition, the site points out that Obama has accepted more than $213,000 from individuals and their spouses who work for oil and gas companies. Two of Obama's contribution bundlers are executives at oil companies and have raised $50,000 and $100,000 for him.

In response to Obama's claims, Hillary has released a radio ad that points out Obama's misleading characterization of his relationship with oil & gas companies while also highlighting the fact that he voted for Dick Cheney's 2005 Energy Bill. In the ad, she appropriately calls that bill a "pinata of perks" for the oil industry.

There really is no reason why any of these candidates should be taking money from the oil and gas industry. Both Hillary and Obama have successfully raised millions of dollars from their online contributors, why in the world would either create relationships with these corporations for a mere $50,000 or $100,000? To get past the strangle-hold of the oil & gas companies, we have to learn to say "no" to their money.

Listen to Hillary's ad HERE (It takes a few seconds to get to the ad)

Read the FactCheck.org piece on Obama's claims HERE

Green DC: Earth Day in DC

This post is part of a new weekly feature where we will focus on events and issues, related to the environment, happening in our own back yard of Washington, DC. Come back next Wednesday for another post.

If you live in the Washington, DC metropolitan area and you want to get in on the Earth Day action this year, below are some of the best options in the city. Don't forget, you can always grab some garbage bags and pick-up all those beer bottles and Doritos packages littering just about every part of our beloved city.

• April 19th - National Zoo, Rock Creek Clean-Up: I participated in a Rock Creek clean-up last week with with the Friends of Rock Creek's Environment (FORCE). The group pulled out a bbq, television, shopping car and probably about 30 bags of garbage from our little area by Adams-Morgan. Next Saturday, the Zoo will have their own clean-up of the area directly surrounding it. If you want to volunteer, you can see the details HERE. If you've ever jogged or ridden a bike around the Zoo, you know its overdue for some cleaning.
  

• April 20th - Green Apple Music Festival on the National Mall: This event will be one of the biggest Earth Day celebrations in American history! Elected officials, guest speakers, celebrities and musicians will gather alongside educational demonstrations on greener living on the National Mall. Among the bands performing are: The Roots, Gov't Mule, Thievery Corp., and more. You can learn more HERE

• April 21ist - Green DC Day on Freedom Plaza: Come to Freedom Plaza from 10am to 4pm for the Green DC Day where there will be plenty of information and experiences geared toward living an eco-friendly life in the District.
  

• April 26th - Anacostia Watershed Clean-Up: Since the new Nationals ballpark opened, everyone is more aware of just how filthy the Anacostia River really is. Come help clean it up from 8:30am to 2:00pm during the 14th annual Watershed Clean-Up. Volunteers get a free t-shirt and are invited after the clean-up to a party with food, live music and fun at the Seafarers Yacht Club. Sign-up to volunteer HERE.

• April 26th - Alexandria Earth Day: This is the 15th Anniversary of the Alexandria Earth Day. From 10am to 2pm, come out to Ben Brenmam Park for a tree sale, tree plantings, used products drop-off, a run, a youth fair and opportunities to measure your environmental footprint. To get all the info, go HERE

• April 26th - Montgomery County Earth Day Celebration: Come out to 850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville to see the county's recycling facility. You will learn about where you recycling goes when you put it in the bin and how it is processed. Get tips on how to compost and to pick-up compost bins for your home. You can also drop-off electronic waste for recycling and have your confidential paperwork shredded for free. Check it all out HERE

I also encourage you to use Earth Day as an opportunity to make some easy changes around your home and your neighborhood so they are greener and cleaner this year.

A Must See: The Human Footprint

Last night, we were fortunate enough to be invited to a premier screening of the National Geographic Channel's newest film, The Human Footprint, at the National Geographic Society's headquarters here in Washington, DC.

To give you a quick backgrounder on the film, it was a cooperative project between the Wildlife Conservation Society and the National Geographic Society. The goal of the project was to create a film that, without judgment, showed the American viewer just how much food, fuel, appliances, natural resources, etc. they consume in one lifetime. The best part of the film is that they accomplish this goal through stunning visuals, like an entire front yard covered in the 12, 129 hamburger buns an average American will consume in their life.

Elizabeth Vargas, co-host of ABC's 20/20, is the guide in the film. She describes the incredible statistics and visuals by beginning with an average American baby and following that child through their lifetime. We start by seeing the huge pile of 3,796 diapers used by an American baby in their first few years, then Elizabeth reveals the many liters of petroleum, pounds of plastic and tree trunks necessary to manufacture those diapers.

By the time the film is over, we've seen 12,888 oranges, 5,054 newspapers, and much much more. The Producers of the film go into incredible detail to visually reveal the enormous volume of goods, from around the world, that go into the life of an American. At one point, Elizabeth Vargas is standing on a map of the world with the pieces of an average Ford vehicle laid atop the country where the piece is manufactured. The sheer number of nations involved in manufacturing a Ford vehicle is impressive.

Two things struck me while I was watching the film:

First, the images on the screen merely showed a single American's consumption habits. Multiplied by 300 million people, its