From jim.mcnelly@granite.mn.org Fri May 13 10:40:41 1994 Date: Fri, 13 May 94 08:37:00 +0600 From: Jim Mcnelly To: LONDON@SUNSITE.UNC.EDU Subject: Tidbits Subject: Tidbits This message was from DAVE BATES to ALL originally in conference P-Ecological on GRANITE (Granite City BBS) and was forwarded to you by JIM MCNELLY ---------------------------------------- The following are reprinted from "Environmental Engineering News" issued by the School of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, John M. Bell, Editor. ======================== 40 Million US citizens live within four miles of a Superfund site. A pilot program has suggested that 81 percent of the estimated 500,000 to 800,000 tons of earthquake rubble in Los Angeles can be recycled as cheaply as dumped. Approximately one-third of all plants and animals that are endangered or threatened in North America make their homes in wetlands. In the United States alone, switching 5 percent of highway driving to electrified intercity rail could save more than 160 million barrels of oil each year - one sixth the amount imported from the Middle East. The US spends about $120 billion annually to comply with environmental regulations or about 2.2% of the US gross domestic product. China is home to 22 percent of the world's people, but only 8 percent of its fresh water. Sewer rates in Boston, MA have increased 560% during the last 9 years. EPA estimates that at least 33% of all contamination in lakes and estuaries and 10% of all river contamination are caused by stormwater runoff. For the first time in history, the US Department of Energy plans to spend more money on the environment ($1.5 billion) than on defense (more than $1 billion). According to the 1990 US Census, there are 24,670,875 households across the country that utilize septic tanks or cesspools. This figure represents 24.125 percent of the total households in the census. According to a new survey, more than two-thirds of Americans want Congress to set minimum recycling levels for local communities. Treeless paper - that made from non-wood pulp such as hemp, bamboo, jute, and kenaf - was manufactured in 45 countries in 1992 and accounted for 9 percent of the world's paper supply. The total cost of compliance with current Safe Drinking Water Act-mandated drinking water regulations is estimated to be $1.4 billion annually for public water systems. The Baltic Sea is nearly ecologically dead because of increased contamination. A total of 132 rivers flow into the Baltic Sea. The chemical industry produces the equivalent of three kilograms (7 pounds) of pesticides for every man, woman and child on the planet each year. Polluted water leads, in one way or another, to te death of some twenty-five million people annually. The central Italian town of Arezzo, in a drive to help keep its sidewalks clean, bought 2,000 plastic pants for dogs. The diapers will be available free through pharmacies. Per capita water supplies worldwide are a third lower now than in 1970 due to the 1.8 billion people added to the planet since then. Both the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act are due for reauthorization this year. An eight percent cut in the EPA's budget is currently forecast, and the biggest cuts could come in wastewater treatment grants and cleanup under the hazardous waste Superfund. --- ~ TLX v3.40 ~ Recycle! Today's Garbage is tomorrow's America. ~ Planet Earth ~ Beta Connection ~ Elkhart, IN. ~ 219-293-6465