Statistics for the Greater Good

Retail isn't the only business that is buzzing during the holidays

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:29:00 +0000

The amount of household garbage in the United States generally increases by 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, from 4 million tons to 5 million tons.

Source: US EPA

LED lights can save you 90%

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:24:00 +0000

Switch to light emitting diode (LED) lighting. LED bulbs use 90% less energy than standard incandescent lights and confer the added benefits of generating significantly less heat and lasting significantly longer.

Source

Excessive weight gain during pregnacy linked to childhood obesity

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:30:00 +0000

Pregnant women who gain more than 40 pounds during pregnancy have twice the risk of delivering babies who will have weight problems throughout life according to a new study from Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Oregon. The study was conducted among 40,000 women. This latest study supports previous studies that show children are more likely to be overweight and struggle with obesity as adults.

Graduation Rates Declining in US

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:29:00 +0000

The US, Which long enjoyed the world’s top high school graduation rate, has fallen to 13^th place behind such countries as South Korea, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia. The US is now the only country in the developed world where young people are less likely to graduate than their parents were.

Source: New York Times

Understanding the distribution of wealth in the US

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 17:00:00 +0000

One way to ‘see’ the distribution of wealth in the U.S. is to imagine a group of 100 people who have a $100 between them. Evenly distributed each would have one dollar of wealth. Alas, that is far from the actual distribution. According to the most recent study, Currents and Undercurrents, by the Survey of Consumer Finance (Federal Reserve, Department of Treasury, 2006) wealth is distributed accordingly:

50 individuals at the bottom have a nickel. ($0.05 times 50 = $2.50)

The next 40 each have $0.70 of wealth (40 times $0.70 - $28.00).

The next 9 each have $4.00 of wealth (nine times $4.00 = $36.00)

The last richest individual has $33.40 (one time $33.40).

Combined, you have $100.00.

Source: http://zfacts.com/p/728.html

Firearm Deaths

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 16:59:00 +0000

Suicides Accounted for 55% of the nation's nearly 31,000 firearm deaths in 2005, the most recent year in which statistics are available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

~ Mike Stobbe Medical Writer Associated Press

The Nintendo Wii as a functional communication tool

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 21:50:00 +0000

Wow. This is an amazing use of a video game unit. I can't really describe it, you'll have to watch for your self.

One cell phone for every two people on the planet

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 16:52:00 +0000

3.3 million cell phones subscriptions worldwide. The interesting note to all of this is the most of these new users will experience the internet for the first time through their phone and not a desktop or laptop computer. This clearly articulates the value of mobile as distribution platform as well as the evolution of media consumption.

Read more from Engadget

Dubai: what you do when you have too much money

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 16:31:00 +0000

This is a jaw dropping evolution from sand to civilization. I do know there are concerns about the conditions and compensation of those building this city. You can read more here from ABC News and here from Human Rights Watch. It makes you wonder if they can sustain the pace with the global economy in such a delicate place.

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How to save 10-15% off your energy bill every month

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 23:13:00 +0000

There is a product called GreenSwitch which prevents appliances from drawing power from the grid even when it is off. GreenSwitch projects that you can save up to 15% from your residential electricity bill. This is a really interesting product that has been implemented in hotels and has saved 25-45% off their electrical costs.

If you consider that for each kilowatt hour of electricity you save you are keeping 1.32 lbs. of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. Couple that with 12,000 kwh used annually by each home (on average) and you could save 2,376 lbs. of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.

How much water does it take to do a load of laundry?

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 22:53:00 +0000

According to the US Department of Energy, ENERGY STAR clothes washers clean clothes using 50% less energy than standard washers. Most full-sized ENERGY STAR washers use 18-25 gallons of water per load, compared to the 40 gallons used by a standard machine. ENERGY STAR models also spin the clothes better, resulting in less drying time.

What Motivates You?

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:23:00 +0000

Are there cynics in your office? Does sarcasm run deep? Looking for new ways to motivate them? Well now you can capture those company mantras and develop your own motivational poster with the automotivator.

Be creative and enjoy the process here.

Obesity Rates in US top 25%

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:27:00 +0000

It looks like the bible belt needs to be loosened a bit. An obesity rate of 25% seems really high. I'll have to poke around to to compare it to other countries. Seems like we all could so with a little less soda and fewer trip to McDs or Taco Bell.

This is only a screen shot but if you go here you can see the interactive map.

In 1990 the national average was 11.6%

Baggreen.com | reusable produce bags

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 06:28:00 +0000

Well baggreen.com launched last weekend. You can also skip their main page and head right into their store to purchase. The company focuses on reusable produce bags which is pretty cool since only about .6% of the 500 billion to 1 trillion plastics bags get recycled annually.

They say that by using their bags you can keep 500 plastic bags from ending up in landfills each year. I also have to imagine it's a bit healthier to transport fruits and vegetables in cotton rather than plastic.

One of the great things is that they ship in recycled newsprint and they donate a portion of their sales to a green charity.

Check it out it's a simple way to help the environment. Check out this prior post on plastic bags.

Reusable grocery bags

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 00:11:00 +0000

Here's s blog that has a number of articles on the recent debate/changes to plastic bag use. check it out.

And Bag Green.

We're not as smart as we think we are...(Slideshow)

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:12:00 +0000

While I do believe there are some concerns about the validity of the numbers presented (most of which I could accept at face value), the underlying theme is that the US Educational system is not well equipped to prepare the youth of America to compete in a global economy. There is plenty of blame to go around but we cannot afford to be apathetic about the situation any longer.

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Here's a logical examination of Global Warming (Video)

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 20:54:00 +0000

No Stats here but a valuable 10 minutes.

This video is a pragmatic and logical approach to evaluating the level of action the world community and individuals should commit to.

When he lays it out this way it seems pretty simple.

If you can poke a hole in his story I'd love to hear it (politely please).

How much does it cost to raise a child today?

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 05:13:00 +0000

According to BabyCenter.com, children born in the U.S. today will cost their parents more than $338,000, on average, by the time they graduate from a public college.

Check out this calculator that shows how much you are expected to spend based on the birth year of your child, your household income and the area of the country in which you reside.

Here is a link to a BusinessWeekOnline report that discusses the cost of raising children and tips for managing.

Your Health and Your Credit: Medical Bills May Impact Where You Hang Your Hat

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 07:34:00 +0000

More than one quarter (27%) of survey respondents with medical debt said they had housing problems that resulted from the debt.

The most common problems were;

inability to qualify for a mortgage (11%)
inability to pay rent or mortgage(10%)
being turned down from renting a home (7%)
being forced to move to less expensive housing (5%)
A small number of respondents said that they were evicted (2%) and/or were now homeless (2%) because of medical debt

Among those with debt, those who were not insured were more likely to say that the debt led to a housing problem. But a significant number—about one in five—of those who had been insured experienced housing problems as well.

Source: The Access Project. Home Sick: How Medical Debt Undermines Housing Security.

What is a year of your life worth to the government?

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 07:19:00 +0000

Well it depends on how on how old you are. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established a value of $172,000 per life year for people under age age sixty-five and $434,000 for people over age sixty-five. This valuations have been used by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

You can find this on page 35, table 8 in the Technical Addendum: Methodologies for the Benefit Analysis of the Clear Skies Act of 2003.

The OMB memo that quotes this data is found here.

Healthcare Reform now. These numbers speak for themselves

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 06:48:00 +0000

If employees are offered coverage on the job, they can't always afford their portion of the premium. Employee spending for health insurance coverage (employee's share of family coverage) has increased 143 percent between 2000 and 2006.

Source: Hewitt Associates LLC. Health Care Expectations: Future Strategy and Direction 2005

What is one light buld per household worth?

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 18:40:00 +0000

If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars.

ENERGY STAR qualified bulbs use about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer.
People can save $30 or more in electricity costs over each bulb's lifetime.

Source: Energy Star - a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy

Find out more about Compact Flourecent Bulbs (CFLs) here

Find rebates for lighting and other household products here

GetGoodKarma.org

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 16:28:00 +0000

Encourages civic responsibility and positive social participation.

Check it out and figure out your karma.

http://www.getgoodkarma.org

Get out and Vote! It doesn't matter who you vote for but you need to participate.

http://www.declareyourself.com/

Talk money with your mortgage company

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:37:00 +0000

Among delinquent homeowners who admit having difficulty paying their
mortgage, 31% admit to never contacting their lender.

Read the study from Freddie Mac here

The Impact of foreclosures on your neighborhood

noreply@blogger.com (Brian) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 16:31:00 +0000

A study by the Woodstock Institute in Chicago on foreclosed properties in that city found that each foreclosure of a conventional mortgage within a city block of a single-family home resulted in a 0.9 percent to 1.1 percent decline in property value.

Read more about the study here.