10 Facts About Sustainability (And Why It's Important)

It is no secret that we love the Earth here at Village Outfitters, with most of the brands we

sell being rooted in practicing sustainability. However, it is sometimes easy to forget just

how important sustainable and eco-friendly products truly are when it comes to preserving

our home planet. That’s why we are counting down 10 facts demonstrating just how

important sustainability is.

1. The US makes up only 5% of the world population, but it throws away enough

plastic bottles in a week to encircle the Earth 5 times

2. The five warmest years on record have occurred in the last decade

3. A modern glass bottle takes 4000 years or more to decompose

4. Tropical forests cover less than 7 percent of Earth’s landmass but are home to about

50 percent of all living things on the planet

5. Recycling one aluminum can is able to save enough energy for a TV to run for three

hours

6. A plastic bag is used for an average of 12 minutes but will remain in the

environment for 1,000 years before it decomposes

7. Headline-grabbing oil spills account for just 12 percent of the oil in our oceans.

Three times as much oil is carried out to sea via runoff from our roads, rivers, and

drainpipes

8. The Smog Free Project, headed by Daan Roosegaard, is a pioneering technology that

removes smog from the air and turns it into jewelry

9. The average college student produces 640 pounds of solid waste each year,

including 500 disposable cups and 320 pounds of paper

10. The Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance (CNCA) is composed of 21 global cities with the

common goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050

a. American cities: Boulder CO, Minneapolis MN, New York NY, Portland OR, San

Francisco CA, Seattle WA, and Washington D.C.