Knowledge is power! Dive into our fact sheets below to discover how you can make a difference in tackling some of the world’s most urgent issues.
Plastic Pollution
Conservation & Biodiversity
Food & Agriculture
How Much Disposable Plastic We Use
The billions upon billions of items of plastic waste choking our oceans, lakes, and rivers and piling up on land are more than unsightly and harmful to plants and wildlife. The following 8 facts shed light on how plastic is proving dangerous to our planet, health, and wildlife. To learn more about the threat and impact of plastic pollution and get tips to reduce your plastic consumption, download our Plastic Pollution Primer and Toolkit and use our Plastic Pollution Calculator today!
3 - One million plastic bottles are purchased every minute worldwide, while up to five trillion plastic bags are used a year Visual Feature | Beat Plastic Pollution
The billions upon billions of items of plastic waste choking our oceans, lakes, and rivers and piling up on land are more than unsightly and harmful to plants and wildlife. The following 8 facts shed light on how plastic is proving dangerous to our planet, health, and wildlife. To learn more about the threat and impact of plastic pollution and get tips to reduce your plastic consumption, download our Plastic Pollution Primer and Toolkit and use our Plastic Pollution Calculator today!
1 - 8.3 BILLION Metric Tons (9.1 BILLION US Tons) of plastic has been produced since plastic was introduced in the 1950s. [1]
2 - 79% of plastic that has ever been made still sits in landfills or the natural environment (with the exception of the small amount that has been incinerated or recycled) [2]
3 - Americans purchase about 50 billion water bottles per year, averaging about 13 bottles per month for every person in the U.S.! That means by using a reusable water bottle, you could save an average of 156 plastic bottles annually. [3]
5 - In 2017, packaging production constituted the highest-demanded use for plastic, with 146 million metric tons used. [6]
6 - At least 14 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans every year. Many countries lack the infrastructure to prevent plastic pollution such as: sanitary landfills; incineration facilities; recycling capacity and circular economy infrastructure; proper management and disposal of waste systems [7]
7 - When plastics end up in landfills, they aren’t harmless. They break down into tiny toxic particles that contaminate the soil and waterways and enter the food chain when animals accidentally ingest them. [8]
8 - Researchers in Germany indicate that terrestrial microplastic pollution is much higher than marine microplastic pollution– estimated at four to 23 times higher, depending on the environment. This could ultimately have adverse health effects on humans and animals. [9]
The billions upon billions of items of plastic waste choking our oceans, lakes, and rivers and piling up on land is more than unsightly and harmful to plants and wildlife.
The following 5 facts shed light on how plastic is proving dangerous to our planet, health, and wildlife. To learn more about the threat and impact of plastic pollution and to get tips to reduce your plastic consumption, download our Plastic Pollution Primer and Toolkit today!
1 - Microplastics in different forms are present in almost all water systems in the world, be they streams, rivers, lakes, or oceans. [1] There is more microplastic in the ocean than there are stars in the Milky Way.[2]
2 - By 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than there are fish (by weight).[3]
3 - The chances of disease on a coral reef are enhanced by 22-fold by plastics. In 2018, a huge survey of the 159 coral reefs across Asia-Pacific region showed that over 11.1 billion plastic particles are entangling the corals, and this number is estimated to increase dramatically by 40% by 2025. Plastic debris may also cause physical damage to the corals by exhausting the resources for the wound-healing process. Importantly, more than 7000 species of fishes, invertebrates, plants, sea turtles, birds, and marine mammals can be found in the coral reef ecosystem.[4]
4 - Animals are now colonizing the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, meaning that they are consuming the plastic waste and also living in previously uninhabited areas. All of these developments disrupt the natural marine ecosystem.[5]
5 - Many animals at the base of the food chain eat microplastics. These animals are then consumed by others than humans eat.[6]
The billions upon billions of items of plastic waste choking our oceans, lakes, and rivers and piling up on land is more than unsightly and harmful to plants and wildlife. Plastic Pollution is a very real and growing threat to human health. The following 10 facts shed light on how plastic is proving dangerous to human health. To learn more about the threat and impact of plastic pollution and get tips to reduce your plastic consumption, download our Plastic Pollution Primer and Toolkit today! FACT SHEET: Microplastics and Drinking Water Updated Facts + Metrics The billions upon billions of items of plastic waste choking our oceans, lakes, and rivers and piling up on land is more than unsightly and harmful to plants and wildlife. Plastic Pollution is a very real and growing threat to human health. The following 10 facts shed light on how plastic is proving dangerous to human health. To learn more about the threat and impact of plastic pollution and get tips to reduce your plastic consumption, download our Plastic Pollution Primer and Toolkit today!
1 - Each year, the average American ingests more than 70,000 microplastics in their drinking water supply. [1] These plastics originate from multiple sources, but are mostly linked to littering, stormwater runoff, and poor wastewater management in treatment facilities.
2 - The US passed the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015, which banned plastic microbeads in cosmetics and personal care products sold in the United States. [2] Critically, there are no regulatory limits on the levels of microplastics in bottled water.[3]
3 - The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution on Earth Day 2023, addressing microplastic interventions to proactively prevent fibers from entering drinking water sources. [4]
4 - A single fleece jacket sheds up to 250,000 microfibers during a single wash. In the transport from the washing machine into drinking water, “microfiber captures” are being developed by entrepreneurs to prevent fibers from clogging filters and jeopardizing urban water treatment infrastructure. [5] –
5 - Microfibers from synthetic fibers have been shown to make up the majority of human material found along the world’s shorelines, accounting for up to as much as 85%. [6]
6 - Microplastics can also come from car tires. Plastic dust is created by the friction between the wheels and the road and is blown into waterways and inhaled by humans. Car tires shed 20 grams of plastic dust every 100 kilometers. [7]
7 - Biologically-active slow sand filters, which are utilized in some water treatment plants for decontamination purposes, have shown a 99.9% efficiency in removing microplastics from drinking water. [8]
8 - According to a 2020 study conducted by PEW Trusts, annual flows of plastic into the ocean could be reduced by 80% by 2040 through the application of existing approaches to reduce our consumption of single-use plastics and the adoption of eco-friendly alternatives. [9]
The billions upon billions of items of plastic waste choking our oceans, lakes, and rivers and piling up on land is more than unsightly and harmful to plants and wildlife. Plastic Pollution is a very real and growing threat to human health. The following facts shed light on how plastic is proving dangerous to human health. To learn more about the threat and impact of plastic pollution and get tips to reduce your plastic consumption, download our Plastic Pollution Primer and Toolkit today!
1 - Bisphenol A also known as BPA,[1] used to make billions of plastic beverage containers, dinnerware, protective linings of food cans and toys, is considered an endocrine disruptor, meaning it can both decrease or increase endocrine activity in humans and cause adverse health effects.[2]
2 - BPA is able to be absorbed by fat tissue, and is associated with increased risk of breast cancer. [3] Additionally, the breast milk of most women in the developed world contains dozens of compounds including BPA that have been linked to negative health effects.[4]
3 - Some animal studies have indicated adverse effects of BPA on newborns and fetuses.[5]
4 -Importantly, the label BPA-free in a container of a bottle doesn’t mean a product is free from other harmful chemical compounds that are slightly different but have a different name.[6]
5 - Growing literature links many Phthalates,[7] which are a group of chemicals used to make plastics more flexible and harder to break, with a variety of adverse outcomes including weight gain and insulin resistance, decreased levels of sex hormones, and other consequences for the human reproductive system both for females and males.[8]
6 - When food is wrapped in plastic containing BPA, phthalates may leak into the food. Any migration is likely to be greater when in contact with fatty foods such as meats and cheeses than with other foods.[9]
7 -In general, it is not recommended to heat food in plastic containers with the codes 3 and 7. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service advises Americans not to reuse margarine tubs, take-out containers, whipped topping bowls, and other one-time use containers, which are more likely to melt and cause chemicals to leach into food.[10]
Forests worldwide support vast ecosystems, with many species completely reliant on them for their survival. Forests are also extremely important to humanity, providing health benefits, income, food, and more. Despite all the benefits forests provide, they have been disappearing at alarming rates for far too long.
Reforestation is an effective method to fight against climate change while also maintaining the many benefits forests provide. These ten facts highlight some of the social and environmental benefits forests provide, and statistics on deforestation and reforestation.
1 - Worldwide forest cover shrinks by an average of 4.7 million hectares per year (1)
2 - A tree must live for at least 10-20 years to have a meaningful effect on the environment (2)
3 - Forests are home to an estimated 80% of the world’s terrestrial species (3)
4 - Throughout 2015-2020, 10 million hectares of trees were removed from forests around the world each year. Only 5 million hectares of trees were planted each year throughout the same period (4)
5 - Forests are extremely important to humanity’s health and wellbeing. They provide tens of millions of jobs, are a vital part of the food chain, and over 28,000 species of forest plants are used in medicines (5)
6 - A study found that urban reforestation projects improved the mental health of office workers who could view green spaces from their office (6)
7 - Forests play a vital role in regulating water cycles and soil quality (7)
8 - Adding 10% more green cover in cities and towns could potentially reduce the surface temperature of the area by 2.2 °C (8)
9 - Plants found in forests release phytoncides, antimicrobial compounds. Studies have found that exposure to phytoncides can reduce stress, boost the immune system, and lower blood pressure as well as heart rate. (9)
10 - 2,000 years ago, 80% of Western Europe was covered by forests. Today, only 34% is covered by forests. (10)
The world is facing a mass extinction of species. All species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, arthropods (insects and arachnids), fish, crustaceans, corals and other cnidarians, and plants have declined, in many cases, severely. Human civilization has had a negative impact on most living things.
1 - We are currently living through a mass species extinction event, the largest known. The speed with which mass extinction has onset appears to be the result of human activity. Scientists estimate that we are losing 10,000 times more species per year than the normal rate.[1]
2 - A new study has suggested that insect populations have declined by 40% globally, and one third are endangered. This is very alarming; insects play a crucial role in pollinating plants, and serve as the base of a food chain that animals and humans depend on.[2]
3 - A recent report finds that animal populations worldwide have declined by 70% over the last 50 years, due to human consumption, urbanization, population growth, and trade increases.[3]
4 - Primates, our closest animal relatives, are under extraordinary threat. Two-thirds of primate species are vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered and 85 percent of our primate species are in severe population decline. Humans are largely to blame. While deforestation and hunting threaten specific wild primates, a rapidly changing climate threatens nearly 40 percent of all primate species.[4]
5 - Worldwide, more than 650,000 marine mammals are caught or seriously injured by fishing gear annually.[5]
6 - Entanglement in fishing gear, known as bycatch, kills an estimated 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises (cetaceans) globally each year.[6]
7 - 74% of grassland bird species are in decline.[7] 1 in 5 bird species in Europe are threatened by extinction.[8]
8 - At present, we stand to lose big cat species, in the next 10 to 15 years. Lions are down to perhaps 25,000 in the African wild, where 450,000 formerly inhabited the region. Leopards now number just 50,000, down from 750,000.[9] The cats have been poached for their body parts. Demand for teeth, bones, and claws of lions in particular in China and Southeast Asia has alarmingly surged.[10]
9 - Lizard populations are especially vulnerable to climate change. A recent study projects that if the current decline in lizard populations continues, 39% of all lizard population will be extinct and 20% of global species will be extinct by 2080.[11]
10 - The American Bison once numbered in the millions and roamed from Alaska to Mexico. They now occupy less than one percent of their original habitat. Their existing habitat is so small and tightly controlled that surviving bison have been compared to herded cattle.[12]
While the population of all species has declined over the last few decades, the dramatic drop in the population of bees has increasingly been of concern because of the important role they play as pollinators. Without bees, many of the world’s most important crops would fail and directly affect the food supply of humans and countless other species.
1 - There are 20,000 distinct bee species around the world, with 4,000 of them in the United States alone. From 2006-2015, approximately 25% fewer species were found. Under the best scenario, thousands of bee species have already become too rare.[1] Ultimately, a decline in bee diversity driven by either increasing rarity or irreversible extinction will affect the pollination of wild plants and crops and have broader ecological and economic consequences.[2]
2 - Many factors are influencing the decline of bees, including habitat fragmentation, increased use of neonicotinoid pesticides, colony collapse disorder, and climate change. [3]
3 - Bees exist in all types of climates around the world, from forests in Europe to deserts in Africa–even in the Arctic Circle.[4] Unlike honeybees and their hives,[5] wild bees in the U.S. live in many different places: under the ground, in holes, and in trees.[6]
4 -Some of the world’s bee species include carpenter bees and bumblebees in North America the mining bee and the mason bee in Europe, the Cape bee in Africa, and the Asian honeybee in Asia and Australia.
5 - Bees play a massive role in pollinating the plants that we eat. A single bee colony can pollinate 300 million flowers in a day. Approximately 75% of the world’s crops depend on pollinators. In North America, bees help with the production of at least 90 crops.
6 - Many species of animals depend on bees for their survival because their food source, including nuts, berries, seeds, and fruits, relies on insect pollination. Pollination not only makes food available for other organisms but also allows floral growth, which provides habitats for animals, including other insects and birds.[7]
7 - In 2017, the rusty-patched bumble bee was added to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service endangered species list,[8] after a population decline of 87% in recent years.[9] Previously, Federal authorities added to the list seven yellow-faced bee species, Hawaii’s only native bees, for protection under the Endangered Species Act, a first for any bees in the United States.[10]
8 - One third of the world’s food supply relies on bees.[11]
9 - The global crop production pollinated by bees is valued at $577 billion.[12] Pollinators contribute $20 billion to the U.S. agriculture industry.[13]
10 - California produces over 80% of the world’s almond harvest.[14] Spread over 1.17 million acres, California’s almond orchards typically require 1.6 million domesticated bee colonies to pollinate the flowering trees and produce the almonds.[15]
Global demand for meat is projected to rise 50% in the next 25 years putting a strain on our ecological systems. Shifting away from animal-based foods is a solution to the climate crisis we are facing.
1 -An estimated 1,800 gallons of water go into a single pound of beef. With that much water you could take 105 eight-minute showers a day!
2 - Food is the cause of 30% of all carbon emissions
3 - Beef produces the most greenhouse gas emissions, which include methane. A global average of 110lb (50kg) of greenhouse gases is released per 3.5oz of protein. (1)
4 - Beef requires 20 times more land and emits 20 times more GHG emissions per gram of edible protein than common plant proteins, such as beans. (2)
5 - Raising animals for food takes up half of all water used in the U.S. (3)
6 - Animal agriculture takes up land and is a leading cause of deforestation. In 2018, 30 million acres of tropical rainforest were lost. Which is equivalent of 43 football fields a minute!
7 - Plant-based meat uses 72%–99% less water than conventional meat (l-water/kg-meat).
8 - Methane, a greenhouse gas, has over 25 times the impact on our planet as carbon dioxide over a 100-year period. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the largest contributor of methane in the US is livestock and their waste.
9 - Plant-based meat requires no antibiotics at all. It also greatly reduces the risk of antifungal resistance, which can arise from the use of fungicides on crops, because plant-based meat requires much less crop production than conventional meat.
10 - Producing animal-based foods generates more greenhouse gas emissions than plant-based foods, which is why shifting toward a more plant-based or plant-forward diet is recognized as a solution for for curbing greenhouse gas emissions and addressing climate change.
11 - 1 gallon of cow’s milk requires 1950 gallons of water.
12 - One recent study by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization concluded that, on average, it takes about three pounds of grain to raise one pound of meat. (4)
13 - Livestock contributes nearly 2/3 of agriculture's greenhouse & 78% of its methane emissions.
14 -It takes more than 11 times as much fossil fuel to make one calorie from animal protein as it does to make one calorie from plant protein. (5)
Regenerative Agriculture has the power to change the world.
The rapid degradation of global soils led the United Nations to warn us that the world’s remaining topsoil would be gone in sixty years if we don’t act. That’s less than 60 harvests left before the earth can no longer feed the planet and support our ecosystems.
1 - Regenerative agriculture minimizes the physical, biological, and chemical disturbance of the soil.
2 - Increases plant diversity. Plant diversity helps build healthy soils to better trap water and nutrients. Regenerative farms may vary crop rotations, plant multiple species of cover crops together, grow diverse forage in pastures, and maintain permanent vegetation. A way to naturally defend against pests and diseases, while improving soil health and the ecosystem.
3 - In the US alone soil can draw down 250 million metric tons of carbon dioxide–equivalent greenhouse gasses every year. (1)
4 - Regenerative agriculture helps maximize water use efficiency and improve water quality, helping to protect and restore clean water in nearby water sources like streams, rivers, and lakes.
5 - Regenerative Agriculture captures substantial amounts of carbon from the air and store it in the soil, helping mitigate the effects of climate change.
7 - A shift to regenerative agricultural practices can restore grassland as one third of the earth’s surface is grassland and 70% of those grasslands have been degraded. By using holistic grazing practices, we can restore grasslands.
8 - Regenerative practices such as no till farming and cover cropping are reducing erosion and water pollution, and in turn, producing healthier soils.
9 -Regenerative Agriculture produces nutrient-dense foods that are free from chemical contaminants.
10 - In a white paper titled “Regenerative Organic Agriculture and Climate Change”, the Rodale Institute states that “we could sequester more than 100% of current annual CO2 emissions with a switch to widely available and inexpensive organic management practices, which we term 'regenerative organic agriculture.'” (2)
