Source: Little Earth Book:

• If everyone adopted the Western lifestyle, we would need five Earths to support us.
• 60% of infections picked up in hospitals are now drug-resistant.
• Environmental disasters have already created 80 million refugees.
• In 1996 Britain exported 49 million kg of butter - and imported 47 million kg.
• In 50 years the US has - with intensive pesticide use - doubled the amount of crops lost to pests.

Source: BRISK:

• By turning down your thermostat by 1 degree centigrade, or using one hour less heating a day, you could cut your fuel bills by 10%.

Source: Climate Change Information Kit, United Nations Environment Program:

• If we only boiled the water we need in our kettles, in a day we could save enough energy to light virtually every street lamp in the UK.
• The production and use of energy is the leading source of humanity's greenhouse gas emissions.
• Carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels (oil, natural gas and coal) to generate electricity and run our automobiles, heat houses and power factories, is the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities.
• Extracting, processing, transporting and distributing fossil fuels also releases greenhouse gases.

Source: ACTIONenergy

• The energy consumed each year by UK commerce and industry releases about 60 million tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere.
• Through energy use the average home emits more harmful CO2 gas than the average car.
• The average household spends approximately £400 on energy bills during the winter (Oct-Mar) - about a third more than an energy efficient home.
• Domestic energy consumers spend approximately two-thirds of their total annual energy bill in the winter months.
• In the winter of 1998, UK households wasted around £2.4 billion in excess heating costs. Every household could have saved around £100 on heating bills.
• Up to 20% of heat lost from a home can be through windows. Double-glazing can reduce this loss by up to 50%.
• If every household changed just two of the four most regularly used bulbs for energy efficient ones (CFL's) the energy saved would be enough to power all the street lighting in the UK.

Source: Energy Saving Trust

• Cavity wall insulation reduces heat loss through walls by up to 60%, and can save up to 40% on heating bills.
• Installing loft insulation to a depth of at least 15cm (6 inches) can save around 20% of your heating costs.
• Adding heating controls to the central heating system could cut costs by up to 20%.

Source: DEFRA (formerly DETR)

• Lighting accounts for 20% of the average household electricity bill.
• Using just one energy saving light bulb could save you £5 a year, and if every household installed one, we could power the lighting currently used in 2 million homes for a year.
• If everyone boiled only the water they needed to make a cup of tea instead of 'filling' the kettle every time, we could save enough electricity to run practically all the street lighting in the country.
• In just over a week, we produce enough rubbish to fill Wembley stadium. Over half can be recycled.
• 90% of badly polluting vehicles can be re-tuned within 15 minutes.

Source: LGB Publications

• The volume of waste produced in the UK in one hour would fill the Albert Hall.
• In one day there would be enough waste to fill Trafalgar Square up to the top of Nelson's Column.
• In one year there would be enough waste to fill dustbins stretching from the Earth to the Moon.

Source: Steel Can Recycling Information Bureau

• Every year in the UK we use 13 billion steel cans which, placed end to end, would stretch to the moon - three times!
• Every year 13 billion steel cans are produced and up to a quarter of every new steel can is made from recycled steel. This is the equivalent of over 3 billions cans made from recycled material.
• Producing steel from recycled materials saves 75 per cent of the energy needed to make steel from virgin materials.

Source: UK Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation

• Recycling aluminium can bring energy savings of up to 95%, reduces import costs, and produces 95% less greenhouse gas emissions than when it is produced from raw materials.
• About 20,000 Tennessee of aluminium foil packaging (worth £8 million) is wasted each year. Only 3,000 Tennessee is recycled (worth £1.2 million)
• If all the aluminium cans sold in the UK were recycled, there would be 12 million fewer full dustbins each year.

Source: World Wildlife Fund

• Each tonne of paper recycled saves 15 average-sized trees, as well as their surrounding habitat and wildlife.

Source: British Glass

• Glass packaging makes up about 9% by weight of the average household dustbin but accounts for over 70% by weight of packaging recycled from the total household waste stream.
• Up to 90% of new glass can be made from reclaimed scrap glass, which saves energy and raw materials.

Source: National Environmental Technology Centre

• Based on government data, 761 road links (10% of major urban roads), will break pollution standards for nitrogen dioxide in 2005. Almost two-thirds of these are in London.
  

Source: National Travel Survey 1998/2000

• Car travel accounted for four fifths of the total distance travelled in 1998/2000. Overall, the distance travelled by car increased by 9% during the 1990s.
• We walked on average 186 miles per person per year, under 3% of the total distance travelled.
• Since 1989/91, the proportion of primary-aged children walking to school has declined from 62 to 56%, with an increase from 27 to 36% in the numbers being driven to school. Only 2% of secondary pupils cycled to school.
• 58% of car trips are under 5 miles and 25% are less than 2 miles.
• At the peak school travel time of 8.50 am, nearly 1 in 5 cars on urban roads are taking children to school.