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Green Gardening: By The Numbers
- 1500 lbs: the amount of garbage the average person throws out each year, according to Mark Harris, the author of Embracing the Earth (Noble Press, 1990). Expect to haul only 375 pounds of trash to the curb annually if you compost.
- 400 percent: the percentage of total vegetables consumed, that were produced in ‘victory gardens’ planted in homes, schools, and farms during World War II.
- 19lbs/person: the amount of tomatoes consumed per person in the US each year - not counting the tomatoes used to whip up sauce and ketchup. In fact, the United States is second only to Italy in its consumption of tomatoes per capita.
- One third: of all garden plants sold in the United States are tomatoes, according to the Seed Savers Exchange.
- 40 million: acres of lawn exist in the United States, and are the single most irrigated crop, according to NASA. Don't forget to weigh in the fact that it takes 238 gallons of fresh, usually drinking-quality water per person, per day, to keep our lawns pert and verdant.
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