Water is the main ingredient in fracking fluid, comprising over 99 percent of the total with the remainder a mix of undisclosed, proprietary chemicals. How much water is required for a typical frack job?around 4500 gallonsaround 45 hundred gallonsaround 45 thousand gallonsaround 4.5 million gallonsThe answer is #4 -- around 4.5 million gallons. That's right, 4.5 million gallons are pumped into the ground and up to a million gallons of toxic water flow back up (or the amount of contaminated water equal to the annual water use of up to seven households)!
What percentage of the world's water footprint goes toward animal production?2%8%17%29%The answer is #4: About 29% of the world's water footprint goes toward animal production.
In dollars, how much damage to economies, ecosystems and human health does one ton of carbon dioxide pollution cause?$5$10$20$40The answer is #3: $20 worth of damage
How much water does a leaky shower waste if you don’t fix it for a year?100 gallons500 gallons750 gallons900 gallonsThe answer is #2: 500 gallons, or enough to wash dishes for two months.
What percentage of U.S. electricity consumption goes toward moving, treating and heating water?1%5%9%13%The answer is #4: 13% or 520 million Megawatt hours
How many gallons of freshwater do power plants in the U.S. withdraw each day?250 million13 billion143 billion11 trillionThe answer is #3: 143 billion gallons per day
How many gallons of freshwater does it take to create a single gallon of ethanol?1101001000The answer is #3: About 100 gallons
What percent of the U.S. energy budget goes towards the food system?10152025The answer is #1: About 10 percent
What percentage of freshwater withdrawals does crop irrigation account for?3%14%21%31%The answer is #4: 31 percent
Who uses more water on their lawn? The person who:Has an automatic timerUses a hoseHas a xeriscaped lawnHas no lawnThe answer is #1: The person who uses an automatic timer (47 percent more than using a hose!)
Where do Americans, on average, directly use more water?At WorkIn the HouseOn VacationOutdoorsThe answer is #4: Outdoors (101 gallons per day, versus 69 gallons per day indoors)
When does a household directly use the most water indoors?The morningThe afternoonThe eveningAt nightThe answer is #1: The morning (5am-11am)
In terms of power use, how much more energy does the earth receive from the sun per day than is needed by humans?10 times200 times800 times1500 timesThe answer is #4: 1500 times as much energy than humans use
How much oil does the US consume each day?10 million gallons200 million gallons800 million gallons1 billion gallonsThe answer is #3: About 800 million gallons
Where does the majority of oil the US imports come from?CanadaMexicoSaudi ArabiaIraqThe answer is #1: Canada. Main oil imports are from Canada (24%), Mexico (9%), Saudi Arabia (12%), Nigeria (11%) and Venezuela (10%)
As a percent consumed, how much oil does the US import?25%45%65%95%The answer is #2: 45%, the US imports less than half of oil consumed
What is the top fuel in US’s energy mix for electricity generation?CoalNatural GasUraniumOilThe answer is #1: Coal. The US's energy mix: Coal 45%, Natural Gas 24%, Nuclear 20%, Hydropower 6%, Other Renewable 4%, Petroleum 1%
What is the main factor in determining the price of a gallon of gasoline?Cost of Crude OilRefining Costs and ProfitsDistribution, Marketing, and Retail Costs and ProfitsTaxesThe answer is #1: Cost of Crude Oil. The breakdown: Cost of Crude Oil 76%; Refining Costs and Profits 6%; Distribution, Marketing, and Retail Costs and Profits 6%; Taxes 12%
With 5% of the earth’s population, what percentage of the world’s energy does the United States use?5%10%20%50%The answer is #2: The U.S. consumes 20% of the world's total energy
How much, on average, does local permitting and inspection add to the coast of a residential solar installation?$117$478$1583$2516The answer is #4, $2,516 per installation
In which way do Americans directly use the most water when they're indoors?ToiletSinkShowerDishwasherThe answer is #1: Toilets, at 18.5 gallons per day
How much hotter, in degrees Fahrenheit, does water used for cooling a nuclear or coal power plant become by the time it’s returned back to a river, lake or estuary?5172231The answer is #2: 17 degrees Fahrenheit
Which is a benefit of participating in the Meatless Monday movement?Saving moneyReducing risk of diseaseReducing environmental impactAll of the aboveThe answer is #4: All of the above!
How far on average does conventional food travel before it reaches your plate?0 to 500 miles500 to 1,500 miles1,500 to 3,000 miles3,000 to 6,500 milesThe answer is #3: Food typically travels 1,500 to 3,000 miles, half way to all the way across the US, before it is consumed, which usually calls for higher material and energy expenditures due to additional packaging, shipping and refrigeration requirements.
What percent of Americans are overweight?10%30%50%60%The answer is #4: 60% of Americans are classified as overweight. In 2009-2010, 35% of US adults were considered obese, highlighting an epidemic accompanied by chronic diseases, such as Type II diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. These trends have been linked to the so-called "western" diet, full of high fat, processed meats, carbohydrate- and salt-laden junk food and sodas sweetened with high fructose corn syrup.
What percent of antibiotics sold in the US are administered to farm animals?20%50%80%100%The answer is #3: Approximately 80% of all antibiotics sold in the US are administered to farm animals to promote growth and compensate for the crowded, stressful, unsanitary conditions on factory farms. Many of these antibiotics are the same treatments used to fight bacterial infections in humans, which means the "super bugs" that survive factory farm conditions pose direct threats to human health.
What substance is frequently administered to chickens to enhance growth and control parasites?Peanut oilArsenicHormonesCrushed shellsThe answer is #2: Arsenic compounds are added to chicken feed to enhance growth and control parasites. Most of that arsenic is excreted in chicken manure frequently used as fertilizer on fields, raising risk of exposure to this listed carcinogen. As for peanut oil, hormones and crushed shells: peanut oil is not a common ingredient in chicken feed; crushed shells are sometimes fed to chickens as a source of calcium; and it is illegal to administer hormones to chickens in the United States.
Which effect is NOT a consequence of heavy chemical fertilizer application?Nitrogen deficiency in soilAquatic dead zonesReduced nutrient accessibility to plantsSoil compaction and erosionThe answer is #1: Nitrogen deficiency is not a consequence of fertilizer application. On the contrary, commercial fertilizers lead to dangerously high concentrations of nitrogen and other nutrients in the surrounding environment, polluting waterways and causing eutrophication, or nutrient overload, which leads to toxic waterways and dead zones. At the same time, the use of fertilizers can increase the salinity of the soil, making any available nutrients inaccessible to plants, therefore requiring an application of even more fertilizer to grow crops. Finally, soil compaction and erosion are caused by a reduction in organic and other binding materials in the soil due to fertilizer-induced acidity in soil.
One dairy farm with 2,500 cows produces around the same amount of waste as a city with what size population?1,000 residents23,500 residents411,000 residents1,500,000 residentsThe answer is #3: A city with a population of 411,000 people and a dairy with 2,500 cows produce around the same amount of waste. That's where similarities end, however. While cities treat waste to prevent the spread of disease and maintain sanitation, factory farms store manure in giant, toxic lagoons until it is either shipped to a new location to be used as fertilizer or applied to nearby land.
The food system can be attributed with what percent of the total global warming effect?19%33%47%62%The answer is #2: 33% of the global warming effect can be attributed to the food system due to greenhouse gas emission from food production, deforestation, shipping, waste treatment and more.
Pollution containing toxic heavy metals, like mercury and cadmium, enters water supplies as run-off. Which type of fish is most likely to contain such contaminants?CatfishSharkSalmonSardineThe answer is #2: Shark and other large, slow-growing fish, like swordfish and bluefin tuna tend to have higher levels of mercury and other contaminants in their systems, while smaller fish with shorter life spans do not typically accumulate such dangerous levels of heavy metal.
How much of the world's arable land has been lost over the last 40 years?1%16%33%59%The answer is #3: Nearly 33%, or one third, of the world's arable (farmable) land has been lost in the last 40 years due to events such as desertification, pollution, poor irrigation practices, salinization, and erosion.
Health care costs associated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria increase by how much each year?$4 million$40 million$400 million$4 billionThe answer is #4: Health care costs associated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria rise by an estimated $4 billion dollars each year. This estimate reflects pharmaceutical costs and longer hospital stays, but not lost workdays, lost productivity or human suffering.
What percentage of cotton grown in the US is genetically modified?39%55%72%94%The answer is #4: 94% of all cotton produced in the US is genetically modified (GE). Additional GMO crops are currently on the US market, including soybeans, corn, papaya, and canola, while others are in the development process.
Producing 2.2 pounds of beef takes enough energy to light a 100 watt bulb for how long?24 hours1 week20 days3 monthsThe answer is #3: The same amount of energy required to produce 2.2 pounds of beef can light a room with a 100 watt bulb for 20 days straight.
What percent of swine confinement workers suffer from chronic bronchitis?7%15%36%58%The answer is #4: 58% of workers suffer from chronic bronchitis. A study conducted by Iowa State University found that nearly 70% of all swine confinement workers suffer from some form of respiratory illness or irritation, including chronic bronchitis and toxic organic dust syndrome (TODS).
Between 1996 and 2003, pesticide use increased by how much due to higher herbicide resistance in weeds?900,000 pounds2 million pounds70 million pounds1 billion poundsThe answer is #3: Pesticide use increased by 70 million pounds over a 7 year period, 1996 to 2003, to compensate for greater herbicide resistance in weeds brought on by the cultivation of herbicide tolerant, genetically engineered crops, which promote the overuse of herbicide chemicals.
In 1950, the average dairy cow produced almost 602 gallons of milk a year. How many gallons does the average cow produce today?7951,1361,7042,272The answer is #4: Today, the average dairy cow produces around 2,272 of milk a year, while the average cow in 1950 produced approximately 602 gallons a year. This dramatic rise in production is associated with the use of growth hormones like rGBH, which leads to mastitis, a painful bacterial infection of the udder causing inflammation, swelling, and pus and blood secretions into milk, as well as higher levels of IGF-1 in milk, which has been linked to cancer in humans.