Everything we consume, be it a hamburger, or a webpage,
places a certain amount of demand on the planet's natural resources.
Taken together, all these things make up your environmental impact,
sometimes expressed as your "eco-footprint".
Welcome to WatchMojo's Top 5 Facts.
In today's installment, we're counting down the 5 most fascinating facts that you probably didn't know about your impact on the environment.
These facts are just a small glimpse on a vast and complicated topic.
And we've deliberately avoided facts about recycling,
as that's a list for another day.
No 5: Greener, more efficient energy sources may only increase consumption
Okay, so this is more of a theory than a fact;
but it's really compelling, so we're including it.
Let's say you get a more energy-efficient car,
you naturally think: " Great! Now I can drive more! "
And so you end up driving more,
thereby reducing or even negating the energy savings.
Or maybe you say: " Great! I've saved so much money on gas. Now I can take a trip to Europe. "
And Pouf, all your savings are gone.
These are examples if what's called the 'rebound effect' or 'Jevons paradox'.
Counteracting the rebound effect is very difficult since exponential growth is essential to a capitalist economy.
As a reaction, an ideological movement called 'The Growth' has developed
based on the idea of deliberately shrinking the economy.
No 4: Your wardrobe has its own footprint
Bet you never gave much thoughts to what it takes to create your clothes!
According to Levi's, a single pair of jeans will use 3000 liters or 790 gallons of water in its life cycle.
Roughly half of that is Levi's growing and processing the cotton,
and half is you cleaning them over and over again.
Conventional cotton, by the way, is one of the most pesticide intensive crop on the planet.
Also, it's estimated that over a hundred thousand tons of textile dyes find their way
past water treatment facilities and into waterways and oceans every year.
Synthetic materials like nylon and polyester can release greenhouse gases and heavy metals into the atmosphere.
Choosing organically grown natural fibers is probably your best bet.
No 3: Your electric car may actually run on coal
You can charge up you Tesla and feel good that you aren't spewing nasty exhausts everywhere while you carpool to work,
but where is your electricity coming from?
Coal is still the US's major source of electricity,
while only 13% of the country's electricity comes from renewable resources.
The story in the UK is roughly the same.
But if you manage to find a provider of renewable energy or create your own,
then you're good to go.
No 2: Even your corpse pollutes
The Center for Disease Control in the US says we have about 219 toxic chemicals in our bodies just.. hanging out!
Then we die and they go back into the environment in one form or another.
If you're cremated, they'll go into the air.
In fact, it's been estimated that 16% of the mercury emissions in the UK come from cremated dental fillings.
If you're buried, you'll be slathered in makeup and pumped full of formaldehyde
which is also pretty toxic.
But artist Jae Rhim Lee is experimenting with the burial suit that is inoculated with spores and mushrooms
which would be able to eat your body and break down the toxins therein.
No 1: You can reduce your impact by 90% or more
Ecovillages are communities created with the goal of social, environmental, economic and cultural sustainability.
Dancing Rabbit is one such community in Missouri, USA.
They aim to live on 10% of the resources that the average American lives on.
Far from living a life of poverty though, they seem to be perfectly happy.
They build homes from locally sourced natural materials,
plant gardens instead of lawns, use solar energy, share vehicles and use compotes in toilets.
Moving out of the city and into a whole new social structure may not be for everybody,
but there are probably lessons that everybody can take from ecovillages like this.
So, what do you think?
What are you doing to reduce your environmental impact?
For more eco-friendly Top tens and wildly unsustainable Top fives,
be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com