Since this week’s theme for the Energy2028 First Year Eco-Breaks is Sustainability Trivia, we are posting some cool nature and sustainability facts below! We think they are cool, and we hope you do too! 

  1. The term sustainability was coined in the 1987 Brundtland Report, which officially defined sustainable development for the first time. 
  2. The concept of a circular economy looks beyond societies’ current take-make-dispose model to create a more restorative economy which designs out waste, keeps products and materials in use for as long as possible, and regenerates natural systems. 
  3. Human-induced emissions of CO2 need to fall by 45% from its 2010 levels by 2030 to reach net-zero by 2050 and limit the climate change catastrophe. 
  4. Recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees. 
  5. The world’s indigenous population makes up only 5% of the global population, but protects upto 80% of its global biodiversity. 
  6. Landfills are composed of 35% packaging materials.
  7. A glass bottle made today will take more than 4,000 years to decompose. 
  8. Only 1% of China’s 560 million city residents breathe air that is considered safe by the European Union. 
  9. The human population has grown more in the last 50 years than it did in the previous 4 million years. 
  10. If the entire world lived like the average American, we would need 5 Earths to provide enough resources. 

We got these facts from: WebEcoist, The World Counts, and the Sustainability Management School of Switzerland. Know any other cool facts you’d like to share? Comment below! 

The top prize for the trivia winner is a 4Ocean Bracelet! 4Ocean is a purpose-driven business, founded in Bali, Indonesia, that hopes to help end the ocean plastic crisis. They are committed to the highest sustainability and accountability standards. 

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