10 Fun Facts About the Environment

The Taiga, also known as the boreal forest, is the world's largest biome.

The Taiga houses 30% of the world's forest cover, 11% of the Earth's landmass and stretches from Scotland to Newfoundland, via Russia and Canada!

Did you know that rainforests aren't all tropical? 

The are several types of forests around world and temperate rainforestsare one of them. Some examples of where they can be found are the Pacific Northwest, Japan, New Zealand and Ireland

Recycling is a great way for individuals to help save the planet.

Recycling paper has a significant positive impact on the environment, equivalent to saving: 17 trees, 2 barrels of oil,  3.2 cubic yards of landfill, and 60 lbs of air pollution!

97% of the earth's water is actually salt water found in the oceans.

While about 3% of the earth's water is fresh, less than 1% of fresh water actually usable - 2.5% of the earth's supply of fresh water is unavailable to human beings (ie. too far under the surface, locked up in glaciers, highly polluted, etc.).

Fungi are earth's environmental managers! Without them, all life in the forest would be buried under layers of dead matter.

They not only decompose dead matter, but also break down rocks and even help to absorb oil spills and radiation.

Through the decomposition process, fungi release nutrients into the soil, which are needed for plants to grow and thrive.

Yes, we can source energy from the ocean!Ocean thermal energy is a new technology that produces energy by harnessing the different temperatures (thermal gradients) between the deep ocean and the ocean surface. 

Many countries have started to experiment with ocean thermal energy regulation as a source of renewable energy.

Beet juice can be used on roads instead of salt as a deicer: it freezes at -20ºC rather than -5ºC and is less harmful to the environment.

Salt-based deicers are not only harmful to vehicles and infrastructures, but excess salt from roadways can also flow into freshwater and disturb local ecosystems.

Beet juice on the other hand, is considered to be an eco-friendly winder road management solution! 

Recycling just one aluminum can saves enough energy to power a TV for 3 hours!

Aluminum is the most recyclable materials in the recycling bin, as well as one of the most recycled materials!

Aluminum can be recycled back to its original form and has a cost-effective recycling process, where it more than pays for its recycling costs and saves 90% more energy than sourcing new aluminum. 

Despite the fact that the Sahara and the Amazon Rainforest are miles apart, they share millions of tons of dust.

Dust carried from the wind of the Saharan Desert help to fertilize the Amazon Basin, which is the world's most biodiverse ecosystem!  

In reality, it's not actually the dust, but the nutrients that it carries, especially phosphorus - which is a key nutrient for plants to grow and survive.

The UN's Environment Agency (UNEP) has declared that the ozone layer, the planet's protective shield of gas, is on track to heal completely in our lifetime.

The recovery was made possible due to the phaseout of ozone-depleting substances, showing that if humans work together, we can really save the planet!