green infographics

Up until the mid-1980s, the United States was the lead global producer of rare earth elements — materials that are used to make the technology that powers everything from laptops to hybrid cars — and have come to define our high-tech lives. Now, America is 100 percent dependent on imports of these elements and China is the primary world supplier. How does China's domination impact the future global supply of rare earth elements?

Just how far down do oil wells actually go? We will show you...

The market’s perverse water pricing creates opportunities for businesses that look beyond the market and consider the true cost of H20.

The environmental and social costs of global business water use add up to around $1.9 trillion per year, according to new research.

Some of these external water costs already are being internalized and hitting bottom lines: Just last year, the worst drought in the United States in 50 years sent commodity prices skyrocketing. Companies, especially those in the food, beverage and apparel sectors whose margins and supply chains are tightly linked to agricultural commodities, can use the true cost of water to get ahead of the trend of external costs increasingly being internalized through regulations, pricing or shortages...

At the vehicletakeback.co.uk they will collect and recycle your scrap cars in accordance with the end of vehicle life directive.

Find more details at the infographic...

World Water Day is one day a year when a lot of people start paying attention to water issues, and that's not a bad thing, but we really need sustained focus on this particular global resource.

It will be one of the biggest drivers in geopolitics in our lifetime, no doubt about it. China is redirecting mighty rivers to satisfy its need, and closer to home, the fight over the contents of the Colorado River isn't going away anytime soon.

Check out this simple infographic that illustrates just how much we could collectively conserve if we just cut back 5 percent in our use...

Following on from watching the fantastic BBC Frozen planet series, I was very excited to work on a personal project to show the effort and the commitment the crew went too.

Here is an illustration to compliment the facts... 

To help promote the International Year of Water Cooperation, which is launched this week, this diagram explores the main challenges faced by water cooperation today...

Construction accounts for 24 percent of all solid waste produced in the U.S. That’s approximately 160 million tons of construction and demolition debris created every year.

Reducing construction waste can have a tremendous impact on landfill costs, not to mention the obvious benefit to our environment. One solution for greener building is modular construction. Modular is inherently more resource efficient, and can dramatically reduce C&D waste.

This infographic shares some staggering construction waste figures and the waste and money savings that can result from modular building...

Will the steering wheel, brakes and gas pedal be replaced with sensors and software?

Cars that talk to each other are being tested in Ann Arbor, Mich., in the largest vehicle-to-vehicle pilot in the nation, and testing of self-driving cars has been approved in both California and Nevada. In fact, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) predicts that in 2040, 75 percent of cars on the road will be self-driving.

A recent press release on Top 10 Future Car Technologiesfrom Total Car Score mirrors much of the information from the following infographic from InsuranceQuotes.com, which shows what other features cars in the future might have. Think super fuel efficiency, media on demand, voice control and zero maintenance...

Finally… After almost 50 years of dependence on foreign sources to meet our growing energy needs, our country is finally in a position to begin reversing the trend. Through advances in drilling technology, discoveries of new oil and natural gas reserves and swift progress in the renewables sector, the United States is setting a course for energy self-sufficiency.

The complex story of energy in America and making it relevant to an increasingly distracted public remains one of our biggest challenges as energy industry communicators. In the information economy, there’s a lot of loose change. Content that lacks context. A rapidly growing punditocracy. An immense amount of noise.

Someone has to break through.

In the spirit of this endeavor, we created the United States of Energy map, the first data visualization piece of its kind to comprehensively detail our nation’s vast and diverse energy portfolio...

Composting is the combining and managing of specific waste materials so that they decompose. Once the materials are mixed together, microbes in the soil will start to breakdown the waste and turn it into the nutrient rich material that helps plants grow.

By composting, you are not only creating something that helps keep plants healthy, but you are keeping compostable waste products like food scraps and yard waste out of landfills.

This infographic reviews the dos and dont’s of composting, where and how to compost, what to compost and what not to compost. You can also download a PDF of the poster.

'We created an interactive data visualisation about plastic pollution in the world’s oceans based on a study that our scientist and oceanographer Laurent Lebreton published in 2012. It is based on the results of a numerical model of floating marine debris and serves to identify the 5 plastic gyres as well as other accumulation zones. Furthermore it provides an insight to relative contributors by regions and allows for comparison by region and accumulation zone.'

Inspired by a recent Wall Street Journal article, Sustainable America has created the following infographic to show how food is wasted and lost around the world, and what can be done about it.

Food waste and food security are serious problems, but there are current solutions and ways you can help. Read on to learn more, and stay tuned for our next blog post, which will delve deeper into some of the points made by Lappe and Nierenberg in the Wall Street Journal piece.

The renewable energy revolution is under way. Renewable power generation now accounts for around 50% of all new power generation capacity installed worldwide.

The combination of rapid deployment and high learning rates for technology “has produced a virtuous circle that is leading to significant cost declines and is helping fuel a renewable revolution,” according to a new global study of renewable power generation costs in 2012 produced by IRENA, the International Renewable Energy Agency, which announced it isestablishing its global headquarters in the United Arab Emirates during last week’s Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.

Additions to global wind power generation capacity totalled 41 gigawatts (GW) in 2011, according to IRENA’s “Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2012: An Overview.” That’s in addition to 30 GW of new solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation capacity, 25 GW of hydro power, 6 GW of biomass, 0.5 GW of concentrated solar power (CSP), and 0.1 GW of new geothermal power capacity.

Wood, plastic, paper, rock, and metal are commonly thrown away after a construction project. If they were recycled, though, they could make mulch, fuel, furniture, toilet paper, newspapers, and even roofs.

Check out this infographic from a waste management company in New Jersey to learn more...