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Asked by HarryPotter101 to Jonathan, Kellie, Kevin, Melissa, Stephanie on 28 Apr 2016.
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Jonathan Jackson answered on 28 Apr 2016:
I really don’t know the answer to this question! Mainly because “resources” can mean so many things: oil, solar energy, trees, gasoline, electricity. The US Energy Information Administration says it’s about 18% of what the whole world uses: https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=87&t=1
But while I’m not sure of how much American uses in one year, I know it’s a lot, and that we need to be better about getting energy resources from places that are cheaper and less harmful to the environment. Solar, wind, and water energy seem like great places to start (and maybe even mud, as the Soil Zone scientists can tell you about!).
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Kellie Jaremko answered on 28 Apr 2016:
One source talks about the amount of natural resources the US had been using around 2003 and said: The United States, with less than 5 % of the global population, uses about a quarter of the world’s fossil fuel resources—burning up nearly 25 % of the coal, 26 % of the oil, and 27 % of the world’s natural gas. Here is the site where that information was found: http://www.worldwatch.org/node/810 This was supported by a CNN report that we use about 25% of all natural resources each year. http://www.cnn.com/US/9910/12/population.cosumption/
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Stephanie Moon answered on 28 Apr 2016:
I like what Jonathan and Kellie have said already! It’s true, we should all try to be more aware of what we’re consuming and try to minimize the amount of waste we make.
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Kevin Baker answered on 28 Apr 2016:
If you want a nice estimate, think about how many resources you use a day (Food, water, electricity). Then think about how much you use in a year. Once you have this, you can multiply by the number of people in the United States. It really puts into perspective how much we use.
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Melissa Wilson Sayres answered on 30 Apr 2016:
Gosh, so much! The rest of the people here have given good responses.
I think about this routinely in my daily life. I try to always bring my reusable cups and bags if I’m going to the coffee shop or grocery store. It helps remind me of how much I would have wasted otherwise, and also encourages me to do better in other aspects of my life.
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