Eric DesRoberts continues his monthly series of facts and tidbits he’s uncovered during his research to better understand products and packaging. You can also check out his past Fun Facts here.
1. Thirty- two million kids participate in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs. Though I haven’t had a chance to read through the 280-page document, the Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs are said to increase the availability of fruits, vegetables, and whole-grains. Expect to see more sauce stains.
2. The US installed enough turbines to generate roughly 6,810 MW of energy in 2011. Cumulative US wind capacity is just below 47,000 MW. One MW can power approximately 250 homes for a year. These pictures are from a recent Essentials of Sustainable Packaging course road trip that drove past a wind farm and a nearby storage location for turbine parts.
3. Making a 0.07 ounce microchip uses 66 pounds of material. Some of which are toxins, flame retardants, and chlorinated solvents.
4. Novo Nordisk, a company out of Denmark, was ranked the number 1 company on the Global 100 sustainability list. Life Technologies Corp was the highest ranking US company rounding out the top 15.
5. The Greeting Card Association estimates 150 million greeting cards were sold for Valentine’s Day in the US. I can’t remember too many greeting cards I’ve purchased or received. So much for those lasting impressions.