Sustainability & Recycling Quiz

1. Do items such as cell phone chargers, fans, coffeemakers, desktop printers, radios, etc. consume energy even when they are turned off?

Yes

No

No idea

Option 4

Answer: A - Yes: Items such as these use energy even when turned “off.” This energy is referred to as “Phantom Energy” and can amount to up to 5% of a building or home’s energy use! Unplug appliances when not in use or try plugging a couple of your devices into a surge protector that can be clicked on and off to make things easier.

Explanation

Answer: A - Yes: Items such as these use energy even when turned “off.” This energy is referred to as “Phantom Energy” and can amount to up to 5% of a building or home’s energy use! Unplug appliances when not in use or try plugging a couple of your devices into a surge protector that can be clicked on and off to make things easier.

2. Compact Florescent Lighting -CFLs- use ______ of the energy needed for incandescent bulbs.

25%

50%

75%

100%

Answer: A - CFLs use only one-fourth the energy and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent lighting!

Explanation

Answer: A - CFLs use only one-fourth the energy and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent lighting!

3. On average, how many aluminum soda cans are used in the United States each year?

90 million

80 billion

120 million

3 billion

Answer: B - We use over 80,000,000,000 aluminum soda cans every year, which are recyclable, can be made into a variety of aluminum products. There is no limit to the amount of times aluminum can be recycled.

Explanation

Answer: B - We use over 80,000,000,000 aluminum soda cans every year, which are recyclable, can be made into a variety of aluminum products. There is no limit to the amount of times aluminum can be recycled.

4. Recycling plastic saves ______ times as much energy as burning it in an incinerator.

2 times

0.5 times

3 times

None, it takes more energy to recycle

Answer: A – Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in an incinerator. Americans use 25 million plastic bottles every hour! Most of them are thrown away!

Explanation

Answer: A – Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in an incinerator. Americans use 25 million plastic bottles every hour! Most of them are thrown away!

5. What percentage of monetary purchasing goes to packaging materials?

$1 for every $10 spent

$1 for every $50 spent

$1 for every $100 spent

$1 for every $1,000 spent

Answer: A - One out of every $10 spent at stores is for packaging. Packaging accounts for 1/3 of our waste by weight or ½ or waste by volume.

Explanation

Answer: A - One out of every $10 spent at stores is for packaging. Packaging accounts for 1/3 of our waste by weight or ½ or waste by volume.

6. A typical glass bottle would take _____ years or more to decompose.

20 years

150 years

4,000 years

It will never break down

Answer: C – It will take the typical glass bottle 4000 years or more to decompose, even longer if it’s in a landfill!

Explanation

Answer: C – It will take the typical glass bottle 4000 years or more to decompose, even longer if it’s in a landfill!

7. The US Department of Energy (DOE) recommends turning off the monitor and placing the computer on sleep mode if you are not going to use it for more than _______.

2 hours

6 hours

45 minutes

20 minutes

Answer: D - It is estimated that $2.8 billion in 2008 went to energy costs to power unused computers in the workplace alone. The amount of energy used for this is estimated to release over 20 million tons of CO2 emissions...the equivalent of the emissions from approximately
4 million cars!
***Lose the screen saver- they use just as much energy as when the computer is in use!

Explanation

Answer: D - It is estimated that $2.8 billion in 2008 went to energy costs to power unused computers in the workplace alone. The amount of energy used for this is estimated to release over 20 million tons of CO2 emissions...the equivalent of the emissions from approximately
4 million cars!
***Lose the screen saver- they use just as much energy as when the computer is in use!

8. How much energy does recycling just one aluminum can save?

Enough to power a microwave for 30 minutes

Enough to power the average American home for 4 days

Enough to power a computer for 15 minutes

Enough to power a TV for 3 hours

Answer: D - Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours, this is the equivalent of a half a gallon of gasoline.

Explanation

Answer: D - Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours, this is the equivalent of a half a gallon of gasoline.

9. How many gallons of motor gasoline does the average American consume in one year?

150 gallons

500 gallons

310 gallons

750 gallons

Answer: B – The average American consumes approximately 500 gallons of gasoline per year, whereas the average Canadian consumes approximately 310 gallons per year. Assuming burning one gallon of gasoline produces 20 pounds of CO2, the average American emits almost 2 tons more CO2 related to gasoline consumption than the average Canadian. Carpooling & taking alternate means of transportation can help cut down on gasoline consumption!

Explanation

Answer: B – The average American consumes approximately 500 gallons of gasoline per year, whereas the average Canadian consumes approximately 310 gallons per year. Assuming burning one gallon of gasoline produces 20 pounds of CO2, the average American emits almost 2 tons more CO2 related to gasoline consumption than the average Canadian. Carpooling & taking alternate means of transportation can help cut down on gasoline consumption!

10. How much does the average American consume in paper, wood, and other products made from trees each year?

1 tree

5 trees

7 trees

15 trees

Answer: C - The average American uses seven trees a year in paper, wood, and other products made from trees. Throughout the United States this amounts to about 2 billion trees per year!

Explanation

Answer: C - The average American uses seven trees a year in paper, wood, and other products made from trees. Throughout the United States this amounts to about 2 billion trees per year!