My new favorite sustainability blog -SusHI (Sustainability in Hawai’i) recently posted on 7th Generation’s Sustainability Index.   I’ve posted a partial index below and you can read the whole thing here.  The index narrows in on a few major areas -energy, pollution, recycling- and is far from a complete picture, but it does highlight some trends while making a pretty good case for greater investment in clean tech and associated green industries.  When I see stats like these, I am reminded (again) that beyond idealistic notions of doing the right thing, there is real social benefit and economic sense behind moving toward a more sustainable future.

• Percent increase in production of solar cells last year: 51
• Number of minutes of sunlight hitting Earth needed to meet global energy needs for a year: 1
• Size of the patch of desert needed to meet all U.S. energy using concentrated solar power: 92 x 92 miles
• Percent of global energy needs that could be met by wind power: 3,500
• Cost to build wind power generators to meet 20% of U.S. electricity needs: $1.2 trillion
• Amount of money spent on foreign oil in the U.S. every year: $700 billion
• Percent of U.S. household waste currently being recycled: 33
• Percent of U.S. household waste that could be recycled: 75
• Cost per ton of garbage collection in the U.S.: $70-$200
• Cost per ton of curbside recycling in the U.S.: $50-$150
• Number of jobs created per 10,000 tons of waste incinerated: 1
• Number of jobs created per 10,000 tons of waste landfilled: 6
• Number of jobs created per 10,000 tons of waste recycled: 36