Eco-illiteracy

Even well-educated Americans who think they've got a grip on environmental threats have "very little real understanding" of the challenges ahead, according to the report "Environmental Literacy in America," issued in September 2005 by the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation.

For example, 120 million Americans think plastic-coated disposable diapers are the biggest problem facing landfills when in fact they're about 1 percent of the problem. Paper products--trash from offices, for example--are America's No. 1 landfill material. Why does accurate information matter? Because people who know the facts about the environment, the same research shows, are 10 percent more likely to save energy in the home, 31 percent more likely to conserve water and 50 percent more likely to recycle.

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