People may not be aware of how much they eat, wear, buy and throw out in their lifetimes. This book brings in the numbers.

In your lifetime, you will drive 627,000 miles in a car, eat enough bread to equal your body weight every three years, take 28,433 showers, and eat 12,888 oranges. You will spend $52,972 on clothes, and you will likely own 12 cars.

Americans throw away 694 plastic bottles every second. Be a part of the solution: recycle plastic bottles, newspapers and aluminum cans.

People can also go clothes shopping at thrift stores, buy products in larger containers to minimize waste, and not waste food that will end up in landfills. They can buy energy-efficient light bulbs.

Human Footprint: Everything You Will Eat, Use, Wear, Buy, and Throw Out in Your Lifetime by Ellen Kirk, 2011

I am a naturalist. I enjoy many trail rides each year in Pelham Bay Park, and the litter we observe there is simply a detraction from nature's beauty. Preserving the Earth for ourselves and future generations is an attractive proposition.

• Earth-friendly books
• Sierra Club