We inaugurate today our new column “Did you know that? Curiosities from the Green World.” And we’re doing it-by freaking out!

Let’s start with 5 interesting facts: we will give you information that will enable you to be more aware of the impact of your actions on the Earth and suggest actions you can take to live a greener life every day.

Ouch! What a pain… I was left with microplastics on my stomach!

Some researchers reviewed more than 50 studies over the years on the topic of microplastics. And do you know what emerged? A comparison of all the data collected showed that we ingest an average of about 2,000 microplastic fragments per week, or 21 grams per month, or about 250 grams per year.

But how much does this water bottle weigh!!!?

A family of 4 drinks about 1314 liters of bottled water per year.

For these 1324 liters of bottled water, 268 kq of CO2 is emitted into the environment. If we add to this the amount of CO2 released by transportation to enable us to have our beautiful bottles on the table, the numbers become truly staggering: for every liter of gasoline consumed in transporting these bottles, the CO2 release is about 2.4 kilograms, in the case of LPG it is about 1.6 kq, if it is methane it is 2.7 kilograms, and finally in the case of diesel fuel we are at about 2.6 kilograms per liter.

So do you know how much CO2 we would save if all of Italy drank tap water? We would avoid the release of as much as 4 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. Remember this the next time you are in the supermarket, in front of that 6-pack of plastic water bottles…

The average use time of a plastic bag is only 12 minutes.

But it can remain in the environment for up to 20 years before fully decomposing.

Remember this the next time you have to go grocery shopping–and take your reusable bag with you!

Don’t go out without your water bottle!

Did you know that every time you use your water bottle (instead of buying a disposable plastic water bottle) you avoid the release of 0.27 kg of CO2 per liter into the atmosphere? Remember this every time you leave the house!

Did you know that applying a flow reducer to home faucets is a small gesture that helps the environment as well as the household budget?

The flow reducer, applied to faucets and sinks, makes it possible to halve the amount of water used, but without changing the flow. This is made possible by a spiral device (contained within the flow reducer) that imparts a circular motion to the water, thereby increasing its speed. Water is mixed with air and increases in volume through a system of nets and small holes.

Water savings are about 40 percent of consumption in showers and 20 percent of consumption for faucets. Minimal effort with remarkable results at a low cost.