Help public radio crunch the sustainability numbers

From the inbox, an email from Marketplace (I'm thinking "Marketplace! My fav" ... what's the yield on the 10 year T-note?):

Every day we report on the financial markets, but we'd also like to do the same thing with sustainability -- by looking at the numbers.   We're interested in hearing how people would quantify the connection between sustainability, the economy and consumerism.

Here are a couple of examples we've dug up so far: the Happy Planet Index reports that people in Vanuatu are the most happy.... the number of apple species in the U.S. has dropped by 97% since the late 1800s... the growing acreage dedicated to shopping malls and landfills.  You can be creative or serious.  We want to hear all your ideas.

We've set up an online form where you can share your thoughts: http://americanpublicmedia.org/pin/sustainabilitynumbers_query/

Here is my suggestion:

Gasoline prices - When gasoline prices are high, households will begin to think about how to reduce their driving. Two big decisions, living closer to work and buying smaller cars, would go a long way towards making the U.S. economy more sustainable.

And, I ain't kidding around. That's the best number I can think of.

Comments

[odograph]

I agree.

The various "intensity" numbers, "footprint" numbers, and "per-capita" things are all good too ... but they only get recalculated every few years.