Science march takes center stage on Earth Day

This weekend’s March for Science in Washington, D.C., and another 517 satellite locations across the globe, will be marked with teach-ins and rallies, and will be live-streamed as a virtual march as well. The march is intended to serve as “a call for politicians to implement science based policies, as well as a public celebration of science and the enormous public service it provides in our democracy, our economy, and our daily lives.”

This weekend also marks Earth Day, and the U.S. Census Bureau provided some facts pertaining to energy and the environment:

• There were 1,183 hydroelectric, wind, geothermal, biomass, solar and other electric power generation business establishments in 2014, employing 12,456 people.
• The wind electric power generation industry generated $5.1 billion in revenues in 2012, the highest among the industries using renewable energy resources. 
• The estimated number of occupied housing units across the country using solar energy in 2015 as their primary source of heat is 106,737, which is 0.1 percent of all homes. Nearly half (48.2 percent) are primarily heated by utility gas, and 93 percent of all newly-built single-family homes have air conditioning.
• American’s commute times continue to increase, with an average of 26.4 minutes spent getting to work in 2015, up from 26 minutes in 2014 and 25.8 in 2013.
• Less than 1 percent were riding a bike to work in 2015 (885,188 people or 0.6 percent), while more than 4.1 million people were walking to work (2.8 percent).