Resource Use – Average American vs Dancing Rabbit 2011
We are often asked how our resource use compares with that of the average American. Here are some figures to give you a sense of how we are doing. While this is a great step towards sustainability we feel we still have a long way to go.
| Average American | Average person at Dancing Rabbit | DR Percent of Avg American | |
| Vehicles Per Person1 |
.83
|
.06
|
7%
|
| Miles Driven Per Person2 |
9,548
|
894
|
9%
|
| Motor Fuel Use (gallons) Per Person3 |
379
|
26
|
7%
|
| Electricity (kwh per year)4 |
4,320
|
325
|
7.5%
|
| Propane/Gas – therms5 |
365
|
29
|
8%
|
| Water Per Capita Gallons per year6 |
49,134
|
4,454
|
9%
|
| Household Waste lbs/year/person7 |
1600
|
411
|
26%
|
| Square Feet of Housing Per Person8 |
750
|
230
|
31%
|
Figures for Dancing Rabbit based on calculations in 2011. Vehicle miles and fuel use do not include rental vehicles or vehicles borrowed from friends.
- 1 – Average American: https://cta.ornl.gov/data/tedb30/Edition30_Full_Doc.pdf. Dancing Rabbit: 3 vehicles shared by 52 people (does not include interns and visitors)
- 2 – Average American: https://cta.ornl.gov/data/tedb30/Edition30_Full_Doc.pdf. Dancing Rabbit: 46,511 miles drive by 52 people (does not include interns and visitors)
- 3 – Average American: https://cta.ornl.gov/data/tedb30/Edition30_Full_Doc.pdf (miles driven divided by average of 25.2 mpg). Dancing Rabbit: miles driven divided by estimated mpg of 30 (includes truck and passneger vehicles)
- 4 – Average American: https://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/esr/table5.xls and https://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html (2.6 persons per household) Dancing Rabbit: 15 kW of solar and wind – produces 19,503 kWh per year divided by 60 people (includes interns and visitors pro rated for time at DR). https://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/calculators/PVWATTS/version2/pvwattsv2.cgi
- 5 – Average American: https://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_assumptions.html (7915 cf * 12 month / 100 cf/therm /2.6 people per household) Dancing Rabbit: Based on measured cnsumption in Skyhouse divided by 6 people
- 6 – Average American: https://www.drinktap.org/consumerdnn/Home/WaterInformation/Conservation/WaterUseStatistics/tabid/85/Default.aspx (divided by 2.6 persons per household (see footnote 4)). Dancing Rabbit: 138,500 gallons used from county water system, plus 128,000 from roof catchment divided by 60 people (includes interns and visitors pro rated for time at DR)
- 7 – Average American: https://www.wisegeek.com/how-much-garbage-does-a-person-create-in-one-year.htm. Dancing Rabbit: 57 cubic ft dumpster * 52 weeks * 8.33 lbs/cubic-ft / 60 people (lbs/cubic ft source: https://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/swb/doc/Conversiontable.doc)
- 8 – Average American: https://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/h150-09.pdf Table 2-3. Dancing Rabbit’s average is similar to US in 1950: https://inexpensivehomebuilding.blogspot.com/2009/05/house-square-feet-per-person.html
Please let us know if you see any errors in our calculations or improper assumptions.