Research

300 lbs.

U.S. trees remove about 784,000 tons of pollution from the atmosphere annually, which provides $3.8 billion in value, according to the U.S. Forest Service. A single, large, healthy tree can remove more than 300 lbs. of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year.

250 years old

Nearly 15% or 3,000-5,000 New York Botanical Garden trees were injured during the snow storm that hit the East Coast in late October. Among those affected were 100-feet-tall maples and oaks, some of which were 200-250 years old. The combination of wet and heavy snow on full sets of leaves caused much of the damage.

57%

A recent Carbonite survey found that 57% of small-business owners don't have a disaster plan in place should their business data be wiped out. Odd that number is so large when 81% of those surveyed said data is their most valuable asset. Another number to toss on top of that, according to FEMA, between 40-60% of small businesses that suffer data losses in a disaster never reopen.

59%

In a survey of its owner-operators, U.S. Lawns found 59% of those surveyed report business has been better in 2011 than in 2010. And they expect the optimism to continue, 24% of the entrepreneurs anticipate increased demand by existing customers while 67% expect customers to maintain existing levels of services.

82%

During the past three years, 82% of small-business owners have taken one or two steps to reduce their companies' energy consumption, according to the National Small Business Association's 2011 Energy Survey. Here's the top three ways they're saving money: turning off lights and equipment when not in use, purchasing more energy-efficient equipment and changing the thermostat.