1965 to 2005:

* US per capita GDP, up 126%.

*US per capita consumption of 32 most-consumed minerals, down 40%

* US total gross consumption of 32 most-consumed minerals, down 9% -- that's a 9% decline in absolute terms even as GDP rose 244% and the population increased by 53%.

Full details about all this and more (including how the amount of trash NYC produces per capita has declined by more than 50% since 1940)...