Release Date: 6/7/2019
Americans will need more than three million pounds of minerals in their lifetime
The Minerals Education Coalition (MEC) of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration Inc. (SME) has released the iconic “Mineral Baby” graphic for 2019 that reflects an increase of more than 2,000 pounds annual per capita usage when compared with the previous year’s statistics. MEC annually calculates the amount of minerals and energy fuels that are consumed in the average lifetime of an American born in the current year.
“This graphic and the message it conveys are used by a variety of audiences, from educators in K-12 classrooms, to data trend analysts, to legislative committees considering changes to policies that affect our mineral needs,” said SME Executive Director David L. Kanagy. “The value of this visual is that it reminds all of us of the important role that the production of minerals and energy have in our daily lives, our lifestyles and our high standard of living. Our cars, roads and homes all started with mined materials.”
The Mineral Baby graphic emphasizes the dependence that every American has on the mining industry. According to the 2019 U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries, Minerals remained fundamental to the U.S. economy, contributing to the real gross domestic product at several levels, including mining, processing and manufacturing finished products. Using information provided by USGS, the National Mining Association, the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the U.S. Census Bureau and other sources, MEC calculated the annual pounds of mined resources used per capita in 2018 as 40,633. With the average life expectancy of 78.6 years, the average American will need 3.19 million pounds of resources to provide the products and materials they will depend upon in their lifetime. To see the latest data, visit www.mineralseducationcoalition.org/mining-mineral-statistics.
The Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration Inc. (SME) is a professional society (nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation) whose more than 15,000 membership represents all professionals serving the minerals industry in more than 100 countries. SME members include engineers, geologists, metallurgists, educators, students and researchers. SME advances the worldwide mining and underground construction community through information exchange and professional development. SME's staff is located in Englewood, Colorado.
For more information contact Jackie Dorr, Communications Manager, at (303) 948-4244 or dorr@smenet.org.
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