Kisscafe

Statistics are everywhere. We use numbers to try to prove facts and drive home our arguments. They're used to shock us with what percentage of people die from smoking every year, how much pollution has increased in the past decade, or how much water each average person wastes each day.

But, when we read these statistics, how much sense do these numbers make? How much can we grasp? How much of the human element is lost?

Originally started as a project written by Donella Meadows and titled "the State of the Village Report", the Miniature Earth (by the Sustainability Institute) reduces the population of the entire Earth to just 100 people, but keeps the proportions the same. By doing this, it makes the world's demographics more easiliy understood and accessible.

By simply changing the proportions to numbers we can all grasp with greaer ease, the messages put forth by the Miniature Earth are striking and undeniable. Perhaps the point most driven home is the disporportionate distribution of wealth across the world.

According to the website, if you have an internet connection, you're one of the only three people in the Miniature Earth who do. On the other hand, 43 of the hundred people don't have access to basic sanitation. These are only 2 among the many statistics that truly make the "appreciate what you have" message nearly impossible to ignore.

As the Miniature Earth website states, "these are only statistics". No matter how big or small the numbers are, the meaning behind the numbers hasn't changed. But, for some of us, downsizing the statistics to manageable numbers makes the message clearer, more easily digestable, or at the very least, seen through a fresh perspective.

Watch the fascinating Miniature Earth here.

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