On Tuesday USA will hit 300 million people number

And this is causing unrest among environmentalists.

People in the United States are consuming more than ever - more food, more energy, more natural resources. Open spaces are shrinking and traffic in many areas is dreadful.



But some experts argue that population growth only partly explains America's growing consumption. Just as important, they say, is where people live, what they drive and how far they travel to work.



"The pattern of population growth is really the most crucial thing," said Michael Replogle, transportation director for Environmental Defense, a New York-based advocacy group.




USA night lights

That has not been the American way. Instead, the country has fed its appetite for big houses, big yards, cul-de-sacs and strip malls. In a word: sprawl.