Where the Facts Are Always Greener

Why not dazzle them at tonight’s many St. Patrick’s Day parties with these green-related facts:

* At least 300: The number of green paints (interior and exterior) manufactured by Sherwin-Williams Co.: at least 300. None of which is called, simply, “green.”

* 80 seconds: The length of time between green lights on Wilshire Boulevard at Veteran Avenue--the city’s busiest intersection--during the busiest time of day. (The light stays green for about 60 seconds.)

* 1,180: Number of drinking establishments in Dublin, Ireland, during the mid-1600s.

* 8.5 million: Number of green ink writing instruments sold by Bic Corp. in 1996, representing 925 gallons of green ink. (Top-selling color was black, except in the Northeast, where blue was preferred.)

* 25.4%: Percentage of green 1996 Ford Tauruses (the top-selling car in America last year). More specifically: Pacific Green, 13.1%; Willow Green, 12.3%. (Most popular color was Toreador Red, 14.9%; least popular, Rose Mist, 1.5%.)

* 353,166.01 gallons: Quantity of green ink used by the federal government to print currency (estimated fiscal 1997).

* 488: Number of Greens in the 1997 Greater L.A. Pacific Bell residential telephone book.

* No. 1: General Mills’ top-selling children’s cereal is Lucky Charms, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary. (Of 41 breakfast cereals, it is the company’s third best-selling behind Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios; it also is the third best-selling cereal overall on college campuses behind Cap’n Crunch and Froot Loops.)

* 23 million boxes: Sales of lime flavored Jell-O gelatin in 1996. Among 22 flavors, it is ranked fourth nationally behind strawberry, cherry and orange. While Salt Lake City is the nation’s leader in Jell-O consumption, L.A. is the No. 1 consumer of green Jell-O.