Other than perhaps the heat and the U.S. debt limit, I hear more about the scarcity of water than just about anything else. In our efforts to be green Saeed and I already do some things to limit our water use - eat a vegetarian diet, don't water the grass (because we don't have any!), turn the water off between lathering and rinsing in the shower, wash clothes only with a full machine, run the dishwasher only when full, reuse the cat dish water to water the houseplants, wash the car only when necessary and at a facility that recycles the water, etc.
So now in addition to calculating one's carbon footprint we can calculate our water footprint. I found the formula next to impossible to use (it was too complicated) but it's nice to know someone's working on this issue. I would love to save the starving people in Africa and the US farmers whose crops and animals are dead because those sorts of things haunt me, but I'll keep my focus on restricting our own water use since that's all we can do.
Here is part of a paragraph from waterfootprint.org. This organization has produced the most scientific and up-to-date data so it impresses me when they write:
"The projected increase in the production and consumption of animal products is likely to put further pressure on the globe’s freshwater resources. Per ton of product, animal products generally have a larger water footprint than crop products. The same is true when we look at the water footprint per calorie. The average water footprint per calorie for beef is twenty times larger than for cereals [cereals = grains] and starchy roots. When we look at the water requirements for protein, it has been found that the water footprint per gram of protein for milk, eggs and chicken meat is about 1.5 times larger than for pulses [pulses = beans & legumes]. For beef, the water footprint per gram of protein is 6 times larger than for pulses. From a freshwater resource perspective, it is more efficient to obtain calories, protein and fat through crop products than animal products."
I think one day eating a plant-based diet won't be optional.
1 comment:
It is ironic to read about water conservation when we are ending what has been the wettest July since weather records have been kept. The northern suburbs have gotten it the worst - 7 inches in one day - and our news is filled with photos of flooded basements and people driving down the streets in boats. What climate change seems to have caused is weather extremes. Texas is dry as a bone and we are floating away. No talk of water conservation around here...
Your Big Sis
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