To Save Water, Eat Less Beef and Chocolate

Fresh water availabilty has and will always be a source of concern for environmentalist and let's face it, every single living thing out there; without water there is no life as we know it. Oh sure, 71% of the Earth is covered with water but most of it is salt water which we cannot really use and I have yet to hear about an effective (inexpensive and large scale) way to transform salt water into fresh water, so we are stuck with what we have. Year after year we are presented with Water Conservation campaigns; we know the drill, take short showers, turn the faucet off when you brush your teeth, use low flow shower heads, faucets, and toilets, etc., but that is just household usage, what about the water that is used to answer all our needs?

Nation Geographic has built this brilliant web resource (for lack of a better word to call it) illustrating the amount of water necessary for the production of various goods. You can compare between meat and grain options, learn the impact of your chocolat indulgence, or just realize just how important water is. Click here to find out more.

I was astonished to find out that to produce one pound of beef, you needed 6810 liters of water (1799 gallons) and horrified to know that one pound of chocolate required 12000 liters (3170 gallons)! On average, americans  use 168L per day, does this estimate include my emergency chocolate bar? Since I don't eat beef, can I forgive my chocolate cravings? What a dilema.

If you are concerned about water usage and availability or are just curious by nature, you can find a free downloadable copy of the National Geographic's Special Issue on Water by clicking here. Check it out fast, it's only free until April 2nd.


Take care!