5 replies to this topic

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Some tidbits-
1 gallon of beer takes 689 gallons of water to produce.

1 pound of chocolate requires 3,170 gallons of water to produce.

Agriculture uses.......................
128 billion gallons per day.

http://www.seametric...r-conservation/

[Sandra Piddock]

So by drinking vodka, I'm actually saving the planet by conserving water? I'll tell my doctor that next time he tells me I'm drinking too much.  

Seriously, though - those are astounding facts. I can understand the agriculture one in a way - we're using the water to grow essential food supplies. However, although some people might dispute the fact, beer and chocolate are non-essential items. Now it turns out that not only are they bad for our bodies, they're bad for the planet as well.

[SpiroFlo]

Just shared this on my blog, too. Really important info.

[Guardian]

Wow, that's astounding. Had no idea the amount that goes into a pound of beef either. I can definitely understand the stat comparing us to the DRC. Americans waste water like it's cool. Car washes, watering the lawn, washing hands multiple times a day, showers daily, running water while brushing teeth, leaving water running while cooking. The list goes on. This is something that needs to be brought to the public's eye. I know it has, and most people don't care, but this needs to be publicized more. Especially the detriment caused by the consumption, maybe then people will begin to care.

[Shortpoet-GTD]

Sandra Piddock, on 10 February 2012 - 01:40 PM, said:

chocolate are non-essential items. Now it turns out that not only are they bad for our bodies, they're bad for the planet as well.

Bite your tongue!
Why do you think I put the "hysterical" smilie next to the chocolate line? (I love chocolate, but I didn't
know it used that much water.)
Ok, all kidding aside. Dark chocolate can be good for us, in moderation.

(This is off topic to the water issue-but this is a teaching/learning site, so bear with me here on these
text/links below.)
"Chocolate is made from plants, which means it contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables.
These benefits are from flavonoids, which act as antioxidants.
Antioxidants protect the body from aging caused by free radicals, which can cause damage that leads to heart disease.
Dark chocolate contains a large number of antioxidants (nearly 8 times the number found in strawberries).
Flavonoids also help relax blood pressure through the production of nitric oxide, and balance certain hormones in the body."
http://longevity.abo...p/chocolate.htm

Considering the water used and palm oil in most, palm oil free dark chocolate once a month will be better
for the planet. Once a week-better for us?
Beer/beef-no problem. They're history to me. But chocolate?

[jasserEnv]

The one good thing is that in many cases, the processing water can be reprocessed and the waste material turned into something of valuable for another process or industry. The only real barrier is typically stubborn business owners not willing to enhance their efficiences. I have heard that certain food processing waters are fed to cattle and pigs to avoid the material in the water being wasted and to get multiple uses out of the water. On some farms, they actually run the water through special filters to enable the water to be used for crop irrigation and fertilization. I know that some businesses in the electronics industry use water all the time but keep it in a very closed loop pulling out heavy metal and regular metals as they reprocess it.

The worst thing is when the water is transported long distances or when it is lost as in fraking where it is driven so deep in the ground it will take years to be available again.

The key is to ensure consumers of water aren't heavily subsidized in their usage so they can work to seek creative ways to consume less overall.