Sam Ziemba: Outside Reading 3 (3/8/23)

    https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/jan/10/how-much-water-food-production-waste 

    The textbook reading and talks in class about water consumption and the water crisis prompted me to dive deeper into the topic. This article discusses water usage and how much water is required to make particular food items. As kids, we were always taught the basics of water conservation: report a leaky faucet, take shorter showers, and turn off the water while brushing your teeth. While these are still good actions to take, much of our water conservation can be done through our diet. We discussed the impact of agriculture on water consumption, but little on animal agriculture and cattle farming. Meat production requires significantly more water than any produce. "To produce 1kg of meat requires between 5,000 and 20,000 liters of water whereas to produce 1kg of wheat requires between 500 and 4,000 liters of water." While water usage in agriculture is still a concern, emphasis should be placed on the excessive water usage meat requires. Following a vegetarian diet can reduce one's water footprint by 55%. Chocolate is another food contributing to high water consumption. One kg of chocolate requires 17,196 liters of water to produce. This is a very high amount that I was surprised to see from something as seemingly-innocent as chocolate. Water is a prized resource and should be treated as such. I believe every individual should take responsibility for lowering their water consumption. Recognizing the problems in our lifestyle and diets is the first step to making a change, so this article is very beneficial to allow me to see where I can make improvements in my diet.