Few people consider the sheer volume of freshwater that goes into the food they consume. The water isn’t just what’s on the surface. It includes the virtual water that seeps into production and distribution of the food products that line grocery stores. This lack of awareness is changing as findings emerge from a newly funded National Science Foundation study, leading some to wonder just how much water is being used to supply the food they consume and what the environmental consequences of those actions are.  Wheat, for example, accounts for 12 percent of global water consumption for crop production. On average it can take as much as 170 gallons of water to produce one pound of wheat. In one loaf of wheat bread each slice accounts for 10 gallons of water. As disturbing as these numbers may seem, wheat is one of the more benign agricultural commodities. One pound of sorghum constitutes as much as 365 gallons of water, and industrial beef production weighs in at a massive 2,000 gallons of water per pound of beef. Read more…

All hands on deck. The greywater install team. Photo: Simran Sethi.

A consensus is emerging that water conservation is about to become one of the preeminent issues facing humanity. A recent survey suggests that 36 states anticipate water shortages as early as 2013. Parts of Africa are already experiencing deadly tribal conflicts over water rights as climate change alters access, and these conflicts are sure to spread and increase in intensity as population demand grows and pollution pressures increase.

As these obstacles play out close to home and across the globe, many in first world countries (Americans being among the worst) blindly waste precious resources. Of the world’s total water supply, 2.5 percent is fresh, but less than 1 percent is readily accessible for human consumption. The average American uses nearly 152 gallons of this water per day—60 percent of which is used for outdoor applications. To put this into perspective, this consumption rate is more than double that of the average European (who only uses 66 gallons per day) and more than 30 times higher than the five gallons per day used by the 1.1 billion people who lack sufficient water resources. Upon learning of these alarming statistics, you might ask yourself, what can be done to curb this disparaging trend of excessive water consumption? Read more…