Here is some food for thought:
The drought hits. We are advised to save
water by obeying the standard water-saving tips: reduce lawn watering,
install low-flow showerheads, take shorter showers, turn the faucet off while
brushing teeth or shaving, etc.
But the one thing a person can do that is far more water-saving than all other methods combined -- going vegan (eating a plant-based diet) -- is seldom if ever mentioned by the media as a way to save water.
Meditate on this stunning statement from National Geographic: "On average, a vegan, a person who doesn't eat meat or dairy, indirectly consumes nearly 600 gallons of water per day less than a person who eats the average American diet."
The average indoor water use per person is about 70 gallons per day. Thus, even if you totally eliminated your indoor water use (never take a shower, never brush your teeth, never flush the toilet, never wash clothes or dishes, etc.) and thereby save 70 gallons per day, that would be only 12% of the amount of water you would save each day by being vegan.
Plant-based foods have a much smaller water footprint than animal products. Their production requires far fewer gallons of water per pound of food.
Water required to produce one pound (1 lb.) of:
Why does production of meat require so much more water than the production of plant foods? There are several reasons:
CONCLUSION
Reduce your water footprint, be merciful to animals, improve your health, and fight habitat destruction by shifting your diet from unhealthful meat to delicious grains, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and fruits. A useful guide for making an easy transition can be found here
Author Bio: Mike Sage is a Bay Area native, a Mathematics graduate of UC Berkeley, a husband, father, grandfather, and software engineer. Mike lives with his wife inSanta Clara and is active in his church; he
is a Life Member (1983) of Sierra Club, Loma Prieta Chapter. Mike would
welcome your comments, which you may e-mail to him at mksage@gmail.com
Meat Is the Huge Water Waster
How much water it takes to create a cheeseburger.
By Mike Sage
Poster by Michelle Theis, Angeles Chapter, Sierra Club
But the one thing a person can do that is far more water-saving than all other methods combined -- going vegan (eating a plant-based diet) -- is seldom if ever mentioned by the media as a way to save water.
Meditate on this stunning statement from National Geographic: "On average, a vegan, a person who doesn't eat meat or dairy, indirectly consumes nearly 600 gallons of water per day less than a person who eats the average American diet."
The average indoor water use per person is about 70 gallons per day. Thus, even if you totally eliminated your indoor water use (never take a shower, never brush your teeth, never flush the toilet, never wash clothes or dishes, etc.) and thereby save 70 gallons per day, that would be only 12% of the amount of water you would save each day by being vegan.
Plant-based foods have a much smaller water footprint than animal products. Their production requires far fewer gallons of water per pound of food.
Water required to produce one pound (1 lb.) of:
- Beef = 2000 gallons of
water
- Pork = 576 gallons of
water
- Chicken = 468 gallons of
water
- Soybeans = 206 gallons
of water
- Wheat = 138 gallons of
water
- Corn = 108 gallons of
water
Why does production of meat require so much more water than the production of plant foods? There are several reasons:
- The water that an animal
drinks constitutes only 1% of the water footprint of the meat that will
come from that animal.
- A farm animal eats
plants for most of its life; an enormous amount of water is required to
grow all of the food that the animal eats. for source, click here.
- Most of the food that
animals eat is not used to build body mass; rather, it is used to fuel
bodily activity and to maintain bodily functions (heartbeat, breathing,
eating, digestion, the functioning of all organs, and the support of
chemical reactions that occur in the body).
- Animal digestion is
nutritionally inefficient, resulting in partially-digested food being
excreted that still contains nutrients. Click
here for more info.
- Although much of an
animal’s body is inedible (bone, cartilage, teeth, horns, hooves, hair,
hide), water-fed plants were required to build and support all of those
body parts.
CONCLUSION
Reduce your water footprint, be merciful to animals, improve your health, and fight habitat destruction by shifting your diet from unhealthful meat to delicious grains, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and fruits. A useful guide for making an easy transition can be found here
Author Bio: Mike Sage is a Bay Area native, a Mathematics graduate of UC Berkeley, a husband, father, grandfather, and software engineer. Mike lives with his wife in
Til next time,
Meggi
