HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-23-2015 C5 Koteen (2)"Eating lower on the food chain could allow the same volume of water
to feed two Americans instead of one, with no loss in overall
nutrition." — Scientific American, "Growing More Food with Less Water"
"The water used just to irrigate alfalfa and hay [used mostly as
livestock feed] exceeds the irrigation needs of all the vegetables,
berries, and fruit orchards combined."
— Center for Science in the Public Interest
"The more plant -based foods we eat versus animal -based foods... the
less water, energy, and other natural resources we use."
— San Francisco Water Power Sewer
"By making one meal a week with lentils instead of beef, a family
of four can save the equivalent of 17 bathtubs full of water."
— Oxfam International
"A vegetarian diet could be the best solution to the increasing water
scarcity problem the world is facing." — Science Illustrated
"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." — National Geographic
"Go vegan: all animal products, including cheese, eggs, butter and
milk take a lot of water to produce." — EcoWatch's #1 water - saving tip
RANT-BAH VEGGIE BURGER VS. QUARTER -POUND BEEF BURGER
42 Gallons
of Water
20g protein
(Amy's Veggie Burger)
��
A; r
621 Gallons
of Water
Ab-
18g protein
(70% lean ground beef)
Source for water required for typical soy vs. beef burger: University of Twente, the Netherlands
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0 Printed on recycled paper with vegetable based inks
Item C5
06 -23 -2015
truth or' Distributed by Peggy Koteen
MAJOR NEWS OUTLETS REPORT CALIFORNIA'S
RESERVOIRS WItL BE DEPLETED BY 1016.
w "
DO YOU KNOW WHIN FACOR ABUNTS
FOR k1% Of CALIFORNIA'S
WATER f00iPRINTI
ANSWER: MEAT AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS
® 47% of California's water footprint is associated with meat and
dairy products, and only 4% with household use. (Pacific
Institute, "California's Water Footprint ")
e More than half of the entire US water supply goes to livestock
(Center for Science in the Public Interest)
RREARESOMEFAUS:
Compared to vegetables, these meat products require:
3x 1 O 14x 19x 48x
more water to produce!
Source: The Water Footprint Assessment Manual: Setting the Global Standard
"The livestock business is among the most damaging sectors to the earth's
increasingly scarce water resources." — United Nations (reporting that 1/3 of
all arable land on Earth is used to grow livestock feed)
"It takes a lot of water to grow grain, forage, and roughage to feed a cow, as
well as water to drink and to service the cow."
— US Geological Survey Water Science School
"A 1/3 pound burger requires 660 gallons of water to be produced."
— EPA blog post "Virtual Water, Real Impacts: World Water Day 2012"
"Meat processing, especially chicken, also uses large amounts of water."
— Environmental Working Group, "Meat Eaters Guide"
"Unfortunately, the world has not really woken up to the reality of what we
are going to face, in terms of the crises, as far as water is concerned... Animal
protein [is] highly water intensive." — Rajendra Pachauri, former Chairman of
the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
1) Think long -term.
In their report "Feeding a Thirsty World," Stockholm International
Water Institute (SIWI) scientists say a water - secure future requires
a dramatic reduction of meat consumption.
2) Move toward a plant -based diet.
Each person's food choices can help dictate demand and supply. If
we no longer need to give so much of our scare water to livestock,
we can avoid relying on environmentally devastating desalination
plants and the water rate increases they will cause.
3) Educate yourself and others.
Learning the facts and telling others about animal agriculture's
unsustainable water consumption allows everyone to make the
most effective choices to truly save our water supply.
Animal Feed
Alfalfa, Straw and Hay
Almonds
Residential Use
Rice
Grapes
Cotton
Walnuts
Processing Tomatoes
Commercial/Institutional
Oranges
Other
Million acre -feet per year
152
10
Figure 7. Blue and Green Water Footprints of Goods and Services Produced in California, by Product
Note the scale discontinuity for animal feed
Green water is precipitation and soil moisture while blue water is surface or groundwater.
Fig. 7 and ES 3 source: Pacific Institute 2012 report "California's Water Footprint"