We cannot live without water. Our bodies comprise 60 to 70% water and all our food — every form of it — requires water for production.
Our food footprint (the subject of last month’s column) consumes the largest proportion of our water footprint, which is the amount of water required to produce the goods and services consumed by each of us. This includes our food, clothing, shelter, manufactured materials and products — everything we need to survive and/or live comfortably.
Using waterfootprint.org’s calculator, where one cubic metre equals 1,000 litres, revealed my meat consumption to be the largest factor in my water footprint, nearly an order of magnitude greater than my second-largest category, cereal.
On average, each of us directly and indirectly consumes upwards of 5,000 l of water every day; the range is 1,500 to 10,000 l per day, depending on where we live and what we eat.
Humans’ water footprint from 1996 to 2005 was 9,087 billion cu. m per year, with agricultural production consuming 92% of this total footprint.
By 2020, water use is predicted to increase by 40%, with 17% more water used for food production.
Here are some ideas worth adopting:
• Eat local/regional produce and vegan substitutes. Support local farmers markets, shop B.C. first in grocery stores and, after that, choose products from regions of the U.S. Pacific Northwest.
• Buy (sell/donate) consignment clothing, furniture, goods, etc. Since our clothing footprint is second only to our food footprint, this practice has far-reaching benefits.
• Reuse bath, shower and kitchen water. In addition to installing low-volume toilets and faucets, take small baths and brief showers, turning off the faucet when soaping up and re-using buckets of shower/bath water to flush toilets and water plants.
• Incorporate green infrastructure. Vegetation (particularly native plants), green roofs and pervious surfaces promote natural soil infiltration of precipitation, which also helps to prevent stormwater/sewage system overflows during the rainy season. Rain barrels provide chlorine-free water for garden use.
• Avoid using toilets or drains to dispose of chemicals and foreign items. This includes paints, pills and pets. Check out www.what2flush.com for details.
• Encourage government officials. Regional and provincial governments could adopt a water footprint cap for each watershed upon which we depend. National and international governments could adopt more mindful trade agreements that restrict consumption of water-intensive goods and services, usually produced by water-poor countries.
—Melissa Chaun of Port Moody is an ecologist with a passion for all things sustainable. She began her environmental career in the U.S. and has a certificate in Sustainable Community Development. She volunteers on various city committees and is currently co-ordinating the monthly meetings for Tri-City Greendrinks. Her column runs monthly.
