Water footprint

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Key aspects

 

Water footprint can be determined on a personal, family, community, regional, or national basis and can be described in many ways - it can be defined by:

·       Volume - litres, gallons per person per annum;

·       Colour - blue, green or grey. Green water is rain water; blue water is surface water or groundwater and grey is recycled water. The use of different sources of water has a varying impact on the environment;

·        Location - internal - where the nation's water footprint for the goods and services used is within national boundaries or external where food, goods and services are imported and the water resources used are external to the nation;

Do you know your water footprint?

Want to find out more?

Water is a key resource for society. Can we guarantee the volume of water we need into the future to meet the needs of a growing global population?

Can we ensure that the water supplies available will be fit for use?

Is water availability a threat to food production?

Do we pay the true costs of water?

Lots of questions - do we have the answers?

New Link List

Interesting links to find out more about water footprint
The Human Imprint
My blog containing musings and thoughts on the human imprint
Water footprint
This site has a wealth of information on water footprint and the virtual water content of food. If you want to calculate your own personal water footprint then check it out.

Virtual water content

How much water does it take to produce the food we eat?

The virtual water content of a product is the volume of water it has taken to grow the raw materials/ crop, then process and prepare the product rather than the final chemical composition.

Virtual water consumption varies between countries, in China it is 702 m3/person/yr, in the UK it is 1245 m3/person/yr and in the US 2483 m3/person/yr.

Our dietary choices affect our virtual water consumption. The more meat and dairy products we eat the higher the volume of water required to support our lifestyle.

Dietary Data

How much water does it take?

1 apple 70 litres
1 orange 50 litres
1 slice of bread 40 litres
1 cup of coffee 140 litres
100g (4oz) of cheese 500 litres
100g (4oz) of beef 1600 litres

4.54 litres = 1 gallon

Source: www.waterfootprint.org

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LouiseManning

Louise Manning, PhD, has worked for over twenty years in the areas of management training and coaching, food safety, quality assurance, animal welfare,... more »

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