There is no use in pretending like the number one reason for world water crisis isn’t humans’ eating habits. It’s the number one reason for almost all Mother Earth’s problems. If you don’t see beyond the taste of the burger between your buns then I can help you.
Talk to people, read books, scan articles, watch documentaries, educate yourself. Even if you think it’s bollocks and you could never care less I assure you, you will learn something, maybe you will start to think differently about certain things you do in your everyday life. There is zero chance that you will not change something in your deeds after watching Earthlings or Plastic Ocean.
Doesn’t it feel like luxury to buy a $200 dress? The latest iPhone? Go on a Hawaiian holiday? Have that $200k car flaunting in your driveway? For hundreds of millions of people all around the world the basic necessities have become luxury decades ago. One of those needs is fresh water.
An estimated 500 children in India die every day because of diarrhea due to polluted drinking water. More than half of what should be their their water supply, is polluted due to farming and waste. And this isn’t just in India, it’s all around the world.
In the U.S., animals raised for human consumption produce 375 MILLION TONS of manure per year… United States counts for only 7% of livestock in the world! So to think about how much more animal waste is produced across the globe in a day… to borrow a line from Phoebe – that’s math I can’t even do!!
And where does all that excrement go? To our soil of course and from there on into our waterways – ta daaa there you have your diseases and water crisis. Eating animals and their byproducts is the most selfish action a human being can take. It’s not only killing farm animals but our own species as well. It’s just hard to get to that realisation when you’ve been raised with certain beliefs without actually having done the reasearch or even questioning the impact of those habits.
Once you open the Pandora’s Box you’ll start to realise that everything is connected, things you never imagined being connected.
If we wouldn’t raise animals for food then there would be enough elements to last everyone on Earth for generations. There would be peace on earth.
There is no substitute for water.
Here’s how you can benefit mankind by saving water:
In the kitchen –
- Wash your veggies in a pan filled with water and afterwards use that water for plants.
- When steaming or boiling veggies use that water for broth – don’t waste those nutrients!
- If you have 2 basins, fill one with water to wash your dishes. Bonus point on having a spray hose. Also use as little dish soap as possible.
- If you like to drink cold water, don’t waste it by waiting by the tap. Have bottles of water ready in the fridge.
In the bathroom –
- Fix a leaky tap or toilet immediately! Doesn’t seem like much but it can add up to 8000 gallons of water wasted per year.
- Get a water-efficient shower head.
- If a new toilet bowl is on the radar, buy one with a small tank.
- Don’t have the water running while shaving, fill the basin instead and rinse your razor there.
Elsewhere in the household –
- Save rain water! It’s fresh drinking water and can be used for anything!
- Water your plants with water left over from cooking/shower/bath..
- Reduce your clothes washing to 1-2 loads per week.
- Don’t water your garden on windy days – too much evaporation.
- Mulch your garden to keep moisture in.
- Drive your car onto the grass to wash it and always use grey water or choose a car wash that recycles their water.
- Or if you’re planning on building a brand new home, do your research – there are so many sustainable ways to build a house nowadays!
And most importantly, educate your kids and the people around you.
Make a difference.
Jennifer Marohasy