Water for the Ages

You may be surprised to see how much water is used to produce the foods that you eat. If you are serious about water conservation, your diet may soon change.

Did you know that vegetarians conserve more water through dietary choices than those of us that eat meat? This is because it takes more water to grow a cow, than to grow corn, for example. With the onset of increasing water unavailability, individuals may start to change their diets to save water.

Have you checked your Water Footprint lately?

Check your water consumption here, with the Water Footprint Calculator.

Here is a list of assorted foods, and the amount of water needed to produce each serving (data from Bottled Water Association, EPA, and USGS – totals are approximate).

Single Serving Water Totals:

Daily Totals for a Diet with Meat:

For additional information, see these related references
(National Institute of Health Sciences):

USDA, Water Use

USGS, Water Facts

US Embassy, Structure of the Beef Industry

US EPA, Use of Water for Crops

USGS, Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2000

World Health Organization

Recent articles on the issue include:

A Thirst for Meat: Changes in diet, rising population may strain China’s water supply

U.N. Panel Urges Changes to Feed Poor While Saving Environment

Rapid US Population Growth - Food and the Environment