How to Allieviate the Water Crisis? Become Vegan!

As a child I was raised as a lacto-ovo vegetarian. Although, I have always been taught eating meat was unhealthy and reduced longevity, I decided to experiment in college. Unlike the common saying, everything does NOT taste like chicken. I have found there are no soy or vegetarian substitutes that even come close to mango habanero chicken wings or freshly grilled salmon. However, I have experienced some consequences of eating meat such as reduced mental clarity, weight gain, and I recently have also discovered it has increased my water footprint on the enviornment.

According to National Geographic's website, it takes 1,799 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef, so a quarter pound hamburger uses about 630 gallons to make. At the same time, one pound of wheat takes only 132 gallons, which translates to 11 gallons of water for a slice of bread. Fruits, vegetables, and grains use much less water to produce as compared to meat and dairy products. Hence, Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the United Nations intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and other experts have suggested people should reduce their meat and dairy consumption. This will help curb fuel fossil use, reduce water consumption, increase resource sustainability, and help save the environment.

Do you live to eat or do you eat to live? Would you be willing to consider giving up meat and dairy to allieviate the water crisis? I'm not sure if I am willing to give it all up, but would you be willing to consider at least one meat-free day a week to help save the enviornment? Have you recently become vegetarian or vegan? If so, do you have any suggestions or good recipes? 

Learn more about how much water it takes for the products and food you use at: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/embedded-water/

References:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/sep/07/food.foodanddrink

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/02/un-report-meat-free-diet

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/oct/26/palm-oil-initiative-carbon-emissions

http://www.care2.com/causes/new-un-report-says-vegan-diet-vital-to-saving-fossil-fuels-the-environment.html

Corporate Barons are stealing our water

Globalization has had harmful effects on many poor people even if it has also helped others to rise out of poverty. Privatization of water is one of the ways that arguably has harmed poor people. Due to the importance of water, global corporations stand to profit if they control access to water. Corporations can get water for free and sell it back to its original owner at a high price unless governments regulate access to water. Corporations see water as a very big income source. Many nation states have started to privatize water as they have other public goods. This choice was not done necessarily because they think it is good. In some cases it was forced on them by the World Bank. The World Bank was forcing poor countries to privatize their water. Poor countries have no choice because they do not have the capacity to oppose the World Bank. Are we going to let this happen? Are we going to sit back and watch barons steal our water?

For more information please watch the documentary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmWdco0glEA

Yusuf Celik

Kids Working for Clean Drinking Water, Gobally

These middle school aged kids in Florida were elected as one of six schools to raise money through the H2O (Help to Others) for Life campaign for students in Africa. The students were raising money for clean water products to go to a primary school in Tanzania, Africa whose students have to travel miles, daily, in order to access clean water. School officials assumed the students would need parental assistance in raising the funds, but they surprised everyone by doing it on their own.

In what ways can we help encourage our school-aged kids to participate in global sustainability?

http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20130506/TLHLOCAL09/305060022/Maclay-School-students-working-bring-clean-water-children-Africa?nclick_check=1

Nestle CEO says: Water Should be Privatized

In this recent, disturbing interview with Nestle's former CEO and current Chairman, he says "access to water is not a public right". What would Nestle have to gain from privatizing water?

The answer is simple. Profit before people.

Nestle has multiple labels for their bottled water, including Arrowhead, for a complete list click here.

Global Water Crisis: What Can We Do?

The other day, I was talking with my good friend, Tyson Wilson who is an eco-plumber in Portland, Oregon about the serious issue about accessibility to clean drinking water.

When faced with such a large problem, how can we, as individuals make an impact on global issues? Tyson's advice is practicing mindfulness on a personal, local level.

Begin by checking out our water bills and then mapping out ways we can reduce your water consumption.

Tips:

Taking showers under 5 minutes.

Installing a retrofit dual flush system in our toilets.

Installing low pressure shower and faucet heads.

Filling our dishwashers and clothes washers to capacity.

These are all examples of very simple ways we can reduce our footprint. At the end of our next water cycle, compare your water bills. Not only will we save money but we can begin to realize the impact we can make by adjusting our lifestyles.

What would you add to this list? How are you mindful of your water consumption?

epa.gov
Clean Water Act
The 1972 amendments to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (known as the Clean Water Act or CWA) provide the statutory basis for the NPDES permit program and the basic structure for regulating the discharge of pollutants from point sources to waters of the United States. Section 402 of the CWA specifically required EPA to develop and implement the NPDES program.
The CWA gives EPA the authority to set effluent limits on an industry-wide (technology-based) basis and on a water-quality basis that ensure protection of the receiving water. The CWA requires anyone who wants to discharge pollutants to first obtain an NPDES permit, or else that discharge will be considered illegal.
The CWA allowed EPA to authorize the NPDES Permit Program to state governments, enabling states to perform many of the permitting, administrative, and enforcement aspects of the NPDES Program. In states that have been authorized to implement CWA programs, EPA still retains oversight responsibilities.http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/cwa.cfm?program_id=45
 

Dead Zones

Sections and regions of the earth’s oceans and large lakes that have significantly lowered oxygen levels are referred to as “Dead Zone’s”. These low-oxygen, or hypoxic, environments typically form as a result of chemical runoff during which large concentrations of elements such as nitrogen and phosphorus are deposited into the water. In turn, algae and other single-celled plant life are able to feed off of these elements which result in the development of an algal bloom, or a mass increase in the algae population in the area. Since algae consume oxygen and omit carbon dioxide (similar to the way humans breathe), all, or most, of the oxygen in the local environment is depleted, resulting in the dying off of all other aquatic life in the area.

Dead zones occur in several coastal areas off of the United States, particularly within the Gulf of Mexico. This body of water supplies a very large portion of the United States seafood supply, and the cyclical intensity and extent of these dead zones results not only in huge environmental impacts in these areas, but can have devastating economical impacts as well. Luckily, there are many actions you can take as an individual to have an impact on the intensity and subsequent impact that these dead zones have. For starters, buy local foods from farms that use limited chemicals and fertilizers, as runoff from big farms that use a ton of chemicals are a main culprit driving the creation of these dead zones. Dispose of pharmaceuticals, household cleaners and other chemicals in an environmentally conscious way, and as always, get informed and educate those around you to do the same. For more information regarding the causes and effects this Dead Zone has, as well as ways to get involved, please visit: http://www.smm.org/deadzone/.