Your Water Footprint: The Shocking Facts About How Much Water We Use to Make Everyday Products

Leahy, Stephen. Your Water Footprint: The Shocking Facts About How Much Water We Use to Make Everyday Products. 2014. 142p. ISBN 9781-77085-295-2. Available at 333.91 LEA on the library shelves.

What is your water footprint? This overly simple question hides an immense truth that we are ignoring at our peril. Your water footprint does not only refer to the water you use and consume, but also the water that is used in the generating of energy, the manufacturing and transporting of goods, the growing of food. We use water in everything, everywhere, all the time.

In short 1 or 2 pages infographics, facts about water consumption are presented and discussed. The average American consumes 2,000 gallons of water a day, far more than the rest of the world. The very essence of life, only 3% of the planet’s water is fresh and drinkable. Of this finite resource, more than 80% is used to grow our food and make our goods. And most is not fit for reuse afterwards. A cup of coffee requires 37 gallons of water in the growing, processing, and transporting of the beans. Two pounds of bananas necessitate 209 gallons.

This book explains the problem of water shortage, and presents realistic solutions that everyone can adopt. It also introduces the concept of virtual water, the water that is not only present in any given product, such as watermelon, but also that went in the making of that product. It also makes the argument that water poor countries, such as India and Bangladesh, are exporting their water to countries that are already water rich, but that all countries are depleting water resources faster than they can be replenished. With a projected two billion more people on their way, the author does an excellent job advocating for smarter water consumption and a reduction in water usage across the world, to more sustainable levels. If we don’t, we risk not only our way of life, but life itself.