Water water everywhere...but soon, few drops to drink.
All during my last quarter of school, I have read several books, papers, proverbs even on water. Ok, maybe not proverbs, but it sounded appropriate.
Water, the ultimate "renewable" resource is being ever degraded, ever destroyed, and ever ruined. WE are over-using what has been provided on the Earth, and for wasteful means. I don't just mean "us" in the United States, though compared to the many in the rest of the world, we sure waste and use more than our fair share of water.
I mean, that we as humans, who have tried to conquer planet Earth with our technology and our brains, have managed to pollute, destroy, and waste the precious resource that we all depend on for life.
Water, gives us life, we are dependent on it. Water makes up over 2/3 of our body, and is required for the life of ALL foods we eat. Whether you're an omnivore, a carnivore, or an herbivore, every life on this Earth is dependent on water for its sustenance.
Water is required to grow crops, in fact nearly 70% of all water is used for crop growth/agriculture, and a large portion of these crops go to feeding cattle, and other livestock that humans consume. For plants, it takes nearly 1000 gallons of water to grow one kilogram. For cattle, you can multiply that number by another 1000...yes, it is wasteful!
We in America take it for granted, how rich we are, not just in wealth, but in water use. It is only during years of drought that we begin to understand just how much we use, and how little we truly have.
Now imagine living in a poor country, say in Sub-Saharan Africa, where money is scarce and water is even scarcer, where turning on a faucet is a luxury, one that many cannot afford. Imagine having to walk 10 miles at least once per day to obtain enough water to drink and for basic cooking, and that may have to be done more than once for additional family members, or when there is illness...
Or conversely, imagine that you live on less than $1.00 dollar per day, and the cost of a bottle of water is almost $1, and that cola is only fifty cents...it doesn't seem right that in some countries of the world, water is a commodity and the price for water is exorbitant, such that food is difficult to obtain...
It's frustrating. I will hopefully get to spend some time in Ethiopia this coming summer, learn about some of the struggles of daily life and be able to contribute to development plans to lessen this suffering and difficulties. I'm not trying to be a panacea, but I would like to help...
To learn more, I suggest reading:
1) When the Rivers run dry...
2) Blue Gold.
Good books.
Water, the ultimate "renewable" resource is being ever degraded, ever destroyed, and ever ruined. WE are over-using what has been provided on the Earth, and for wasteful means. I don't just mean "us" in the United States, though compared to the many in the rest of the world, we sure waste and use more than our fair share of water.
I mean, that we as humans, who have tried to conquer planet Earth with our technology and our brains, have managed to pollute, destroy, and waste the precious resource that we all depend on for life.
Water, gives us life, we are dependent on it. Water makes up over 2/3 of our body, and is required for the life of ALL foods we eat. Whether you're an omnivore, a carnivore, or an herbivore, every life on this Earth is dependent on water for its sustenance.
Water is required to grow crops, in fact nearly 70% of all water is used for crop growth/agriculture, and a large portion of these crops go to feeding cattle, and other livestock that humans consume. For plants, it takes nearly 1000 gallons of water to grow one kilogram. For cattle, you can multiply that number by another 1000...yes, it is wasteful!
We in America take it for granted, how rich we are, not just in wealth, but in water use. It is only during years of drought that we begin to understand just how much we use, and how little we truly have.
Now imagine living in a poor country, say in Sub-Saharan Africa, where money is scarce and water is even scarcer, where turning on a faucet is a luxury, one that many cannot afford. Imagine having to walk 10 miles at least once per day to obtain enough water to drink and for basic cooking, and that may have to be done more than once for additional family members, or when there is illness...
Or conversely, imagine that you live on less than $1.00 dollar per day, and the cost of a bottle of water is almost $1, and that cola is only fifty cents...it doesn't seem right that in some countries of the world, water is a commodity and the price for water is exorbitant, such that food is difficult to obtain...
It's frustrating. I will hopefully get to spend some time in Ethiopia this coming summer, learn about some of the struggles of daily life and be able to contribute to development plans to lessen this suffering and difficulties. I'm not trying to be a panacea, but I would like to help...
To learn more, I suggest reading:
1) When the Rivers run dry...
2) Blue Gold.
Good books.
posted by Dana M. Ellis, MPH, R.D. @ 11:47 AM
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