Reduce Your Water Footprint on World Water Day
21 March 2012 11:40
Food is at the heart of many key environmental issues so, WWF and NI Water teamed up with James Street South Restaurant, Belfast to highlight that growing, producing and importing food is a huge drain on water resources.
Christine Crawford, WWF Communications Manager said:
“There is some good news! By making small changes to your diet – you can reduce your water footprint and help relieve some of the immense pressure on the world’s water reserves. Making a few simple changes such as eating more vegetables is not only healthier for you but healthy for our planet too.”
WWF’s Livewell Plate is a good guide to a sustainable diet that’s nutritionally viable and also considers the environment. It follows five basic rules: waste less food, eat less processed food, eat more plants and buy food with certified labels such as Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Fairtrade."
Jane Jackson, Education Manager with NI Water commented:
“NI Water is delighted to join forces with WWF and James Street South to raise awareness of the importance of water. Each person on average uses around 150 litres of water a day but it is often taken for granted and we expect it to be there when we turn on the tap. When it is not, even for only a few hours, we get a glimpse of what it would be like to live without it. “
There are 7 billion people to feed on the planet today and another 2 billion are expected to join by 2050. Most of the water we ‘drink’ is embedded in the food we eat: producing 1 kilo of beef for example consumes 15,000 litres of water while 1 kilo of wheat ’drinks up’ 1,500 litres.
When a billion people in the world already live in chronic hunger and water resources are under pressure we cannot pretend the problem is ‘elsewhere’. Coping with population growth and ensuring access to nutritious food to everyone call for a series of actions we can all help with.
What can you do?
”¢Join WWF’s Livewell campaign and follow a healthier, sustainable diet;
ӢConsume less water-intensive products;
ӢReduce food wastage: 30% of the food produced worldwide is never eaten and the water used to produce it is definitively lost!
ӢProduce more food, of better quality, with less water.