Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink...

When I was a child, growing up on a small island surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, my father used to recite that little rhyme "Water, water everywhere; And not a drop to drink". He would usually say it when we were out in a boat. Obviously, he was talking about the sea water and the fact that if we had not brought fresh, clean water on board with us, we would have no water to drink even though we were completely surrounded.

That was forty years ago and that old adage is becoming alarmingly true even when we're on dry land. Much of the "fresh" water that exists on our planet has become contaminated and is no longer available for drinking. As a civilization, we have created a water crisis with fresh water now being called the "Oil of the 21st Century".

According to the Water Footprint Network, the production of one kilogram of beef requires 16 thousand liters of water. Production of agricultural products consumes, by far, that greatest volume of available water supply with animal production consuming the largest share.

Every day we hear about becoming more "green" and our "carbon footprint" referring to the greenhouse gasses we all produce on a daily basis. But we rarely hear anything about our "water footprint" and how much pressure our world is putting on clean water supplies.

Think of some simple ways you can save water. They can be as simple as turning off the tap while you brush your teeth or shave. Perhaps, the car isn't quite as dirty as you thought and it really doesn't need a bath today.

You can calculate your water footprint at http://www.waterfootprint.org/index.php?page=cal/waterfootprintcalculator_indv_ext. My water footprint was 674, mostly for food production. Find out your own water footprint. Let us know - how did you do?

We can no longer take our water supply for granted.
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