Dr. Arjen Hoekstra created the water footprint and opened people’s eyes about sustainable consumption and how humanity uses water. Discover what guided him onto this visionary path, the role that consumer decisions have on consumption and water use, the complexities of industrial versus pasture-raised meat, and more. Dr. Arjen Hoekstra sadly passed away unexpectedly in […]
Virtual water (or hidden water) use makes up the majority of our water footprint. This unseen water use includes the water it took to produce the food we eat, the products we buy, the energy we consume and even the water we save when we recycle. Your Hidden Water Use Water Might Surprise You Drought […]
On average in the US, we waste 14 out of every 100 gallons of water from leaks. That’s a lot of treated, drinkable water going into the ground, or even worse, into your walls and floors! Water leaks waste a lot of water. Once you fix them, you can forget them. Did you know that […]
Stephen Leahy is an award-winning environmental journalist who’s taken a particular interest in what he calls the “hidden world of virtual water” that surrounds us. Stephen Leahy wrote Your Water Footprint: The Shocking Facts About How Much Water We Use To Make Everyday Products, to illustrate the somewhat mysterious concept of virtual water using graphics and […]
While California is the agricultural hub of the United States, limited rainfall causes a California drought and makes farming tricky. While forecasting future rainfall is a shaky business, a turn towards California’s hydrological history might be useful to understand the possible climate and water availability scenarios the state might encounter. Hydrological History Sheds Light on […]
Are you wise to the ways of water conservation? You might be surprised by how much water you use around your house. Most people underestimate which of their daily activities affects their water footprint the most. Do you know a lot about water conservation? Let’s find out. 1. Which of these water conservation actions saves […]
Saltwater fish production can help to meet the increasing protein demands of a growing population. But can it do so without substantially increasing the water footprint of humanity? Saltwater Fish Production Requires No Water Whoever thought that eating saltwater fish could help protect freshwater? Unlike land-based sources of protein including meat and dairy, saltwater fish […]
A report on the water consumption of hydraulic fracking operations in the Marcellus Shale found that if shale-gas production increases rapidly enough in the Marcellus Shale, despite the increase in water use efficiency and wastewater recycling, the sheer volume of wastewater could become problematic. Fracking Has Considerable Impact on Freshwater Supplies in the Marcellus Shale […]
Big Macs all around the world! Sounds great, right? Maybe not. The resource intensity of meat production can’t be ignored as neighbors in developing countries emulate the meat-heavy Western diet. Will the current industrialized meat production system meet growing future demand and feed the world when trends point toward a crowded planet as the population […]
