22,414,661 members doing good!
about our ads
share your passions, stories, inspirations, and more
Where Has All The Water Gone?
Feb 2, 2009
I've been looking through an important book called Water Voices by William Marks. It's a beautiful book - its many informative pages illustrated with stunning images of the different faces of water and some of the magnificent creatures that depend on its preservation for their survival.

Water Voices brings to light some fascinating information about water and our relationship with it: "Our human brain is about 85% water. The very act of thinking is made possible because our brains float in water. Thus, freed from the downward pull of gravity, we are free to think, create and dream."

Learning this simple fact causes me to ponder its significance. Not only can we experience water externally; bathing in a lake or a pool, gazing at a magnificent waterfall or listening to the soothing sound of a river passing by, but we also imbibe it into our physical selves, where it "begins its journey to nourish every cell in our bodies - a journey that has water flowing through over 60,000 miles of veins and arteries."

What are the implications in regard to our relationship with water globally? It's simple. As we do to water, so we do to ourselves. Despite the significance of water as being essential to the survival of all life on Earth, and despite the fact that ecologically-oriented people are, for the most part, aware of the importance of conserving it, we still continue to waste and contaminate this precious resource. There are simple water conservation practices that anyone can do, whatever their situation, such as turning off the water during showering. But there are other lifestyle changes we can make that are even more far-reaching, such as eating lower on the food chain, thereby limiting all of the resources required to provide us with our food.

Animal agriculture wastes a lot more water than most people realize. According to The World Peace Diet by Dr. Will Tuttle, "Agriculture consumes fully eighty-five percent of all U.S. freshwater resources, mainly to produce animal foods. A day's production of food for one omnivore human requires more than four thousand gallons of water, compared with less than three hundred gallons for a vegan...."

If the previous statistic is hard to put into perspective, the video, A Life Connected explains it very clearly: "By simply making vegan choices, you can save over 1.3 million gallons of water every year. That's so much water, that being vegan, you could leave your shower on 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and still you couldn't waste as much water as someone consuming an animal-based diet." Not only is animal agriculture the number one waster of water, but it is also the number one polluter of water.

With this in mind, and with the current political dialogue in the U.S. focused on seeking ways to create lasting change for the better, it seems that addressing the issue of responsible water usage in food production is as important an issue as any. In the words of William Marks: "Given today's challenges, it may be wise for us to adopt a modern global water philosophy - a philosophy whereby we work as co-creators with water to help restore balance to our Earth and life in abundance."
(0) | () | | send green star | flag as inappropriate
Visibility: Everyone
Tags: , , , , ,
Posted: Feb 2, 2009 12:00am

 
 
 
Content and comments expressed here are the opinions of Care2 users and not necessarily that of Care2.com or its affiliates.

Author

Angel Flinn
female, age 32, single
Kapaau, HI, USA
Shares by Type:
All (36) | Blog (34) | Alert (1) | Recipe (1)

Showing shares tagged with: saving [show all]
ads keep care2 free
SHARES FROM ANGEL'S NETWORK
May
22
(0 comments  |  discussions )
You’ve heard of sniffer dogs, but what about sniffer bees? It might sound a bit far-fetched, but Croatian scientists have been trying to put the amazing senses of honeybees to a new use: finding potentially fatal landmines. It’s estimated...
May
21
(0 comments  |  discussions )
A new study suggests that retirement can lead to a “drastic decline” in health over the medium and long term. Is this research sound, and what conclusions can we draw? The “Work Longer, Live Healthier” study, conducted by the ...
May
20
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Experts warn that the Indian tiger, despite figures showing the population has stabilized, faces an increasing threat of extinction due to a lack of genetic diversity. Researchers from the UK’s Cardiff University, in collaboration with the Nati...
May
19
(0 comments  |  discussions )
A top judicial panel in Brazil has ruled that same-sex marriages must be allowed nationwide. An analysis and resolution issued Tuesday by Brazil’s 15-member National Council of Justice, the council that oversees the country’s judiciary, s...
May
18
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Hey lovely peeps!I hope you're enjoying spring so far! Today, I have an extra special treat for you. The lovely Dreena Burton has shared her mouth-watering recipe for Wonder Spread with us! Plus, she's doing a giveaway of her awesome new book, Plant...
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Marriage equality has enjoyed a number of breakthrough victories this past year, but looming is a brick wall that, if not tackled carefully, could stop progress dead. So, we need to talk about it. How Do You Solve a Problem Like Arizona, Virginia or ...
May
17
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Regular users of marijuana may be less likely to develop diabetes due to marijuana& rsquo;s abili ty to regulate insulin levels, a new study has found. A multi-center research team, headed by a team at the Cardiovascular Epidemi...
May
16
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Lithuanian religious leaders have formally opposed a Council of Europe Convention on domestic violence action because the convention includes lesbian, bisexual and trans women. In a formal statement released on May 9, the Lithuanian Bishop’s Co...
May
15
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Do openly gay actors make TV viewers switch off? Are they less believable in straight roles? According to a new study, the answer is no. Led by Paul Merrit, researchers from Clemson University try to answer the idea raised by several commentators in ...
May
14
(0 comments  |  0 discussions )
It is hoped that a dramatic and historic price cut on leading HPV vaccines will help immunize millions more young women in developing countries and combat cervical cancer rates, but is this change one that should be praised or rallied against as not ...

Copyright © 2013 Care2.com, inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved