Did you know that it takes almost two bathtubs full of water to produce one kilo of tomatoes? Read what the frontrunners are when it comes to water consumption and how you as a consumer can help save water.
In the supermarket or restaurant, do you wonder how much water was used to produce the food in your shopping basket or on your plate?
Very few of us give the “water footprint” of our consumption a thought-fatal, say nature conservation organizations such as the WWF, which proclaimed World Water Day on Tuesday, March 22nd. Because according to the WWF, our daily water consumption is falling (currently it is an average of 120 liters), but the water footprint of an average person is 5,288 liters per day according to WWF calculations. For comparison: a bathtub holds about 140 liters.
The graphic from ZEIT illustrates what can come together for a balance when a product is ordered thoughtlessly: Almost 2,500 liters of water are therefore required to produce a single cheeseburger, which we usually devour in just a few bites. A list that makes you think.
Our groceries are so thirsty
Did you know that it takes an incredible 15,400 liters of water to produce one kilo of beef? And for a kilo of apples more than 800 liters? This small compilation lets us see daily consumption with completely different eyes. Here are some popular products and their track record:
- Beef: 15,400 liters/kg
- Pork: 5,988 liters/kg
- Rice: 2,497 liters/kg
- Pizza Margherita: 1,259 litres/kg
- Apple: 822 liters/kg
- Banana: 790 liters/kg
- Milk: 255 liters/glass
- Lettuce: 237 litres/kg
- Coffee: 132 liters/cup
You can find more examples on the “Water footprint” homepage.
Water consumption: The WWF gives these tips
If you want to improve your water footprint, you can do the following:
- prefer regional and seasonal products.
- eat less meat. Beef and pork are considered to be particularly “thirsty” goods.
- Pay attention to your own consumption during your vacation in “water risk regions”.
- prefer to travel to their home country for a golf holiday. In Spain, for example, 700,000 cubic meters of water are used every year to irrigate an 18-hole golf course.
- Prefer tap water to bottled water. Tap water quality is very good across the board in Germany. Drinking water uses 1000 times less energy and raw materials to produce per liter than bottled water. If you don’t want that, you should choose water from regional production and in reusable bottles.
