So Serious Saturday #8 Water Wisdom Part I

Fiction needs a basis in reality. Exercising non-fiction muscles once in a while benefits an active imagination, channeling creative energies as it focuses on a subject. So Serious Saturdays will be an active place for critical essays or writing about reality in the context of real events - even when it is not written on Saturdays.

Type: Humorous/Informational/Persuasive

Water Wisdom

Yesterday was World Water Day. Maybe you've wondered how to reduce your water usage. Or maybe you have considered being more water wise, but think that it takes a huge commitment.  Here are some factoids about water and water use.

Water Exists in Three Different States

And one of them isn't California. 

Anyway, apart from places affected by drought, water is mostly found in the liquid form that humanity uses for beverages, hygiene, and creating food. Water is also used in making plastics, clothing, gasoline, and paper.

Ice is the solid form of water. Ice is one of the few solids with more volume than its liquid. The oceans will rise, however, as the ice at the North and South Poles melt due to higher average temperatures worldwide.

Steam is the gaseous form of water that happens when liquid water is boiled or when it evaporates off the surface of the ocean, the melting ice caps, and that pool in the backyard that is never covered. National Geographic states that an uncovered pool loses hundreds of gallons of water every month due to evaporation.

Water Is The Chemical H2O

Water is represented by the molecular formula H2O, which is an oxygen molecule covalently bonded with two hydrogen molecules. H2O is not to be confused with H2O2. 

There's a joke that goes something like this:

Two guys walk into a bar. The bar is owned and operated by laboratory scientists. One of the guys says to the bartender, "I'll have some H2O," The second guy looks where his friend is reading the specials. The bartender hears him say, "I'll have some  H2O2."  The bartender brings the first guy water, and the second guy hydrogen peroxide.

I said it went something like that.

Water Is Also Dihydrogen monoxide

But that's only a humorous chemical name for water. Let's get serious.

Humans Need Water

We are advised to drink eight 8 ounce glasses of water per day for proper body functioning, or almost 2 liters per day. The  Mayo Clinic explains that exercise, medical conditions, and other factors can affect how much water you need, and that we can get some of our water through the food we eat. Over half of our body is made of water, after all.

More Water is Used for Beef Than Chicken

Not only is water used for washing meats before cooking, but water is used in the gasoline for transport, the paper or plastic for packaging and advertising, and during the life of the animal that will eventually become a part of your sandwich. 

Ecology.com compares the amount of water needed for beef with the amount needed for chicken. From birth to plate, beef needs about 1,900 gallons of water per pound, while chicken needs about 290 gallons of water per pound (although National Geographic puts the latter closer to 470 gallons). 

Imagine trading a beef burger for a chicken patty just one day a week. PETA always advises not eating animals, but on their website they also say, "You save more water by not eating a pound of meat than you do by not showering for six months!"  You can save a lot of water by eating a quarter-pounder instead of a half-pounder; you can save even more by abstaining from meat for one meal.

Meatless Mondays have started in many cafeterias. When considering how you can cut down your water use, consider having a vegetarian day at least one day a week. Even carnivores can manage that, especially if they add legumes like beans and nuts to salads and vegetable mixes in the place of their red proteins.

California Grows Food

This may not seem to be relevant, but Ecology.com states that "California is the #1 agricultural producing state in the country and 80% of the water used in California goes to agriculture". Therefore the drought in California impacts the economic and agricultural health of the state. Consider supporting the Californian economy (especially if you are local to this state) by eating our produce instead of our meat. Less water will go into the making of a pound of bell peppers than a pound of any kind of meat.


I should have a Part II  posted soon, since there are many more important and everyday ways to stay water-conscious. In the meantime, consider your meal choices in view of water use and conservation, but keep drinking water!

End Part I