Chances are good that you’ve heard that California is in the midst of a severe four-year drought. If you don’t live here you might not think that has anything to do with you. But if you live in the U.S., there is a good chance you’ve eaten some of the food grown here—or at least used to be grown here. And if you live elsewhere around the planet you likely know that fresh drinkable water is becoming more precious everywhere humans live. But rather than scare ourselves to death about the dwindling supply, I instead want to remind myself of this precious resource that deserves our protection and appreciation. When we love something, when we value something, it is always easier to do whatever it takes to insure its continuation. So this week’s post is my tribute to water.
Here are the top nine ways I celebrate water:
#1 Beauty. I live in the desert of Southern California and I am fortunate to be able to escape the 100+ degree temperatures that persist during the summer. Because we rightsized our lives several years ago, we are able to spend a month in the mountains and then a month at the beach. This August we’ve rented a home a block from the beach and every morning and evening we get to enjoy the sight and experience of Silver Strand Beach in Oxnard, CA. While obviously ocean water is not drinkable, witnessing the expanse and beauty of a magnificent body of water surely rejuvenates the soul. But let’s not stop there. Water creates beauty in our world in hundreds of ways. Rivers, lakes, flowers, and trees—the list goes on and on. I can’t even imagine (nor do I want to!) a world without the beauty that water brings.
#2 Lifestyle comforts. The vast majority of the people in the U.S. rises each morning and is able to go to the tap and drink a glass of water, fix coffee or tea, and go about their day. What is even more under-appreciated is the ability to go to the bathroom and use a flush toilet. And yet, in the 1950s one-fourth of the U.S. population was without such a feature. Let’s never forget the incredible gift of being able to drink fresh water or take a hot shower with plenty of water to rinse our hair.
#3 Food. Another value that is easy to overlook is the fact that most of us have food readily available—and all of it takes water. This morning Thom (my husband) made me a smoothie with an incredibly fresh combination of blueberries, apple, avocados, power greens and more. All the fruits and vegetables he uses require water to grow. And even if we remember to be grateful for the water that grows all the plants, it’s extremely easy to forget the water that is necessary for all our other food like nuts, grains and yes, meat. If we consume those things and forget the chain of water required in them, we miss the extraordinary contribution water provides.
A short list of food and water facts:
1 lb of beef =1,799 gallons of water
1 lb of chicken = 468 gallons of water
1 gallon of milk = 880 gallons of water
1 gallon of coffee = 880 gallons of water
1 loaf of bread = 240 gallons of water
1 soda pop =46 gallons of water
1 beer = 47 gallons of water
1 chocolate bar = 455 gallons of water (Yikes!)
1 apple = 17.5 gallons of water
#4 Our bodies require it. Chances are good we all know that we need water to live. But lets never forget the fact that 2/3rds of our body is made up of water, that 90% of our brain is water, and that we can only live about five days without an adequate supply.
#5 Energy. I don’t know about you but I like turning lights on when it gets dark and am fanatical about using my computer when I want or need to use it. An air conditioner and a refrigerator are also quite nice. But what we seldom consider is how much water it takes to “fuel” all the hundreds of things I use energy for every single day. Until I researched this article I didn’t know that some 580 billion cubic meters of freshwater are used for energy production every year around the world. In other words, producing energy uses about 15% of the world’s total water usage a year, second only to agriculture. In California 40% of our freshwater goes to make our electricity.
Obviously certain types of energy production use more water than others. Thermoelectric and nuclear uses the most, with coal and other fossil fuels close behind. And while natural gas is less intensive, the means to extract it, like fracking, not only uses lots of water but is fundamentally dangerous. Solar and wind energy use the least and are processes we should all support. Although plans to cut back on water usage in the energy field are being planned, we should never take it for granted. Just know that every time we turn on a light switch, we are once again using precious water.
#6 Cleaning. Like to wear clean clothes? Like to eat off clean dishes. Yep. What we often think of daily chores is actually a luxury in certain parts of the world. Remember those photos of the “good old days” where women had to take the laundry down to the creek and rub it against rocks to get clean? Of course, if there was no creek you just had to wear what you owned. While the advantages of the 21st century are many, let’s never take those things for granted.
#7 Everything we buy and own. Another thing we seldom consider is that it takes water to make just about everything we own. Our house, our furniture, our
cars and everything we use to make our life go smoothly require water. According to a matrix done by Carnegie-Mellon, it is estimated that home goods and home furnishings take 17 gallons of water for every $1 spent. Electronics take 5 gallons for every $1 spent. Paper products take 7 gallons for every $1 spent. The average amount of water necessary to make a car is 32,000 gallons! It takes over 1,800 gallons of water just to grow the cotton for one pair of jeans. What about all the rest of our clothes? If any of us actually took the time to figure out the amount of water we use just to live a normal day we would be amazed. Remembering to be grateful is a good place to start.
#8 Water is our history and our future. Civilizations as we know them have always existed on water. Because water is so very necessary to our lives it makes sense that every major civilization began and thrived only when it was close to major water sources. Think of the Nile in Egypt and how that amazing civilization was only possible due to the access of a powerful water source. Like history? —thank water.
#9 It’s FUN! Last but not least is the fact that water makes our lives more fun and rewarding in hundreds of ways. I’m certainly enjoying my month here by the beach but when I thought about it, the fun and enjoyment I get from water touches every area of my life. I came across this cute video by Brad Paisley that helps me remember that water can just be fun!
Water is precious and more vital than we usually think about on a regular basis. But I’m convinced that we will only do what it takes to care for it when we learn to fully appreciate how important it is to our lives and our planet. Perhaps the SMART thing to do is to remember that daily, and to do our best to protect it for ourselves and generations to come.
Okay, so what is at least ONE thing you appreciate about water right now? Please share in the comments below!
First thing pops in mind when think about a place to settle down is water because none will enjoy life without water. I wish every peoples respect the value as much as you do then everybody hear no news about drought. Nice article you have Kathy, thanks for sharing with us.
HI Ellie! Thanks for stopping by SMART Living and sharing your thoughts on this. You are so right that life would not be as enjoyable without water–let alone impossible! We can all hope that we get some relief from the drought soon. ~Kathy
Great post, Kathy, very in-depth! As a former Southern Cal girl transplanted to Nor Cal 30+ years ago, it was hard to watch people water their driveways. Over time I slipped into wasteful mode, but with this drought, I have re-honed my water saving skills.
Hi Terri! Good for you. I don’t think we have to go crazy cutting back but I do think we can all do something. Here on the coast where I’ve been vacationing for the month people seem to be much more conscientious than where i live in the desert. I’ll bet up north it is too. Let’s all pray that the El Nino season ahead of us makes a difference….but let us never, ever forget to appreciate water! Thanks for your comment. ~Kathy
Hot and Cold. Your stimulating article made me think again. When it is hot like today, cool water is so refreshing. When it is cold or I want to relax, a hot tub or shower feels so good! Yes my mother taught us to conserve everything so many years ago. Great modeling and teaching!
Hi Gary! Thank you for sharing such positive ways we can all value water. It is far too easy for us to forget. ~Kathy
Great article thank you. My favourite thing about water is the sea. I live in the UK near the North Sea and never tire of watching waves – the bigger and louder, the better!
Hi Gilly! Because I live in the desert it sounds really, really lovely to be near the sea…especially in the summer time. But come winter I’m pretty happy right where we are. Either way, remembering how important water is to us all for all sorts of reasons is really good! ~Kathy
This was so helpful for me to think about. I am spending the summer where there is a water shortage and it is on my mind constantly! So this article was well timed! I love the break down you do on how much water things take to be produced. Going to share it on FB.
Kathy, these are all great things to keep in mind. I grew up along Lake Erie and practically lived at the beach summers. It was also the health of the fish coming from the lake that first got me thinking about water and how we treat it. When I was young the cities around the lake would dump the snow plowed from the streets (with the salt used to melt ice) directly into the lake, this had disastrous consequences.
I can’t pick from your list my favorite, but a fact I learned recently is that the oceans are absorbing our CO2 which is helping to keep air pollution down along with slowing our climate change.
When we had dinner with friends in Newport Beach Last month, they told us about a law suit brought forward by Californians who had been penalized for water over usage. They sued claiming they had been over charged, and the judge actually ruled in their favor! Unbelievable! How is is possible to over charge someone for something that is dwindling in supply and can’t be replenished?? They got a settlement if monies awarded to them. Makes me shake my head.
Hi Nancy! Yes, isn’t that CRAZY! That anyone would create that kind of a lawsuit and then win–likely all on some form of technicality. I think the water issue clearly points out the differences between the haves and the have-nots in our country and around the world. As long as you can buy it (including the lawyers to wiggle around and find a loophole) then you can use whatever you want. Where I live in the Coachella Valley that attitude if much to obvious as well. Fortunately I do believe the rest of us still have the power to do what it takes but am shocked at how some people can act so clueless. ~Kathy
The water shortage should be a reminder that all of our resources are becoming more and more limited: clean air, fertile soil, precious metals, trees, plants, animals. With an ever-increasing population and finite resources on this planet, we are up against it. It will require a dramatic change in our lifestyle, a re-thinking of our economic strategies (no more growth at all cost!), localization of agricultural production, and a total re-thinking of consumption. So I think that water shortages are very important in helping to change people’s thinking and behavior patterns; perhaps we should be grateful for that as well?
Hi Annette! You are so right. The water shortage is bringing the importance of water to the forefront of the issue for a change. While the climate crisis usually get much of the focus (and of course it’s all related) the water shortage is helping us to remember how very important water is to us all. Even in locations receiving more water than usual and/or flooding, access to clean drinking water is still critical. Hopefully we are all paying a bit more attention than normal to the important water plays in our lives. ~Kathy
Great pictures. I appreciate water conservation and regulate the water just to the garden areas and away from our little lawn. We have made most of our front and back yards and our entire side yard into vegetable and fruit gardens. I water you, you give back!
Hi Haralee! Thom and I had fun with our photos. I wanted to put more in but was afraid they might distract from the message I was attempting to share. And good for you for making your yard into a vegetable and fruit garden. Far too much water is wasted on lawns when it instead could be used for food OR flowers! ~Kathy
Water is so essential to our well-being. We cannot survive without it.
Truth….
I really appreciate that I live in a place that has drinkable and good-tasting tap water. I go through a lot of it!
The data behind how much water it takes to create some of our basics is just shocking. And in so many places, access to water is still the number one life issue — not even clean water, but just water. So I am also grateful that mine is piped right to me and I don’ t have to walk 5 miles to draw it from a well and carry it on my head home again.
Hi Laura! Yes, remembering to be grateful for every glass of good water from our faucet is so important. And isn’t amazing how much water it takes to do just about anything? I did read some of the articles about people (usually women) and how some of them in certain parts of the world have to walk miles to find water and then carry it home. We HAVE NO IDEA what that is like and they would be shocked that we use it so carelessly. Let’s just remember, right? ~Kathy
All great reminders for everyone. And I love your low water use front yard.
The California city I live in is requiring residents to reduce water use by 35% !!
That’s huge. We’re already three years into converting our front yard to low water plantings – no lawn anymore. We’ve let the back lawn die, but are trying not to let our trees die. We’re collecting as much water as we can in buckets from (shorter!) showers and from rinsing things – whenever it’s not too soapy – and giving it to our trees. We don’t flush the toilet until it really gets gross. No car washing. No hosing the dust off the front porch. My kitchen floor looks hideous because I don’t want to use the water to clean and re-wax it. And so on…
Another fun fact courtesy of the biologist in me: Not only is there a lot of water in food in the form of water, but food is also made of water in a more indirect way. Photosynthesis puts together molecules of carbon dioxide and water to make the sugar glucose, and pretty much everything else in plants and animals is made by linking, or modifying, or rearranging glucose molecules. No water, no food. No kidding.
Hi Carol! Where do you live??? In La Quinta and most of the Coachella Valley we are supposed to be cutting back 36%. Fortunately Thom and I converted our house to be very energy and water efficient years ago so we don’t have to cut back at all because we are already in the “efficient” category. Of course, in solidarity we did cut back some just to help out but so much of the water usage is for large lots with grass and/or pools. We have neither so it hasn’t been tough on us. So sorry to hear you are having to cut back so much!
But thanks for your insight into food and what it takes for plants to become food for us all. That’s another one of those things most of us don’t think through all the time. I think it is so important to remember, “no water, no food, no kidding!” ~Kathy
I just love your take on this, Kathy! Yes, water is becoming more and more of an issue, and will continue to. But by turning the fear on its head and appreciating the resource, you brought our focus back to the positive. And that’s where creative solutions live!
Thank You! http://www.susanmarymalone.com/how-do-you-love-the-world-you-have-created/
Hi Susan! Yes, I learned after writing about the environment for three years before starting this blog that what people REALLY need to get motivated and changed is a change of heart and perspective. Motivating others through fear only goes so far so I always try to do my best to remind myself (and others) of those things we can do because it is in our own best interest. Loving water and appreciating it every day is something I wanted to share. Thanks for your thoughts. ~Kathy
Great post, Kathy. We live in Westlake Village and are being water conservative. Maybe some people need a sign by the faucet, but after awhile–it just becomes automatic to think about what you are using the water for and how to save it–especially when running the water to get it to travel from the water heater to wherever you need hot water. Now we save that water in buckets.
I am also a big fan of closing up a house in SoCal during the day and opening the windows around 5:30 in the evening. The cool air is lovely and so we sleep with windows open while are neighbors AC blasts away. Don’t get that at all.
Hi Beth! Thanks. I do know that how we see water can be very different depending upon where you live in California, or the U.S. or the world for that matter. In the desert we get so little rain (less than 6 inches a year) that there is very little recapture but I think in a rainier climate it should be mandatory. And here at the beach I am VERY happy to say that the place we’ve rented has no A/C at all and we haven’t needed anything more than a fan since getting here. Unfortunately in La Quinta where we live (the rest of the year) it would be extremely uncomfortable not to have that A/C at night during the hottest temps. Every where is a bit different so learning what we can give up and conserve on is always important. Thanks for sharing your ideas! ~Kathy