Water is – in my opinion – the most valuable resource on Earth. Yet, our global water crisis is not talked about nearly as much as it should be. Quick science lesson – only 3% of the Earth’s water is freshwater, and of that freshwater, we only use/have access to around 1%. So shouldn’t we be valuing this resource – that we absolutely cannot live without – with much higher regard? It should be one of the biggest environmental topics discussed, and it should be taught in all schools. Because without it, what are we? I’ll tell you. Dead.

Have you ever heard of “virtual water,” or looked at something and thought, “I wonder how much water it takes to produce this?” Yeah, me neither. That is, until I took my Water Law class.

What is virtual water? Water Footprint Calculator (link here) defines it like this, “Virtual water is the water ‘hidden’ in the products, services and processes people buy and use every day. Virtual water often goes unseen by the end-user of a product or service, but that water has been consumed throughout the value chain, which makes creation of that product or service possible.”

For some perspective:

Both charts pulled from here.

Everything you touch has been touched by water in some way.

There are several countries who don’t have access to enough water to produce the items they need to survive, so they produce items that don’t require much water, then trade them with other water-rich countries for items that do. You, as a consumer, don’t see that. You only see the finished product. It’s a smart system really, and often how countries survive, but want to know how it would be even better? If industries would start finding ways to produce things using less water. And yes, it’s possible.

Another great idea? Stop over-purchasing and over-consuming items that take entirely too much water to produce. For example: cut back on the cheeseburger consumption. Beef has a HUGE water footprint. Reduce your shopping habits – start taking want vs. need seriously.

Watching the Ted Talk video below was part of an assignment I had to complete in my Water Law class. It’s just shy of 15 minutes long, and it holds invaluable information regarding virtual water. Do yourself a favor and watch it from start to finish. I promise you won’t regret it – at least I didn’t.

It’s important to know what goes into the items we purchase/consume, so that we can make better informed decisions. So next time you go out to eat or go on a shopping spree, think about how much water it requires to create those items BEFORE you buy them. Maybe you’ll decide to get the chicken instead of the steak.