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Econation Blog
'Water footprint' as pressing as carbon emissions
Worries over how much greenhouse gas is being created to fulfil our everyday needs are being rivaled by fears of the human race's use of what is a finite, essential resource.
People use plenty of water for drinking, cooking and washing, but even more for producing things such as food, paper, cotton clothes, and so on. The water footprint is an indicator of water use that looks at both direct and indirect water use of a consumer or producer. The water footprint of an individual, community or business is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by them.
Standards for calculating the water footprint of goods and services is being developed for disclosure to retailers and consumers.
While New Zealand's agrarian industries use a lot of water, scientists say its overall situation should place it in good stead as retailers start to consider how much water is needed to make and transport the products they sell. Retail giant Wal-Mart is among major worldwide chains currently looking at developing a common standard for environmental footprints such as water.
Read the full story at nzherald.co.nz
Posted by Michael Lockhart on 12th October, 2009 | Comments | Trackbacks
Tags: General Sustainability
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