Embedded Water

Water is used in the production of paper in paper

mills. The amount of water used depends on the 

type of paper being made. Tissue and notebook paper

need less water than newspaper and fine paper. 

     Around 80,000 gallons of water is needed to produce a single

automobile with the weight of 2,150 lbs in steel. Not only is water

used in the production of automobiles, gasoline also contains water. 75,000 

gallons of water is needed to produce one ton of steel.

     Embedded water is the water we use everyday to produce food and non-food products. Also known as hidden water, embedded water makes up 70% of the water we use daily. As humans, we use around 3,500 liters of water a day. This includes all embedded and non-embedded sources of water. To put this into perspective, it takes 1100 drops of water to make a single cup of coffee and roughly 136 drops of water to make a single cup of tea. Out of the 70% of embedded water we use daily, about 65% of it goes towards the production of food we consume. On a global scale, the US and the UK consume the most amounts of water daily. At the rate we are going with our water usage, most of the world will be experiencing a water shortage by the year 2025. That is only 10 years from now! Although there is about 10 years until this happens, the UK and some parts of the US have been experiencing small droughts already. Pulp and paper mills use 17,000 gallons of water per every ton of paper produced. Although there is an increase in awareness in the water usage in pulp and paper mills, these corporations are some of the main sources of water pollution. Concerns with water use include corrosion build-up, chemical usage, water temperature increasing, as well as others. There is also a concern with water usage in car factories. It takes around 80,000 gallons of water to produce a single automobile. That is 75,000 gallons per one ton of steel. Not only is the production of cars concerning for the amount of water being used but also the use of cars after. It takes around 1 to 2.5 gallons of water to fill up and car every time it is at the gas pump. I never thought about how much water I use daily until we discussed our water footprints in class. Aside from brushing my teeth, doing the dishes, washing my hands, doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, and other activities throughout the day, I failed to realize how much water went into other aspects of my life like the books I use for class, the clothes I wear, all of my electronics in some way or another, my car, and many other products I use daily. I know that I cannot completely reduce my use of water in a single day but I have started taking steps to leave a smaller water footprint everyday. When I shower I turn the water off when lathering soap or washing my hair. I wash my clothes with an eco-friendly washer. I recycle all recyclable products I use to keep the amount of freshwater we still have left on earth as clean as possible. I hand wash my dishes instead of using the dishwasher and only use the water when  I need to rinse food or soap off of dishes. Overall, my water use is still very high and I know I need to take even more step to help with future water shortage issues.