Water Campaign Encourages Eating Less Meat

The European Commission has launched a new campaign that aims to raise awareness about water usage and conservation, and it names meat and dairy production as major culprits of wastefulness. The campaign, titled Imagine All the Water, is part of a larger initiative called Generation Awake that aims to increase in-home sustainable practices and juxtaposes the amounts of water required to produce a number of foods, including meat, dairy, coffee, and produce, with an emphasis on the inefficient production processes of the former two. For example, according to the website, a steak requires roughly 1,075 gallons of water to produce, compared to 22 gallons of water for an apple or 13 for a loaf of bread. The campaign suggests eating less meat and being more mindful about wasting food as ways to reduce one’s individual “water footprint.”