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Thirsty Food

Find out which foods take the most water to produce. How much water does it take to produce them? Compare them to foods that require less water to produce.

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Plan

  • How long do you need to complete this activity?
  • What materials do you need?
  • Do you know how much water it takes to grow food?
  • How much water do you think you drink on a daily basis?

Do

  • Take a look at the different pictures of food and guess how much water it takes to produce/prepare.
  • After reviewing some of the food, monitor your eating habits for a day/week to discover what foods you consume.
  • Make an effort to consume foods that require less water to prepare, you could even go meatless for a day!

Review

  • Were you surprised by the amount of water it takes to produce certain food? Why?
  • What can you do to reduce the amount of water you use?
  • What other foods do you think take a lot of water to produce?
  • What are some alternatives to food that would use less water?
  • Remember to submit your activities on our Scouts for Sustainability Take Action Map

 

 

Materials

  • PDF print out of the different foods and the answer sheet (see "How Much Water" resource)
  • Pen & paper or notebook

Keep it Simple

  • Consider these three ways you can reduce your water consumption in your meals: eat one meatless meal a week, try to choose meat that is grass fed, don’t waste food.
  • Create a meal plan for one week at home where you can challenge yourself to follow these three things to consume less water!

Take it Further

  • Write out the recipe of your favourite dish and calculate how much water it contains; not just in terms of adding water while cooking it, but also try to find out how much “hidden” water the individual ingredients contain too. Share your recipes with each other and calculate which ones contain the most and least amounts of water. Vote on one recipe to cook together as a group and make it at your next camp!