Did you know that it takes 600 gallons of water to produce a single hamburger? As the world population skyrockets, so too does the need for heightened awareness of the food we consume. This month, in honor of Earth Day, I thought it would be fitting to take a look at how vegan and vegetarian lifestyles can help restore the health of our fragile planet. With demand for meat higher than ever, many U.S. farm owners have transitioned to a “factory farming” system – one in which hundreds or even thousands of animals are crowded in extremely small spaces and raised with little care for their wellbeing or the health of the environment. This system grows animals at unnatural rates in a way that the environment cannot support. By adopting meat-free diets, individuals are doing their part for the environment by preventing harmful land use, curbing detrimental emissions into the air, and – as addressed in this week’s blog – protecting vital supplies of water. Our water is a primary resource on which the meat industry has a significant impact, as the raising of livestock adversely affects both water quantity and quality. In fact, agriculture accounts for about two-thirds of all water use worldwide, far exceeding industrial and municipal use. Breaking down agriculture into segments, meat production requires much larger quantities of water than does vegetable production to create the same nutritional value of protein. Thus the raising of animals for meat is one of the largest single contributors to global water demand. Livestock production requires water for drinking, irrigation of feed, and animal processing. At a time when water is in short supply due to drought and contamination, we should be more conscious of how our food choices may further deplete our water resources.   Not only is a large quantity of water needed to produce a small amount of protein, but fertilizers and animal waste associated with livestock production also pollute waterways. Most meat production requires large quantities of fertilizer, and researchers estimate that between 1950 and 1998, worldwide use of fertilizers increased tenfold. These nitrogen-rich chemicals wash into rivers and streams and contribute to a process called eutrophication, which begins with the rapid growth of algae that thrives on the nutrients in fertilizers and manure. As these increased yields of algae decay at the end of their life cycle, oxygen-depleting bacteria rush in to absorb the algae. The process drives down oxygen levels in the water and can eventually create “dead zones” in large bodies of water, in which no marine life can survive. Similar damage results from runoff of animal waste into our water systems. It is estimated that 75 percent of nitrogen and phosphorous consumed by farm animals is excreted in their waste. U.S. factory farms generated 1.4 billion tons of animal waste in 1996, and much of this waste runs untreated into surrounding bodies of water. In part because of this runoff, there now exists in the Gulf of Mexico a dead zone half the size of Maryland, and dead zones currently cover one-third of the Chesapeake Bay. A reduced reliance on meat in our diets would go a long way toward eliminating water pollution from fertilizers and animal waste. The ever-increasing toll of meat industry practices on our waterways demands one clear solution: a sharp decrease in meat consumption. Before the damage is irreversible, common sense dictates that America reverse course now. Allie Parisien, a River Hill High School senior and Great Sage hostess, has been a vegetarian ever since she came face-to-face with a cow at an agricultural fair five years ago.   She plans to major in environmental science and policy in the fall. Allie’s next blog will spotlight how vegan and vegetarian diets can help prevent damage to our land.  Images for this post were taken from the following sites: http://www.cc.gatech.edu/cpl/projects/graphcuttextures/, http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com/2011/11/facing-fears.html, http://www.maasai-association.org/slideshows/Maasai_cows.html, https://www.meted.ucar.edu/sign_in.php?go_back_to=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.meted.ucar.edu%252Fbroadcastmet%252Fwatershed%252Fu2_assets.htm, http://www.popartuk.com/g/l/lg03270+blumensee-spring-lake-scenic-mountains-poster.jpg