5000 litrov. To je količina vode, ki jo posameznik porabi v enem dnevu.
Ali ste vedeli, da povprečen Evropejec porabi približno 5000 litrov vode na dan. Od tega je samo 200 litrov gospodinjske vode (kopalnica, pomivalni stroj, pralni stroj, voda za splakovanje …) ostala voda pa je »virtualna voda«. Virtualna voda je količina vode, ki je potrebna za proizvodnjo določenega izdelka (dobrine) na mestu proizvodnje. Virtualna voda nas uči, da izdelki, ki jih uporabljamo vsak dan, vsebujejo »vgrajeno« vodo, potrebno za njihovo proizvodnjo. Ta koncept poudarja povezavo med potrošnjo in proizvodnjo, kar omogoča boljšo oceno resničnega vodnega odtisa družbe.
Voda je ključna snov za življenje na Zemlji, saj je nepogrešljiva za vse biološke procese. Poleg svoje osnovne vloge pri zadovoljevanju telesnih potreb organizmov ima voda tudi pomembno vlogo v gospodarstvu, energetiki ter ekosistemih. Hkrati pa se v sodobnem svetu pojavlja tudi koncept virtualne vode, ki se nanaša na skrito vodo v izdelkih, hrani in drugih dobrinah ter poudarja povezavo med porabo vode in proizvodnjo. Odkrivanje skrite virtualne vode postaja ključnega pomena za trajnostno ravnanje z vodnimi viri. Spraševala sva se, kaj lahko kot družba in tudi kot posameznik naredimo glede zmanjševanja porabe virtualne vode. Najin izziv je bil ugotoviti, koliko vode porabi posameznik ali podjetje za to, da naredijo živilo, obleke, avte, itd. in da to živilo pride do uporabnika. Poiskala sva tudi nekaj rešitev za zmanjšanje porabe virtualne vode. Primerjala sva pet proizvodov, ki jih posameznik uporablja na dnevni bazi, in sicer bombažno majico, skodelico kave, list papirja velikost a4, avto in par usnjenih čevljev.
| Bombažna majica | Skodelica kave | List papirja | Avto | Par usnjenih čevljev | |
| Količina porabljene vode (litri) | 2500 | 264 | 10 | 150 000 | 8000 |
Ugotovila sva, da se ogromne količine vode porabi za izdelavo avta. Najbolj naju je presenetila količina vode porabljene za izdelavo para usnjenih čevljev, ki znaša kar 8000 litrov. Prišla sva do nekaj ugotovitev oziroma rešitev glede tega kako, bi lahko sami zmanjšali porabo vode porabljene za izdelavo živil in ostalih dobrin. Prvi korak k zmanjšanju vode je, da se vedemo kot odgovoren potrošnik. Med izdelki, ki jih kupujemo, moramo v ospredje postaviti domače produkte, saj za izdelavo domačih, EKO produktov porabimo manj vode in tudi manj vode onesnažimo. Kar pa se tiče živil moramo biti pozorni na poreklo in kupujmo lokalno pridelana živila, ki ne potrebujejo daljšega transporta do polic v trgovinah. Predvsem moramo promovirati lokalno pridelavo in tudi sami skrbeti, da je naš vodni odtis čim manjši.
Zelo verjetno ste že slišali za ogljični odtis. Toda ali ste vedeli, da obstaja tudi vodni odtis? S preostalim svetom smo povezani preko vode in to, kar kupujemo, jemo in nosimo, vpliva na nekoga drugega, na okolje, v katerem živi, na njegov dostop do vode in na njegovo zdravje.
Med izvedbo izziva sva se naučila, da virtualna voda ni ena sama, temveč se deli na tri skupine: zelena modra in rjava.
- Zelena je količina padavinske vode, ki izhlapi med proizvodnim procesom. Največ se je porablja v kmetijstvu.
- Modra je količina vode, ki je porabljena med proizvodnim procesom in jo vračamo na mesto črpanja. Ta se nanaša predvsem na industrijo.
- Rjava komponenta pa je količina vode, ki jo med proizvodnjo onesnažimo.
Raziskovanje virtualne vode in njenega vpliva na naše vsakodnevno življenje je razkrilo kompleksnost našega vodnega odtisa. Ugotovila sva, da je pomembno ne le zmanjšati porabo gospodinjske vode, temveč tudi razumeti in sprejeti odgovornost za virtualno vodo, ki jo vnašamo s svojimi nakupi. Zavedanje o treh komponentah virtualne vode – zelena, modra in rjava – omogoča boljše pristopanje k trajnostnemu ravnanju z vodnimi viri. Meniva, da je pomembno, da kot družba in posamezniki sprejmemo ukrepe za zmanjšanje vodnega odtisa, spodbujamo lokalno pridelavo ter se odločamo za trajnostne izdelke. S skupnimi prizadevanji lahko prispevamo k ohranjanju vodnih virov za prihodnje generacije.
_______________________________________________
ENGLISH:
Part One
Did you know that the average European uses around 5,000 litres of water per day? However, only about 200 litres is domestic water (bathroom, dishwasher, washing machine, flushing water, etc.) and the rest is “virtual water.” Virtual water is the amount of water needed to produce a certain product (good) at the point of production. Virtual water teaches us that the products we use every day contain the embedded water needed to produce them. This concept highlights the link between consumption and production, allowing for a better assessment of the true water footprint of our society.
PART TWO + figure + table
Water is a key substance for life on Earth, as it is indispensable for all biological processes. In addition to its basic role in meeting the physiological needs of organisms, water also plays an important role in the economy, energy and ecosystems. At the same time, the concept of virtual water is emerging in the modern world, referring to the hidden water in products, food and other commodities. This further emphasises the link between water consumption and production. Uncovering the hidden virtual water is becoming crucial for sustainable water resource management. The two of us wondered what we as a society and as individuals can do to reduce virtual water consumption. Our challenge was to find out how much water an individual or a company uses to make food, clothes, cars, etc. and to get these goods to the user. We also came up with some solutions to reduce virtual water consumption. We compared five products that an individual uses on a daily basis: a cotton t-shirt, a cup of coffee, a sheet of A4 paper, a car and a pair of leather shoes.
Our findings are that a huge amount of water is needed to make a car. What surprised us the most was the amount of water needed to produce a pair of leather shoes – 8,000 litres. We came up with some conclusions and solutions on how we can reduce our own water consumption in the production of food and other goods. The first step to reducing water consumption is to behave like a responsible consumer. We need to prioritise home-made products among the products we buy, because the amount of water needed and also polluted is lower. When it comes to food, we should pay attention to the origin and buy locally produced food that does not have to travel long distances to reach the store shelves. Above all, we need to promote local production and ensure that our water footprint is as small as possible.
Part Three
You have probably heard of the carbon footprint. But did you know that there also exists water footprint? We are connected to the rest of the world through water and what we buy, eat and wear affects someone else, their environment, their access to water and their well-being.
During the challenge, we learned that virtual water is not a singular thing, but is divided into three groups: green, blue and brown.
– Green is the amount of rainwater that evaporates during the production process. Most of it is used in agriculture.
– Blue is the amount of water that is used during the production process and is returned to the point of extraction. This refers mainly to industry.
– The brown component is the amount of water that is polluted during production.
The research on virtual water and its impact on our daily lives has revealed the complexity of our water footprint. We realised that it is important not only to reduce our household water consumption, but also to understand and take responsibility for the virtual water we bring in through our purchases. Awareness of the three components of virtual water – green, blue and brown – enables a better approach to sustainable water resource management. We believe it is important that we as a society and as individuals take steps to reduce our water footprint, encourage local production and choose sustainable products. By working together, we can contribute to preserving water resources for future generations.
Linki slik
https://gigs.humanitas.si/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Virtualna-voda.pdf