Neighbor News
Drought Action and Delicious Food
Got Drought?, a local organization dedicated to informing the public about the truth behind the drought, will be holding a fundraiser Oct 1
Got Drought? will be holding a fundraiser on October 1 at Veggie Grill on Wilshire Blvd to raise money for its state-wide billboard campaign that will provide little-known and shocking facts to the public about the drought and current water conservation efforts.
“The fact of the matter is, we’re not getting the information we need to be smart in this drought,” Karen Fiorito, the founder of Got Drought?, explains. ”Everyone is talking about the mandated water cuts and Californians cutting their urban water use by 31% in July. But these efforts really don’t add up to much in today’s drought.”
Only 4% of the state’s overall water use is direct or urban use according to the Pacific Institute’s 2012 report on California’s Water Footprint. This means the cuts in July were in reality only a 1.25% reduction in overall water use in the state.
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By contrast, water use linked to animal agriculture is a much larger portion of the state’s overall consumption of water. 47% of water in California is used by the meat and dairy industries and according to an estimate supported by the US Geological Survey and the National Park Service, just one beef hamburger requires 1,300 gallons of water to produce.
Fiorito hopes that getting this information out to Californians will cause them to think twice about their next meals and encourage them to switch to a less water-intensive diet during this time of severe drought.
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“I’m actually surprisingly optimistic. While Californians’ water reductions so far are not significant in terms of conservation efforts, they are encouraging in that they’re a sign Californians are willing to take action,” Fiorito says.
“If people knew that a veggie burger required 1,200 less gallons of water to produce than a beef hamburger, at this point I’m sure Californians would be willing to change their diets to conserve water.”
The fundraiser will be held at Veggie Grill (2025 Wilshire Blvd) on October 1 from 5-10 PM. One-third of all proceeds will go to the Got Drought? campaign.
For more information, visit: http://karenfiorito.wix.com/gotdrought