Enough Water? A Guide to What we Have and How we Use it by Steve Conrad, Richmond Hill, Ont., Firefly Books, $24.95
Frankly, I found the facts in this book terrifying and plan to implement some of the water-saving tips into my lifestyle immediately. Even though we live in a rainforest we need to reduce water usage to preserve our most precious resource.
Steve Conrad, the associate director of the Pacific Water Research Centre at SFU, uses infographics to highlight just how much water is used by consumers on a daily basis.
Seeing a drawing of the amount of water needed to produce one kilogram of beef boggles the mind (almost 1.5 times the volume of a concrete mixer truck)! Compare that to the mere eight bathtubs of water needed to create a salad and the positive impact of a vegetarian diet on the environment is immediately evident.
Kids will very quickly be able to visualize the importance of water. Who knew it takes 910 litres of water to produce one smartphone or a whopping 4,165 litres to produce one integrated circuit board for a handheld game? Or 3,000 litres of water to produce one kilogram of paper (the reviewer’s not-so-subliminal message here: read more books).
A list of water-saving tips, a glossary and a bibliography are included. Interestingly, most items in the bibliography are accessible online, making them immediately available for further learning or teaching.
Parents and children will find much of interest in this well-organized and nicely presented book.
Fran Ashdown was the children’s librarian at the Capilano Branch of the NV District Library. She now turns off the tap while brushing her teeth. For more information check your local libraries.
