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Water for Life - The virtual water project
You there! Yes you, with the chicken drumstick. Do you know how much water went into producing that chicken? Well we'll tell you: 3,900 litres per kg
The water consumption involved in each step of producing the food we eat is not something to which we devote a great deal of thought. But the Virtual Water Project aims to change that with hard facts, beautiful prints and an iPhone app which present our 'water footprint'. Kicked off by a lecture on Water for Life in 2007 at the University of Applied Sciences in Potsdam, the project is fast gaining momentum.
The prints, designed by Timm Kekeritz, feature blue silhouettes of what we consume - from cheese to chocolate - and are accompanied by some sobering information about how much water is used to take these products from their natural state to our plates.
The first edition of prints sold out fast, but you can get your hands on a second run. The app features more products than the prints and is interactive - you can adjust the weight to find out how much water went into creating what you're eating. Which is enlightening... as well as a little off-putting.
The project, which is attracting widespread acclaim, strikes a balance between being visually compelling and informative. Its simple and striking design shows that, if a serious subject matter is presented in a visually arresting way, it can potentially resonate with a worldwide audience.
