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« Thanks, Calvin, for focusing the nation on children's health | Main | Getting the kids to school: Step away from the car, mom »

Starbucks' massive water waste

There are few things that we can all do without in life. And then, there are some that we definitely can’t do without. Like water.

Water has become major a human rights, environmental, and public health issue in recent years. The reason for that there is just not enough of it to go around. The numbers of those struggling to meet their basic water needs increases as the time goes. However, those who have access to fresh water are still not doing everything they could to stop wasting it. Some do very little.

Starbucks is a great example of somebody that wastes water. The U.S. owned multinational coffee giant, according to the recent reports, is wasting 23 million liters of water, daily. That is 607 595 gallons, or full Olympic pool, every 83 minutes. Or enough to supply two million people with water in countries suffering drought.

Starbucks wastes water by leaving the taps running in its worldwide stores all day. The Starbucks officials defend that practice by saying that the purpose is to clean utensils and meet health standards.

Even the U.S., a country with more water supply then many others, will face water shortages. This will affect an estimated 36 states. The freshwater supplies are dwindling across the country due to droughts, rising temperatures, population and inefficient resource usage. The U.S. uses more than 148 trillion gallons of fresh water per year, for all purposes.

Water shortages are felt even more in countries where there is less fresh water. This is especially true for the developing countries where around half of the population suffers from diseases linked to lack of access to clean water and sanitation.

It is concerning that Starbucks is wasting this much water, but at least now I understand why their coffee costs so much - they must have a huge utility bill! The company should find ways to maintain its health standards while not wasting this precious natural resource.

You, on the other hand, should not be a Starbucks. Some of the steps you can take to reduce your water waste are:

• Fix leaky faucets


• Run only full loads in the dishwasher and washing machine


• Turn off the water when you brush your teeth


• Shorten your showers

To read our great suggestions, check out the Red Cross list.

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