Water

We can’t live without it. The sad reality is that most of us that have access to clean running water take it for granted. On an average we can only survive 3 days without it. 60-70 percent of our bodies are made up of water. 71% of the planet is water, 97% salt water and the other 3% is fresh water. Water is considered a renewable resource. However, with human consumption and pollution we have turned a renewable resource into one that is viewed as not a renewable resource.

At the restaurant it is important to me that a customer is asked if they would care for water. My reasoning for this is that what once was a renewable resource is no longer truly renewable. I am embarrassed to say, that years ago I engaged in this debate with a 16 year old who worked with me. I had to remind him that he ask customers before taking water to the table. I followed up with, “water is not a renewable resource!” His reply was: “Yes, it is!” We went back and forth on this subject, but the truth is we were/are both right!

The life cycle of water:

water evaporates, forms clouds and returns to Earth as precipitation in an ongoing loop. The amount of water on Earth stays largely constant over time. The Earth has naturally recycled its water supply for billions of years, However, there are certain factors that interfere with its renewabilty. We have a limited amount of fresh water. Less than 3% of Earth’s water is fresh and most of it is trapped in glaciers or ice caps. In addition, deep aquifers or fossil water can take thousands of years to replenish making them functionally non-renewable on our timescale.

Other factors effecting the renewability of our water supply is overuse, pollution and climate change. We consume and contaminate clean water faster than its natural cycle.

I recall visiting my sister, Dru when I was in my teens in San Francisco. I was brushing my teeth with the water running. She said, “what are you doing? You need to turn off the faucet while you are brushing your teeth, it is a terrible waste of water!” Having lived in California for quite some time she was keenly aware of our precious resource situation and did whatever she could to reduce her usage. This was back in the 80’s! That was over a quarter of a century ago and most of us still treat water as if we have an inexhaustible supply.

If you don’t finish your water at Out of the Fire it will be used to water the plants.