Food Waste and Energy Consumption of the Internet

Humanities

What are the hidden costs of food?

The hidden costs of food is water, transportation, human labour, animal feed (for animal products), and refridgeration.

How much water does it take to produce 1 hamburger?

It takes 2500 L to produce 1 hamburger.

How much water does it take to produce 1 egg?

It takes 200 L to produce an egg.

How much water does it take to produce an average salad with lettuce, cucumber and tomato?

It takes 80 L to produce an average salad with lettuce, cucumber and tomato.

How much water does it take to grow 1lbs of almonds?

It takes 8000L to grow 1 lbs of almonds.

How much water does it take to produce 1lbs of rice?

It takes 1200 L to produce 1 lbs of rice.

Why is water a hidden cost of food?

Water is a hidden cost of food because most foods require water, and the amount of water can be a lot.

Why is transportation a hidden cost of food?

Transportation is a hidden cost of food because all foods you see in a supermarket have to be transported into the supermarket, and that journey could be long. Some foods are also refrigerated and must be refrigerated during the journey, spending even more energy.

Why is human labour a hidden cost of food?

Human labour is a hidden cost of food because they work in growing food, transporting it, storing it, and selling it. These people will all need to work hard and expend energy to do their jobs. Most of them will also burn fossil fuels to commute to work.

How many kilograms of dry food (wheat, soybeans, alfalfa, corn) does a cow need to eat to produce 1L of milk?

A cow needs to eat 1.3kg of dry food to produce 1L of milk.

How many kilograms of dry food (wheat, soybeans, alfalfa, corn) does a cow need to eat to produce 1kg of meat?

A cow needs to eat 25kg of dry food to produce 1kg of meat.

How many kilograms of dry food (wheat, soybeans, alfalfa, corn) does a chicken need to eat to produce 1kg of meat?

A chicken needs to eat 3.3 kg of food to produce 1 kg of meat.

How many kilograms of dry food (wheat, soybeans, alfafa, corn) does a chicken need to eat to produce 1 egg?

A chicken needs to eat 2.3 kg of food to produce 1 egg.

Why is animal feed a hidden cost of food?

Animal feed is a hidden cost of food because animals need to eat in order to grow and produce milk, eggs, or be used for meat.

Why is refrigeration a hidden cost of food?

Refrigeration is a hidden cost of food because fresh products at the supermarket need to be refrigerated, and once you buy them, they must be refrigerated at your house until you eat them. Some products also need to be frozen, to stay safe.

What are the five ways to induce your carbon footprint while using the internet and/or your computer?

1. Reduce brightness and sleep settings on computer and monitors.

2. Reuse, repair, and buy second hand items.

3. Streamline your inbox by deleting unneeded old messages and unsubscribing from unwanted newsletters.

4. Download instead of streaming.

5. Use audio only when listening to music instead of having videos play in the background.

What is cloud storage?

Cloud storage is storing files on large servers in data warehouses.

How does cloud storage impact our energy use?

Cloud storage is stored on large servers in data warehouses, which use lots of energy to keep it running. These data warehouyses also create heat, so water and cooling systems are needed to keep everything from exploding. Everything we store in cloud storage uses energy, and it isn’t free.

How much water does a mid-sized data center use?

A mid-sized data center uses the same amount of water as growing 40 hectares of almond trees, around 480 megaliters of water a year, or 480,000,000 liters of water a year.